#MahsaAmini and the Hypocrisy of Western Allyship

On September 16th 2022, a 22 year old Kurdish Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini died, reportedly as a result of injuries inflicted by the Guidance Patrol (Iran’s morality police, responsible for ensuring public compliance with Iran’s legally enshrined moral standards). In Mahsa’s case, she was arrested by the Guidance Patrol for not wearing her hijab according to the Iranian legal standard; that is, her hijab was loosely tied and some hair was visible. The specifics of her cause of death are not fully known, although it is believed she suffered catastrophic injuries which may have caused a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke, resulting in death.

The consequential global uproar regarding Mahsa’s death has been incredibly interesting to observe. On a personal level, I am in full support of the Iranian women fighting back against a regime which has forcibly ensured compliance with a legal standard in a realm where perhaps, legislative control is not the answer. I am not by any means Islamically knowledgeable enough (yes, despite being a practicing Muslim), to pontificate upon the interface between the moral versus legal and individual versus collective, when it comes to observance of religious commands. The most immediate question which comes to mind for example, is that formal ritual prayer (Salah) has been enjoined upon all Muslims, men and women, once they reach the age of puberty. If however, a man or woman does not pray or chooses to never pray yet professes to be a Muslim, is it the role of government to step in and ensure compliance via legislative control? I don’t have the answer and as I say, this is more of a personal musing than anything else.

However, as a Muslim woman residing in the UK who does wear a hijab, it is the reaction of Western, specifically non-Muslim individuals, that has given me pause. In the last few weeks I have observed a huge number of people and brands (largely on social media) posting in support of Iranian women’s right to choose whether or not they observe hijab. From celebrities and influencers to billion dollar conglomerates, everyone seems to be on the same page. That sounds great one would think. Finally! People are paying attention to ordinary, everyday Iranians who simply want to live their lives as they choose. And therein lies the hypocrisy.

Whilst Muslim women in a largely Muslim country fight for their right to choose whether or not to wear hijab, Muslim women in non-Muslim countries (I’m looking directly at you, Europe) also fight for their right to choose - this time, it’s Muslim women who do want to wear hijab but are increasingly subject to hostile governments looking to govern how Muslim women dress, and thereby how they live their lives. The outpouring of support for Iranian women is wonderful to see. The lack of outpouring of support from the same influencers, individuals, brands and conglomerates for Muslim women in Europe, is without a doubt, a gross indictment of character of those who would have us believe, are standing in support of women’s rights.

Supporting a Muslim woman’s rights when she is doing something you approve of or something which aligns with your worldview does not make you the upstanding ally that you seem to believe it does. If anything, it highlights the disingenuity between your word and your practice. The protests in Iran on behalf of Mahsa Amini and against the Iranian regime display a level of righteous anger which is not pretty, or nice to look at, or easy to swallow. But it is raw and real and a true indicator of the level of anger and frustration of a population.

I therefore cannot help but think that if the same level of anger and vitriol being directed towards the Iranian government, was to be seen in Europe - only this time, it’s Muslim women fighting against European governments for their right to choose, burning pictures of European leaders and calling for their removal or death (as is happening in Iran); would the reaction be the same? Would the reaction of these self-appointed allies of Muslim women in far flung places of the world, be the same when other Muslim women fought for the exact same rights, but on their doorstep? If teenage Muslim girls all turned up to schools wearing hijab (as opposed to cutting their hair), would there be support? Of any kind? Or would these Muslim women and girls be subjected to anti-terrorism action, their voices drowned out by those who say they know better, telling them they ‘don’t assimilate?’ What would the likes of France, Belgium, Denmark and the rest do? Because I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty. They wouldn’t sing the praises of these Muslim women. They wouldn’t call out in support of their actions and their fight. There wouldn’t be a mass social media movement in support of these women. These women would be left alone to fight, forgotten and left behind again.

So please don’t tell me you support Muslim women or the right to choose. Your support starts and ends with yourself and your worldview. Your support is not for others, it is for yourself.

Depp v Heard: the Aftermath

The fallout following the defamation trials between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard which concluded on 1st June 2022 in the state of Virginia, has been interesting to say the least.

The Trials

The US defamation trial followed the libel claim Depp issued against News Group Newspapers Ltd in England, in 2020. The claim was issued regarding a headline appearing in The Sun online, in 2018, which referred to Depp as a ‘wife-beater.’ Depp lost the libel claim with the Court finding that the defence of ‘truth’ applied to the publisher. Amber Heard appeared for the defence as a witness and gave evidence of 14 instances in which she said she was assaulted by Depp. The Court accepted her testimony on the balance of probabilities, in accordance with the civil burden of proof.

The US defamation trial on the other hand, found the exact opposite. This second claim was issued by Depp against Amber Heard personally, regarding an op-ed written by her and published in the Washington Post in 2018. The verdict was decided by a civil jury and found that Heard had made maliciously false statements about Depp. i.e. that Heard had lied.

Interestingly, whilst The Sun article had mentioned Depp by name, there was no mention of Depp personally in the Post article. In the facts of the US case, it was asserted that the article could only have referred to Depp, given the nature of Heard’s comments about the domestic abuse she had allegedly suffered.

Reactions

A number of reactions followed with Heard and Depp’s supporters both laying claim to the verdict. Depp’s supporters felt that an innocent man, wrongfully accused by a vindictive woman, was vindicated. They also felt that as a male survivor of domestic abuse, he shined a light on men also suffering domestic abuse when the stories heard most often, are of female survivors being abused at the hands of men. Heard’s supporters on the other hand, felt that yet another woman was denied justice in the face of an established male Hollywood icon as her opponent, thereby cementing the notion of it being ‘a man’s world’ even with Heard’s considerable fame and star power.

What did we learn?

From a legal perspective, nothing has actually been settled. The defamation trials themselves each found opposite conclusions to the other. The English trial verdict was delivered by a judge only, heard in open court but not televised (with limited social media commentary). The US trial verdict was delivered by a civil jury which was not sequestered throughout the trial and therefore had full exposure to the ensuing media circus, both online and offline. How far this influenced the jury is difficult to say, although it would be reasonable to suggest that the jury may well have heard or seen at least some of this external commentary and considered it during their deliberations, albeit subconsciously. In addition, the US trial was televised with a global audience tuning in, therefore allowing a considerable amount of people room to posit arguments and engage in their own deliberations.

What should have happened?

Whether or not Depp abused Heard, or as he alleged in some instances, whether Heard abused Depp, has still not been settled. In my opinion, a defamation trial in either country, was entirely the wrong forum to explore these allegations. Domestic abuse, regardless of victim or perpetrator, is an insidious and often unnoticed harm which can cause complete and utter destruction of those experiencing it.

On the face of it, both trials had enough personal testimony from both actors to suggest that abuse of some form happened between them. Whether it was one sided or experienced both ways is a question for another day. The purpose of the defamation trials was to establish whether the specific statements made were defamatory or not. A key element of a defamatory statement is its falsity; i.e. that it is a lie which has been published. Once a verdict has been reached about the statement, that’s it. Trial over.

Whilst the English trial allowed some room for Heard’s testimony of 14 instances of abuse which the Court accepted, I do not believe either Court heard the full extent of the alleged abuse. In my opinion, the best place to explore whether or not abuse occurred, to what extent it occurred and the details of any such instances, would have been a criminal trial. With a higher burden of proof of ‘beyond reasonable doubt,’ I believe a criminal trial would have held more weight in its conclusions, in light of the nature of the allegations.

It is an entirely different matter as to whether a criminal trial will ever take place. A primary component in either jurisdiction would be a criminal complaint and as researchers in the field of domestic abuse will attest, survivors are often reluctant to file a police complaint for any number of reasons. The overriding feeling I have, following both trials, is that as much as we have been told, there is far more which we do not know and as ever, I am reluctant to draw a firm conclusion without possessing all the facts.

Reflection, Renewal and Respite

As we venture through the first week of Ramadhan, I am struck by how quickly time has flown by once again. It feels like only yesterday that we started and finished Ramadhan in the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020, and sadly had to endure celebrating Eid without the usual family or friends.

But perhaps with a little less ceremony than normal, we have welcomed this beautiful month of spiritual uplift and reflection. In a year that has seen so much of both turmoil and loss, as well as steadfastness and courage, it seems only fitting that having been forced to slow down for twelve months, that we slowly try to embrace the positives we have found along the way as we cautiously step out of a full lockdown.

Ramadhan is a spiritual month, characterised by physical fasting of food and water, and increasing acts of prayer and devotion as we try to become the people we should be, all year round. I have often thought that the physical aspects of fasting are the easiest parts of this month. To stop yourself from physically doing something is fairly straightforward.

The much more difficult elements are the spiritual and mental. I find myself trying to undo the damage of poor mental discipline established in the rest of the year, during Ramadhan. Emphasizing things like forgiveness, mercy, kindness, honesty and self-discipline are key, and these are ideals much more difficult to observe than physical fasting - or at least, in my opinion. As a general rule, I try to practice these at all times but to err is human and from time to time, I’m not able to adhere to being the best version of myself. You may find yourself thinking an unkind thought about someone or making a comment you later regret. Ramdhan is a key time of year to free the mind and inculcate positive mental habits - elements of this can be seen in modern day practices like mindfulness; but for me, Ramadhan is a far more holistic and all-encompassing set of practices than just one or the other.

The third element is of course the traditionally spiritual. Everything from increased prayer to nights spent reading and reflecting upon the Qur’an, to learning about Islamic history and everything in between, whatever way you decide to increase your devotional practice, this is the month to be richly rewarded for it. I have set myself “Ramadhan Resolutions” this year which include:

• actually finishing a full recitation of the whole Qur’an (I always mean to do this but never seem to achieve it);

• ensuring I complete all of my obligatory prayers on time every day;

• getting into a routine of doing at least some optional prayers every day, even if it is only a few;

• attending virtual circles to increase my knowledge of Islam; (I have a slight obsession with the supernatural so my way into this is to learn more about the jinn and the prophethood of Sulaiman a.s.)

I would love to hear about your goals for Ramadhan this year; leave a comment below with your thoughts!

Reclaim These Streets

I have no words to describe how I feel about the UK’s descent into authoritarian fascism before our very eyes. Following the horrific kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan police officer, women up and down the country began pouring out their stories of harassment, abuse and victimisation at the hands of men.

A female protestor is manhandled by Met police officers in Clapham Common, on 13th March 2021

The statistics are truly chilling.

• Approximately 85,000 women are raped and over 400,000 women are sexually assaulted in England and Wales every year.

• Conviction rates for rape are far lower than other crimes. Only 5.7% of reported rape cases end in a conviction for the perpetrator.

• On average, two women in England and Wales are killed every week by a current or former male partner.

In response to the news about Sarah Everard and as an outpouring of grief, women across the UK came together under the banner ‘Reclaim These Streets’ to hold a candlelight vigil at Clapham Common in honour of Sarah, and of all the women impacted by male violence. Following a contested hearing in the High Court, the Met informed the organisers the gathering could not go ahead. The organisers sent the same message to their followers via social media.

Regardless, they gathered. And the image above is how the Met police responded. By forcefully subduing some protestors and arresting them.

Women in the UK have experienced harassment on an almost universal scale; everything from verbal comments and outright abuse, to lewd gestures and stalking, and of course, rape and murder. There is a systemic disconnect between the lived realities of so many women, and the way the state responds to them in times of need. It is not for no reason that so many women feel ‘nothing’s going to be done,’ and so, do not even go to the bother of reporting the majority of lower-level harassment.

I am angry that women suffer at the hands of male violence.

I am angry that female victims are not believed.

I am angry that “slut-shaming” is even a concept with its own tagline.

I am angry that the problem is the behaviour and actions of men, but it is women who are policed. Women who are told they shouldn’t have been there or done that.

I am angry that the threat to women’s safety is not taken seriously.

End Violence Against Women

#IBelieveThem

Broadcast on 8th March 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a 2 hour interview. The conversation was a peek into life behind the scenes for Harry and Meghan, and to shed light on the reasons why they decided to leave the UK last year. I want to preface this by clearly stating that I believe Harry and Meghan, and their assertion that life in the UK became unbearable for them.
The Family v. The Institution

Meghan was very clear in separating the royal family from the wider institution of the monarchy - i.e. the staff, the people who ensure the monarchy operates as a well run machine. This includes the advisors, the household staff, HR, Press/PR etc. In my view, Meghan was largely very complementary about the family, and specifically the Queen. She mentioned two incidents involving family members, one of which included her directly, and the second involving Harry - interestingly, she didn’t give full details of exactly who was involved in some of this and to my mind, she did the family a huge favour that she did not owe. At no point did Meghan come across as criticising the Queen, or even most of the family. The institution on the other hand, was understandably a different story.

Racism …

Meghan spoke openly about the racism she faced although the interview didn’t particularly delve into the racism of the tabloid press, other than comparing some articles written about Kate with those written about Meghan. This deserves an entire show by itself.

…in the Family

A few things stood out to me clearly. The first is that Prince Harry said he had a conversation with a family member who wondered “how dark” their child’s (Archie’s) skin might be when he was born. The person is understood to have commented on what Archie’s skin colour “might look like” and “what this might mean.” Leaving aside the fact that Harry and Meghan are 75% Caucasian between the two of them, and therefore the chances of their children having a dark skin tone were slim to none to begin with, it does not surprise me at all that there are racists in the royal family. The point here (and why I consider this racist) is that without question, the same person who made these comments would not have questioned “how light” Archie’s skin tone might be, had his mother been 100% Caucasian. As one commentator put it, no-one was asking which shade of alabaster their child might be.

…in the Institution

The second point, which to my mind, can only be put down to racism, was the assertion by Meghan about the discussion to strip Archie of his “Prince” title. The discussion being had here was theoretical; Meghan even partly explained the George V convention laid out in the Letters Patent, which essentially states that grandchildren of the monarch will automatically gain the title of Prince or Princess, and the eldest male great-grandchild will also gain the title.

With respect to the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince WIlliam and Kate), an exception was made in 2012 by Queen Elizabeth to ensure that all of the Cambridge children inherit the title of Prince/Princess, even though they are the monarch’s great-grandchildren, not her grandchildren, and ordinarily, only Prince George would have held this title, not his siblings.

Meghan appeared to be making two points about this. The first is that the institution took a very different approach with Archie. Whilst it was understood that Archie would automatically take the title of Prince upon his grandfather ascending to the throne, the discussion in the institution was that changes would be made to the Letters Patent to ensure that Archie never took the title of Prince, and therefore, according to current institution procedures, would not be afforded security.

The question Meghan asked was ‘why?’ Why would an institution as reluctant to change as the monarchy, suddenly decide, for no explicable reason, that Archie would be unilaterally stripped of a title that would otherwise be his birthright. In the absence of any other explanation the only sensible conclusion is racism.

The second point (and I’m not sure if this was fully expressed, although it is what I gathered from the way Meghan stated it), was that, as an exception had been made for Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis assumed this could be made available for Archie. A reasonable request given his parents were receiving death threats. She was told by the institution that no similar exception would be made for Archie. The problem that Meghan understandably had with this, was not Archie’s inheritance of the Prince title itself, but that being given the title meant that Archie would gain the protection of personal security. In light of the very real threats (including death threats) made against Prince Harry and his family, it is entirely reasonable that Meghan would be concerned about Archie’s personal safety and security. Unfortunately, the response from the institution appears to have been, “sorry, can’t help you.”

Lack of Support

Several points Meghan mentioned throughout the interview came across as a severe lack of support from the institution. She suggested that there was a lack of willingness to ensure that she was given the tools and information to carry out the role she had taken on. Meghan specifically mentioned that as an American, she did not know the British national anthem (nor can I think she had any reason to), but no-one in the institution seemed to recognise that she would be ‘missing’ significant parts of monarchical culture which would need to be addressed. She described having to figure out the bits she didn’t know herself and teaching herself.

The reason I find this interesting is that in the end, the job of a working royal is simply that, a job. And like any job, it is the employer’s role to ensure the employee has a smooth onboarding process, which involves giving them the tools, information, processes and procedures to carry out their role effectively. As Meghan described it, this simply did not happen. I felt that she came across as genuinely upset about having wanted to do a good job and being actively prevented from doing so.

The second point to mention here is regarding the story which most of the UK managed to hear about, courtesy of the tabloids, is that of Meghan apparently making Kate cry about something to do with the bridesmaids’ dresses ahead of the wedding. It was revealed that it was in fact Kate, who made Meghan cry but Meghan also explained that this was graciously dealt with, with Kate apologising and Meghan forgiving her. Despite this, the institution did not clarify anything with the tabloids who continued to accuse Meghan of extremely poor behaviour and of making Kate cry which was untrue. This is regardless of the fact that the Palace specifically went out of their way to deny Kate having botox treatments a few years ago. When Meghan questioned this, she was told “the Duchess [Kate] cannot be involved with idle gossip.”

Mental Health

The cumulative effect of the lack of support from the institution, being the subject of persistent and pervasive racism (largely from the tabloids), as well as continuous false and degrading stories written about her, resulted in a significant deterioration in her mental health and Meghan says, left her feeling suicidal. When she tried to get help and approached the HR department, she was apparently told that as she wasn’t a paid member of staff, they wouldn’t be able to help her. Having heard this, I am in no doubt as to why the Palace insisted that a HR investigation involving alleged accusations of bullying by Meghan was suddenly being carried out shortly before this interview aired. (Incidentally if anyone could explain the discrepancy between Meghan being a working royal but not being a paid member of staff, I’d be grateful). For any organisation to have managed to have driven one of their own to wanting to commit suicide is abhorrent. I can only hope that Meghan is getting the help and support she needs in the US.

In conclusion…

It sounded to me that the main problem throughout this entire time and really, the focus of Meghan’s interview, was the institution and departments running the Palace, rather than specific family issues. I feel that if the “work” situation had been handled appropriately, at the time, and the only real issues had been managing family relationships, Meghan would have been able to carry on. It’s useful to remember of course, that Meghan was essentially in a foreign country, away from her old sources of support including her mother and friends, taking on a colossal new role in full view of the media, not being provided the support she required, yet somehow expected to manage this without dropping anything. My sympathies lie entirely with Meghan and Harry and I hope they find what they are looking for in their next chapter.

2020: A Year of Change

We made it folks. It’s 2021 and Donald J. Trump is no longer President of the United States.

It feels like I’ve been waiting a long time to say those words and so much has changed since I last posted to this site. The world feels changed, and today at least, a more positive place than it was a scant two days ago.

Covid-19

Since I last wrote, the world has tried to get to grips with a global pandemic in the form of Covid-19, and which, as I write this post, is an ongoing, seemingly never-ending battle. Or at least that’s how it feels to me here in the UK. From one lockdown to the next, we have careened from one government announcement to another, being told everything non-essential was closed, then open, then closed, then open and now closed again. How long this may continue, we have yet to find out. The impact of Covid-19 made 2020 a very strange year, not least because I spent a large majority of it furloughed from my workplace in a state of limbo, neither required to work nor unemployed.

Time feels to have passed in a haze, with my strongest memory of working in the garden throughout the summer to plant and harvest as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Growing everything from spinach to strawberries, green beans to tomatoes, and even planting a mango tree, the summer felt idyllic and never-ending in a way that I haven’t experienced since the long-lost summer days of my childhood. Being able to take the time to dig into the soil, to plant seeds and watch tiny shoots begin to germinate left me with a sense of gratitude and purpose which I hope to carry forward with me into this year. I am not one to feel guilt in taking time for myself anyhow, but the enforced break from many of the daily realities of life left me feeling very content as I relaxed into my summer hobby as a gardener.

But as all good things are wont to do, this too came to an end towards the end of the year when my last full-time job was made redundant leaving me unemployed for the first time since graduating from university.

Whilst I was experiencing this for the first time, my father also experienced a first having contracted Covid-19 pretty badly for a couple of weeks in November which were very ‘touch and go’ for us as a family. Having said that, my mother absolutely refused to hospitalise him (and thankfully, he was never quite so bad so as to require admission), but she instead insisted in the way of desi mothers everywhere, in giving him daily totkas to aid recovery.

These consisted of drinking turmeric laced whole milk twice a day (to act as an anti-inflammatory and lift anything “sitting” on the chest), a teaspoon of black seed oil twice a day (fellow Muslims will know what I mean), and plenty of vapour inhaling courtesy of either Vicks vapor-rub in boiling hot water, or a couple of drops of Olbas oil or eucalyptus oil for the same purpose. Interspersed throughout was praying. A lot of praying. Thankfully, a couple of weeks later, it was all a distant memory and he had recovered.

U.S. Presidential Election

Shortly after this, the 24-hour news cycles began reporting on early voting in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election gearing up to the big day itself. As so many of us non-Americans are aware, the U.S. Presidential race has a global impact and political news junkie that I am, I found myself glued to wall-to-wall election coverage in late November. American politics is infinitely far more exciting than anything in Britain but I’ll come back to Brexit in a moment.

Having lived through the turbulent turmoil of having a former reality-TV “star” as President, I think I speak for much of the world when I say we waited with bated breath to see the results of this election. There are many words to describe the horror of the Trump presidency but I believe many more words to come - the state of New York appears to be gearing up towards potentially bringing criminal charges against members of The Trump Organization, with creditors, most noteably Deutsche Bank, refusing to do business with Trump potentially looking to recover hundreds of millions in $US it says it is owed.

I find the relationship between politics and the law fascinating and eagerly anticipate any legal proceedings that shed light on Trump’s actions and behaviour.

On a more positive note the new U.S. President, Joe Biden and his Vice-President Kamala Harris, have been gifted a Democratic Congress to work with a Democratic White House, and one can only hope that the most diverse Presidential cabinet in U.S. history is able to live up to the hopes and dreams pinned to it. And at least we can now say that a female from an ethnic minority has finally taken the role of Vice-President! Best of luck to both of them.

Brexit

I have nothing to say here other than Brexit happened, food shortages have started happening in some parts of the U.K. and that I still think Brexit was the wrong decision for us but here we are. As with so many things in Boris Johnson’s premiership, Brexit too, was a case of lastminute dot com and it shows.

2021

I am hopeful for 2021. The disturbance of 2020 has come to a close and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines against Covid-19 are being rolled out and more are being developed. The government’s vaccination plan leaves much to be desired but it’s a start.

On a personal note, I have pivoted my attention entirely to a few projects which have been in the works, on and off, for a few years. Having enforced free time has meant finally getting on with developing these further and a soft launch is intended in February for the first project, with a further two in the pipeline later in the year should the first prove to be successful.

A focus on health and well-being is the goal for this year. If 2020 taught me anything, it is that time is fleeting and to grab hold whilst you can. That is exactly what I plan to do and a focus on both physical and mental health and well-being is at the top of the list. Having implemented some changes to my lifestyle at the end of last year, 2021 will be the year that these changes finally take off insha’Allah.

I do hope 2020 was not too hard on you and I wish you all the happiest year ahead.

Hijab and Female Identity

I rarely delve into matters of my faith on my blog, mainly because this blog isn’t a resource for matters of religion. Instead, it is simply for me to share with you the things that interest me, inspire me and motivate me (except for my faith).

Interestingly, my faith does all three of these things and I find the process of learning about Islam absolutely fascinating both from an academic and lived perspective. Its history is rich and it has so much to offer. However, it is also deeply personal; I am not in any way trained or practiced specifically in religious matters (it may be easier to describe myself as a “bog standard” Muslim female who tries and sometimes succeeds but sometimes fails).

As it stands the comments I want to make regarding hijab are driven not by the legalistic aspects of religion, but rather as the lived experience of a Muslim female in the UK, who happens to wear a hijab. I don’t for one moment, claim to speak for any other woman who does or does not wear a hijab; my comments and views are my own alone.

The Qur’an

To touch on the legal perspective for one second, modern and traditional interpretations of khimar (the word used in the Qur’an to denote covering/concealment) range from classical conservative to almost fully liberal interpretations depending on who you speak to, what you read and where you look. My personal thinking has always geared to the traditional and classical understanding of the Qur’an, simply because one would expect translations more accurate in meaning, from a time period closest to when the Qur’an was revealed, although of course, Islamic scholarship allows room to reason and interpret according to every age of human existence until the end of time.

Regardless of where one stands on this spectrum, there is still the matter of today and where things stand nowadays. In modern times, the word hijab has come to mean “head covering” whilst niqab means “face covering.” (For the sake of understanding, I will use these words to discuss my points below).

The “Influencer” Question

I watched a video on Youtube yesterday from the popular Muslim influencer, AmenaOfficial. Amena made a recent decision to no longer wear the hijab - something she was visibly known for since her start on the video sharing website around 10 years ago. This comes as one more in a long list of female Muslim influencers doing the same thing e.g. Annam Ahmed, Masuma Khan and Dina Tokio to name but a few.

There are a few brief points I wanted to make; the first is that as trite as it sounds, it is extremely difficult for those of us on the other side of this to judge these women for making their decisions. I happen to wear a hijab, these women do not. I know the state of my own Iman, I do not know theirs.

I find it strange that many of the social media comments about Amena’s decision (largely from young Muslim women) have centred on disappointment, shock, insults and many along the lines of “you inspired me to wear hijab. I looked up to you.” The reason I find it so strange is that it seems odd to me that these women would declare that Amena was their reason for wearing hijab - surely if anyone would be your reason to wear hijab, it would be Allah?

As a Muslim your commands come from Allah, not Amena. In the most basic sense of the phrase, take responsibility for your own actions - if you are doing what you are doing, with a genuine belief as a Muslim woman, that you are following the commands of Allah, then whether Amena removes her hijab, wears a niqab or dances naked in the street, is entirely irrelevant to your own practice. I do understand that for a young audience, particularly one that has grown up with Youtube, there will be an element of disappointment - but I must say that as a Muslim, it is rather unbecoming to let this cause you to swear, to insult or to cast aspersions against someone in such a way.

And on the flipside, we will never truly know why a woman removes her hijab for the same reason that we will never truly know why she wears it. We can assume that a hijab wearing woman is doing so as a religious duty, or that she removed her hijab because of social media influence (for example), but we will never truly know. My point is that it doesn’t matter if we never know; our only concern as a Muslim should be to pray for the betterment of others and for us all to be increased in our Iman and our ability to practice our faith.

For some reason, this flexibility only ever seems to be afforded to Muslim men. We are all aware that some Muslim men haven’t stepped foot in the masjid for Jum’uah in years and out of the blue, they do. No-one spends their time condemning them for the time they didn’t attend, instead they are graciously welcomed back into the fold like a long lost sibling. This does not exist equally for woman at all; if a woman, for any reason and in any form, goes through a period of weakened Iman (as we all do, being human), she is relegated to a sub-status in which nothing she does is good enough, she simply isn’t "Muslim enough” for us. She slipped once, twice, three times and Muslim society decides the world has ended. The only difference is that where this concerns the hijab, as the hijab is an outward expression of faith, every man and his dog feels they have a stake in making a comment about it. Somehow it turns into something that happened “to others” as passive spectators rather than something a person did of their own, for their own self.

There is also an assumption that just because a woman has this experience and removes her hijab, that somehow she is doomed forever. We are all taught the story of the prostitute who was granted Jannah for giving water to a thirsty dog, but for some reason our belief in Al-Ghaffar is out of the window as soon as a Muslim woman does something that we don’t approve of. Instead of doing what we should do, and praying that her life is made easier so she can come back to hijab or that her Iman is strengthened etc. it turns into a showdown in which human beings condemn her as though they have any idea what their own Iman will look like at the time of death.

Parting Words

It truly sounds a little facetious, but quite simply, by nature of being a human being and not the Divine, you do not possess the knowledge of anyone else’s Iman. You simply do not. Whilst yes, you can advise someone when you truly feel they are doing something wrong, giving advice has an adab and one which most Muslims today, sorely lack. If you are unable to say a kind word or a good word, and you feel they have genuinely committed a sin, then condemn it in your heart if you do not possess the correct adab, and make du’a for their betterment. That is the best way you can help.

Ramadan

I wasn’t planning on writing anything lockdown or Covid-19 related at all, and to be honest, I still won’t be but I had a couple of thoughts as a side effect of these two things so I thought I’d share.

I have no doubt things will change even more so than they already have, but as we are now in week four of lockdown here in the UK, a few thoughts have been floating in the ether which I decided to finally commit to paper, so to speak.

The Benefits of Lockdown

Like many people across the world, this will be the first and perhaps only time in our lifetimes, that we find ourselves in a situation quite like this. Living here in the UK, I can’t help but feel so very, very lucky to live in a country that regardless of the ongoing situation, means that we can still access almost everything we need fairly easily. Apart from having restrictions on movement (i.e. how much we can go outside, where we can go etc)., overall, the picture is generally okay.

I was speaking to my mum about how simple it is for us (or one person) to go to a supermarket, buy most of the things we need and come home. In terms of healthcare access, we can still go to hospital if needed, access GP care or emergency dental care. Whilst lockdown may not be convenient (and I’m certainly not going to get into the health and virology side of the discussion), it is certainly proving to be a good time of self-reflection and appreciation for all that we have.

Clearly this picture will be very different in other parts of the UK, and I’m aware that some more remote or rural areas may struggle with aspects of this, but for the most part, I think I speak for a large majority of the country in that, whilst things are not ideal (and for good reason), they could be much worse and there is value in remembering this and how lucky most of us are.

Welcoming Ramadhan

For those of you who may not know, I am also Muslim and for me, this means the month of fasting (Ramadhan) is due to start within the next couple of days. In some ways, the approach of Ramadan feels odd this year, mainly because the annual hustle and bustle of preparation hasn’t been in play.

In normal times, you’ll usually find Muslim families up and down the country starting their preparation the month before Ramadan begins - whether that means stocking up the freezer so you don’t have to shop as much during the month, or preparing oneself spiritually to take as much advantage of this month as possible. This year, it almost feels like it’s come out of nowhere and because we’ve been in lockdown for the last three weeks, that preparation hasn’t happened to the same extent.

It’s fine though - it’s not a complaint, just an observation that Ramadan (and likely Eid) this year, will be of a different sort. Change can be a good thing and being ready to embrace change is always helpful. Who knows, episode 2 may reveal more…

Aurat March 2020: 'Mera Jism, Meri Marzi'

At the time of publication, the world as a whole is getting to grips with the latest and most immediate threat facing us all: Covid-19, or the novel coronavirus, which has been designated a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

A few weeks ago however, things were much calmer and we celebrated International Women’s Day on the 8th March 2020. As part of this, TFO reached out to supporters of Pakistan’s ‘Aurat March’ (Woman’s March) to see what they had to say about the event.

Here, Mahaa gives us her thoughts:

The International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year. On this day, women around the globe celebrate their freedom, independence, and femininity. Just like the rest of the world, Pakistan celebrates International Women’s Day as well.

But in the last three years, Pakistani women are not only celebrating this day but are also marching for their rights. For the march, Pakistani women will leave their homes to demand their rights directly to authority. In the last two years, the Aurat March has developed into a confrontational program against the patriarchal constructions of society, causing a strong backlash against the participants and organizers of the march.

The Concept Behind This Year’s March

As stated above, this protest for women’s right started three years ago when a couple of equality activists for women, coordinated groups in Pakistan and decided to hold a march on March 8, International Women's Day. These wonderful steps were taken by these groups not only to provide the platform on which to express women’s thoughts and their rights, but also raised the response to women's rights, which society was overlooking brutally.

This group of female equality activists’ essential ideology was that the march could not be underwritten by NGOs or establishments. The marches are planned and premeditated to be diverse and take place in the main cities of Pakistan, including Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta.

The aim of the march was to highlight and stop the various acts of violence and harassment women face in their daily lives.  The organizers of this program encouraged an Aurat March strategy which challenged restorative culpability and justice against the violence directed at women in the workplace, at home, in public spaces, abuse, rape, sexual harassment, forced marriages, honor killings, acid attacks, pay disparity and inheritance rights among other human rights violations. It also promoted economic justice, inclusion, and access to public spaces for all. The Aurat March provided a new stimulus to the feminist program in Pakistan, but with that, it put the planners and participants at risk.  

The Aurat March unfortunately faced negative consequences and strong criticism last year from those who refuse to realize and understand the value of this action. Many women received death threats and threats of rape. This clearly demonstrated to me that people with this mentality feel that threats are the correct way to “handle” women who ask for their rights.

“Mera Jism, Meri Marzi” (My Body, My Choice)

The motive and concept behind this slogan was to highlight the issues women are facing in their professional and personal lives, and that it is necessary and correct for women to ‘say no’ and stand up for their rights.  One of the march’s organizers felt that a march with this particular slogan would be very effective, as it allowed women to be vocal about how they tackle real life problems, as part of a societal group that suffers from the most violence.

Women are the main victims of violence but the women who attended the Aurat March also typically belong to a very specific segment of society; one which is educated, is free to choose how they dress, and has the means and independence to go anywhere. This limits the experience of the participants to an affluent and privileged group - they alone cannot make this movement important and effective.

Why was the Aurat March so significant in Pakistan?

According to research of sexual harassment and violence cases, data has shown that on a daily basis, women face sexual harassment and forced marital rape in Pakistan. 

The main motive of this protest march is to provide women freedom and free them from the fear of sexual harassment and inequality.  This includes dressing as they choose and independently going wherever they want. The cultural restrictions and enforced limitations should be lifted. Women should be supported to have the courage to report sexual harassment on their campuses and in their workplaces.

For this undertaking of awareness to be effective, the organizers should work towards attracting victims of abuse and violence to the Aurat March, and along with them, present their demands with their consent and consensus.

The Aurat March also encourages real victims at the March which will make people realize the seriousness of the issue of women's limitations. The minute the real sufferers join the demonstration and tell their own stories, people who do not believe that authoritarianism against women occurs, will be able to re-evaluate their statements and will hopefully be led to believe that issues related to women are prevailing difficulties in society.

Correlating Issues

An amazing thing that occurred at the March was in seeing the transgender community join the protest which is a historic step forward as their rights have been previously neglected badly. One of the picketer activists, Shahzadi, said that she turned down requests from the trans community to appear at the march last year even though the first Aurat March was held two years ago. However, the trans community has been neglected and she wanted to highlight the issues they suffer in Pakistan and commented that, "Unfortunately, no transgender rape law has been made in Pakistan to date," and she wanted to request authorities to consider this request.

She also protested that their community is often humiliated by the police when they go to make a formal complaint also known as an FIR (First Incident Report). She demanded that this issue be resolved with strong political interference. They added that the government has announced steps since 2010 but no implementation has been seen, and the transgender commission has not been formed. In addition to that, the trans community is very aware that there is no separate prison and facilities for their community, which is considered a necessity due to the level of harassment and abuse they face.

Another long-awaited point which was raised at the Aurat March was of women's reproductive rights and matters to do with women’s bodies. As women, we have the right to take care of our bodies as we see fit and our reproductive and sexual cycle is a fundamental human right. In addition "in Pakistan, the maternal mortality rate is 299, per 100,000 live births, which is a cause of extreme shame for us. Every 37 minutes a woman dies," and this often happens due to a lack of high-quality reproductive healthcare and sadly, there is no legal mechanism in place to tackle this head-on.

We hope and pray that this protest brings some positive changes in our society towards women’s rights. We hope to see no more cases like Zainab or similar cases to children like her. We need to put a stop to sexual harassment and violence against women. Whether it is at home or in the workplace, we have to stand up for our rights.