I love badass Muslimahs. Especially when they’re not setting out to be badass — but are badass by virtue of their good works and efforts.
Yeah okay, it also helps when fierce women hit bags, throw punches, spin kicks, run marathons and use their physical prowess to raise money for a local youth shelter.
A month ago a group of Muslim women started training to run a half-marathon taking place this Saturday in Ottawa. Their goal is to promote healthy and active lifestyles through the spirit of sport and raise money to help establish a youth centre to nurture the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of youth today.
Happy weekend everyone! We’ve finally recuperated from Eidoween and have a bunch of fun stories for your reading pleasure. So sit back and enjoy some fierce women, romantic Muslims, some historical Hajj and a little ideal Muslimah trolling that’ll have you snorting tea out your nose.
Enjoy!
1)Focus and breathe and stretch and Olympics. With this mantra, Amna Al Haddad is one woman I would not want to mess with.
The New York Times recently profiled this fantastic 22-year old athlete from the UAE along with her team mate Khadija Mohammed, the first female Emirati lifter to make the Olympics.
According to the article, a tough training schedule isn’t the only thing these women have to deal with. Negative attitudes about women weightlifting in their country include the belief that they’ll turn into muscular meatheads — thereby making them unattractive to male suitors. Because it’s not their athletic talent that’s important – no, it’s their marriageability. The team also deals with the stereotype that weightlifting only attracts masculine women, and *GASP* lesbians(!!!!)
“A lot of women say, ‘Wow, look at her body,’ ” Al Haddad said. “They ask me how to get lean, and when I say I weight lift, they get scared. But it’s the 21st century now. I don’t want to get married until I make the Olympics.” …
At a recent workout, Al Haddad, in the company of a male trainer, wore full arm and leg compression skins under her shorts and a short-sleeve shirt with the word “beast” printed in bold across it, a concession to tradition.
Fierce!
I SHOW YOU MUSCLES AND POPPING VEINS! MUSLIM FEMINIST HULK SMASH MISOGYNIST CIS-GENDERED HOMOPHOBIC ATTITUDES!
Seriously, don’t mess with a woman who can clean and jerk 100 pounds in the air. Keep lifting ladies.
2) There is nothing more romantic than receiving an early morning kiss from the Hubby — complete with shaggy hair, scruffy beard, and the dulcet sound of babies yelling. Probably because that’s about the extent of romance in our house.
Half the world away, Kamila Khan has written a terrific article about the lack of “romance” in her life for the online Australian mag Mamamia. In “Confessions of a Muslim Romantic” she recounts growing up in front of the television learning unrealistic expectations of romance:
I can literally quote you every conversation in the Breakfast Club. Sure, I was sent to madrasa and learnt how to pray, but there’s no way a Saturday morning learning Arabic could replace my Saturday night with 21 Jump Street. This is where I learnt all my morals, my standards and my expectations…
After all, from our religious tradition came the Taj Mahal (made by a male out of love for his wife); came the poet Rumi (a male truly in touch with his feelings); and from Arabic came the word ‘carat’ (to measure the size of my future wedding ring). It was impossible then for any Muslim male not to have romance in his blood, right?
Yeeeaaah… I didn’t mind getting my ideas about romance from Johnny Depp and Rumi either. *wink*
Go read and comment on her piece, it’s a hoot guaranteed to make you remember the 80s fondly and grab your partner in a hopefully baby-food-spaghetti-stain-free embrace!
3) Single ladies, listen up! You know those nights when you’re sitting all alone on Twitter re-tweeting Mona Eltahawy, or stalking random cat pictures on Facebook wondering at the ripe educated age of 28 when you’ll find that NORMAL Muslim to complete half your faith? Well, according to a now popular post on MuslimSpice, that IS why you’re all alone! Apparently, the worst women to marry include women on Facebook, Twitter, non-virgins, non-hijabis, the daughters of gas station owners, and feminists.
You’re using social media: It might be time to axe your Twitter and Facebook accounts, because your online presence is probably warding off potential suitors. It has been proven, by many studies, that no Muslim woman can resist logging into a social networking site without making posts about getting lost in Tariq Ramadan’s eyes. Of course, all conversations held by females are useless, and men only use social networking sites for the important business of men. If you’re using it for professional reasons (trick statement: your only valid role is being a homemaker), then that might be OK — but I’m afraid that I would have to recommend doubling up on your prayer to avoid falling prey to the Internet’s slippery slope.
Oh God it’s true, it’s so true. I get so lost in Tariq Ramadan’s eyes. (I even have a signed copy of his book! *fangirl squeeee!*) Guess I’m on the hairy path to hell.
5) Finally, possibly the oldest recording of a Qur’anic recitation. Surah Duha as captured by Thomas Edison’s newly-invented cylinder phonograph, and set to a collection of pictures from pre-modern development Mecca.
Well folks, the weekend is over, but I managed to sneak in a Muslim roundup! This week we’ve got a whole pile of Muslim women kicking ass, breaking down stereotypes, and one doing the Gangnam horse riding move while driving and rocking her mobile in her hijab. Fierce.
Enjoy!
1) Now this is a story all about how, my burqa got flipped, turned upside down! And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, I’ll tell you about an Afghan rapper and her hair.
According to the article, Sosan is breaking traditional rules for women — she’s also a television actress and recently performed at a music festival in Kabul (under segregated conditions of course). And she’s literally making history by letting her words and her hair flow freely.
She sings about repression of women, her hopes for a peaceful Afghanistan and the misery she says she experienced as a small child living in neighboring Iran… ”We want an end to all cruelty against women and children,” Firooz chants.
Unfortunately, some of her relatives have shunned her — leading her mother to be careful about mentioning Sosan’s budding career and her father taking on the role of bodyguard. Both are fantastically proud of her. She’s just breaking into the music scene — so the best of luck to you my dear!
2) Another woman debunking the oppressed Muslim woman myth is the kick ass muslimah Hiba Akhtar who lays the smackdown on some of the larger assumptions about hijab. In her fantastic piece “to the woman who called my friend a “RAGHEAD” as she walked down the street,“Hiba addresses racism, modesty, diversity of Muslim women, and even “anti-slut shaming” and body policing:
Women like my mom, like my old teachers and others in the Muslim community where I live, cover completely by choice. They have careers, they vote, they own property and raise kids and basically kick ass. They consider America to be their country, and, if you told them to leave, they’d probably curse you out in their mother languages and threaten to hit you with an all-American baseball bat. And this is the beauty of America.
…Questioning and establishing dialogue opens the doors tolerance and understanding, two things women in America need more than ever if influential men are going to continue spreading ignorant shit about our very bodies and who we are.
My hijab is literally shaking like a pom-pom. Massive virtual high-five!
BAM, IRAN – 17/12/11 Fatemeh rests after school as she struggles with a very bad flu. From the project “The day I become a woman.”
3) I’m a little late to the game, but I recently came across the absolutely breathtaking work of Kiana Hayeri. The Iranian-born photographer came to Canada (w00t!) to pursue her secondary studies and soon discovered that a camera could not only transcend language barriers, but tell a story by framing it with social commentary.
Phase Two explores the different ways young Iranian women choose to wear the veil. Hijab is implemented as a fashion element, accompanied with distinctive makeup and colorful headscarves. Young women use these elements to empower themselves and to make a statement. One might argue that the makeup itself, is also a form of veil.
You can find more of her amazing work on her blog.
4) And winner of “why is this even news,” a Canadian, gay, Athiest, octogenarian, activist, retired zoologist has left Omar Khadr $700 in his will. Jack Hallam of Salt Spring Island hopes Khadr can put the money toward his education now that he’s been repatriated to Canada after spending a decade in Guantanamo Bay.
Hallam said he has set aside $700 for Khadr because he thinks the Toronto-born man has been treated badly by both the American and Canadian governments.
“I think the young man has been treated abominably,” Hallam told The Canadian Press on Saturday.
I’m not sure what’s more strange: media pointing out that Hallam is a gay Atheist or thinking that $700 will make a dent in the average Canadian tuition (but it’s a really sweet gesture).
5) Finally, for your viewing pleasure, I give you Egyptian Gangnam style: Life is a big bowl of salad (with at least one avocado). My hijab for a proper translation!
Men teach that a woman’s entire body is a part of the definition of nakedness — and thus, “for the sake of the Muslim Ummah and for her own good,” she should cover her entire body. Even her voice should not be beautified, lest it attract the poor, unsuspecting, pious male into entering sin. (source)
And this is why we need more public recitation, supplication and chanting by women. Because they are indeed, beautiful.
Hat tip to Hijabman for finding this awesome piece.
Happy Wednesday everyone! Yep, looks like I’m still here, so I decided to throw together a little mid-week roundup.
It’s chalk full of Muslims doing every day things, some olde fashioned blogger love, BOOOOOOBS and hijab (big surprise there) and a little Muslim feminist controversy!
So let’s get to it.
1) A typical Media day for Muslimahs: ZOMG a Niqabi eating ice cream on a roller coaster! ZOMG Muslimahs have awesome sex! ZOMG Muslimahs are athletes! ZOMG hijabis pick their noses! ZOMG Muslim women are generally, all-around pretty badass.
Spurred on by a *scandalous* image of a woman in niqab holding a lacy bra, Farah Mawani takes on the Media obsession with Muslims doing everyday things in her HuffPo piece, “Muslims Do What?!” — and interviews photographer Asif Rehman on his latest exhibit, “Muslims?!” Essentially, a fantastic photo collection seeking to break down stereotypes about what it means to be a Canadian Muslim.
The always thought-provoking Organica has a heart-wrenching post from an anonymous woman who was thrust into an unwanted Polygamous marriage. From Polygamy Feels Like Cheating:
He came back and wanted me to forgive and live like normal. He said nothing will change. I said everything has changed. Besides, people forgive when it’s something that’s happened and over. He doesn’t plan on leaving her. He said to try. I told him I can’t live like that. Besides the fact that I think it’s completely gross, I will always be bitter and voice my discontent and I’ll always be suspicious…
“Oh, they are upstairs, listening too,” Answered someone, when I asked them. “We have speakers and close circuit TV.”
This is the problem, the big problem, in today’s Muslim organizations. If you take a look at this picture, there is a LOT of empty space behind the men, in the MAIN prayer hall. Why can’t girls sit here, in close proximity to the speaker, so they can personally ask him questions, or be inspired in way that only a face-to-face conversation can? Sitting behind the men will satisfy any requirements that orthodox Muslims can throw at them, and not to mention, teaching women this way is actually a sunnah.
If scholars, who know the Arabic language efficiently, arrive at incorrect conclusions, and continue to insist that “alternative” readings are not legitimate, they are not only denying that the Prophet’s companions differed extensively in their understandings of Quranic verses, but they are trapping themselves when it is revealed and widely accepted (as verse 4:34 is now beginning to be accepted) that for centuries they have been misinterpreting this verse, and that a long line of male scholars who deny women the practicality required to seek an education are reading their own male privilege and debauchery into the Qur’an—and deliberately so.
3) Now, when the Media isn’t trying to save Muslim women from their clothing, they’re talking about how Muslim women love to let loose and take off their clothing.
In this season of wobbly heels and cleavage, the bittersweet transformation of teenagers in jeans and T-shirts into elegant adults barely recognizable to their friends is an anticipated tradition.
But at the all-girl prom, there were double double-takes, as some of Tharima’s classmates, normally concealed in a chrysalis of hijab and abaya, the traditional Muslim cloak, literally let their hair down in public for the first time.
Oh the chrysalis of hijab (that’s a new one!) — transforming hawt hijabis since 1859.
But in all seriousness, do read the article and check out the video. Tharima Ahmed worked her butt off to pull off this amazing prom — raising money, organizing bands, and galvanizing support from her teachers and school body. I tip my hijab to you my dear!
4) And finally, if you haven’t already heard about the controversy around Mona “we are more than headscarves and hymens” Eltahawy’s Foreign Policy piece “Why Do They Hate Us”, here’s a quick rapid-fire:
“Okay, I’m the boy now!” Eryn cheerfully drops to one knee and raises her hands, ready to catch me as I twirl towards her. I suppose in her imagination when her little hands grasp my leg, she’s gracefully lifting me up into a delightful twirl. Soon it’s my turn to be the boy and she giggles incessantly when I throw her into the air.
Recently, Eryn has become more and more interested in role play – and it’s interesting to see how she assigns gender roles to her various make-believe characters.
Boy ballerinas lift twirling girl ballerinas; girl farmers climb trees and drive the tractor while boy farmers remain untouched in the box; mamas have babies (sigh); babas have meetings (double sigh); and doctors, nurses, and faeries apparently have no gender.
Overall, we’re trying to be fluid about gender stereotypes in order to emphasise that she’s capable of doing and being anything she chooses. Especially since living in a community with strong cultural and religious ideas of women’s “divinely ordained” roles will one day impact her in ways I can’t yet imagine.
Sometimes I worry she’s going to start feeling that boys have all the fun.
This week’s roundup is a little bit of a mixed bag. I’ve come down with yet another cold and perhaps it’s the extra lemon and honey that’s got me finding strange stories. Or maybe it’s just the Media just talking about Muslims again.
Yeah, after reading about Muslim women models, non-threatening Muslims, and left-field fatwas, I’m going with option #2.
Enjoy!
1) So, if a Muslim woman can win the Miss USA beauty pageant, why is it such a stretch of the imagination when a Muslim Modelling Agency splashes on the scene?
Launching during New York Fashion Week, UNDERWRAPS aims to become the first global agency representing the Muslim Female Fashion Model. Fashionista covers this story with an in-depth interview with fashion designer and founder of UNDERWRAPS, Nailah Lymus:
“[Muslim models] come from a background where they dress Islamically appropriate, but to be in this industry and to be a model you kind of have to forfeit that,” Lymus said. “That’s why I wanted to start this agency, so you don’t have to do that. You don’t have to lose who you are to be in this business.”
Natch, the Islamofashionsphere on Facebook and Twitter are all buzzing over the absolute paradox a Muslim modelling agency creates.
I see no contradiction between fashion and modesty. Muslim countries have hundreds of successful Muslim designers creating modest (and not so modest) styles for the discerning (and not so discerning) Muslim woman. Why not start another fashion trend leaning toward modesty from within the industry itself? As the tagline for the agency says: UNDERWRAPS – creating a fusion for inclusion.
(hey wait a second… sounds like creeping shari’a to me!)
*gasp* could you imagine a modest American Apparel? The mind boggles.
2) A group of professional Muslims have joined together to create the first annual Muslim English Spelling Bee! Registration is now open and apparently schools from across America will be joining in to host this event sometime in March or April. It’s theme is “connecting communities through eduction” and is open to Muslim students in public, private, home and Islamic scools.
With Muslims already participating (and *cough* winning) America’s national spelling bees… I just have to ask: WHY?
3) In response to the media fallout over the Shafia murder trial, the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada has issued a fatwa against honour killings and domestic abuse. Apparently the fatwa was issued in my city probably at a mosque I frequent, though I had to read about it in the news…
Actually, I’m not sure why we need a fatwa, seeing that honour killing and domestic abuse already are against Islamic teachings…
Wait a second, who on earth is the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada and why are they issuing fatwas in the non religious state of Canada?
Ok, sarcasm aside, my hijab goes off (oops!) to any imam who speaks against domestic violence and honour killings — especially when there are those who believe they have the religious right.
4)The New York Times covers the release of a new report claiming that terrorism by Muslim Americans is “a minuscule threat to public safety.” The report also finds that there is no single ethnic group dominating the 20 American Muslims charged in violent plots or attacks against America in 2011. In fact, 40% are converts.
*crickets*
Yeah. I don’t have much to say about this one.
(we told you so?)
5) Finally, lets end the weekend with a supurb little documentary outlining the contribution of Muslim Women in Europe. Former MTV host Kristiane Backer, female boxer Ambreen Saddique, leading Astrophysicist Rim Turkmani and more show us how they are Muslim Women of Influence.
Sometimes there are just no (written) words when (moving) pictures can say it all.
Enjoy Muslims just being real!
1) Maryam Ismail has an interesting take on a recent panel discussion held during the opening of Sadaf Sayed’s iCover exhibition at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization.
Where did this image of the oppressed Muslim woman come from and when will this battle against it stop? … Today, it seems there is the idea that under one’s hijab lies some mystical inner working, one that needs to be covered up by another layer of normality…
Why should it be a special event if a woman who wears a hijab decides to be a fencer or a ballerina? Is it out of the realm of faith? Some may not think so and others may not care. Then, there may be another premise: that wearing the hijab will show the world that Muslim women have arrived. However, I think that if this is the case, they may end up being the oldest debutantes at the ball.
Match point.
I have to say that I LOVE seeing awesome, strong Muslimahs rocking out in their hijab. But do I love them because they mirror what I do on a Friday night, or because they apparently SMASH current stereotypes of the submissive veiled (groan) woman?
Muslimah’s shouldn’t need a surfboard or a boxing glove to augment their hijab just to be considered normal. Discuss.
2) What is this? –>>
I think it’s a lovely, albeit unfortunate piece of Islamic Calligraphy.
What do YOU think it is?
Find out how community members’ dirty minds won the right to deface their mosque, and read more hilarious awkwardness at Wajahat Ali and Aman Ali’s new project: Hair in New Places.
(seriously… WHAT were they THINKING?!)
3) Wondering what REAL Muslims looks like. Without the pressures of hijabs, beards, surfboards or boxing gloves?
Interested in seeing just plain, normal, fantastic, boring, amazing, neighbourly humans who happen to be Muslim?
Well now you can with Todd Drake’s “Muslim Self Portraits” project profiling (haha) Muslims in North Carolina and Manama, Bahrain “to create self-portraits that share real, rather than seeming, reflections of self to a wider audience.”
4) And unless you’ve taken a self-imposed holiday from any form of social or digital media, you just might have heard about the Sh*it People Say meme that’s sweeping teh internetz.
You can’t argue with “is my hair showing?” “what is up with the drama in the MSA?” gritting your teeth through auntie interrogation and getting your dance on to Nari Narien!
