hijab

Poetry: Society Unshackle Me!

I am imprisoned within a microscopic lensStereotyped, analysed, suffocatedToo submissive, too ignorant, too uneducatedThat I need to be liberated Society, unshackle me! Let me be!My scarf is wrong for me, my dress style wrongMy skin colour is wrong, I am all wrongI do not fit into the prescription of a liberated society Society, stop! Stop …

Poetry: Society Unshackle Me! Read More »

coffee, cappuccino, café-2151200.jpg

10 Summer Book Recommendations for 2022

The heat is on! Summer is here! With the school holidays and warming temperatures on the horizon, it’s time to kick back, relax and read a good book. Whether you’ll be reading pool side or staycationing at home, a good book can transport you to a different place, take you on a journey, and give …

10 Summer Book Recommendations for 2022 Read More »

More than Scarf Deep

“If I were you, I’d cut ties with all friendships and start over.” A friend advised me when I broke it to her that I was going to take off my headscarf. It was scandalous and shameful in her eyes. And that was the last time I saw of her, she never contacted me since. …

More than Scarf Deep Read More »

Hijab Shaming: A Favourite New Hobby For The Haram Police

Image credit: Dina Tokio YouTube Oh, to be a Muslim woman in 2019. When it comes to the world of online social media hijabis, a new phenomenon is sweeping the digital sphere: Hijab Shaming by the online squad, referred to as the ‘social media mullahs.’ In the current post 9/11 political narrative, the Muslim community …

Hijab Shaming: A Favourite New Hobby For The Haram Police Read More »

Muslim Women: Enslaved or Empowered?

Women in Islam, often synonymous to the Asian concept of ‘purdah’, have been unveiled, ironically, by nearly every media house and spokesperson. Even laymen, with little to zero knowledge of Islam, claim with confidence that only a specialist would have, that Islam oppresses its women. In the vexations that surround topics such as these, Muslims …

Muslim Women: Enslaved or Empowered? Read More »

Ofsted, hijabs and the hypocrisy of British values

  Apparently, many faith schools do not adhere to British values, states Ofsted in their annual report and little girls wearing hijab are rejecting British values and on the top rung of the ladder down to violent extremism with nebulous references to sexualisation.  Acres of space both in print and on line will be given …

Ofsted, hijabs and the hypocrisy of British values Read More »

1400 years on is Islam anti-Feminist?

Have you also had your muslim uncles and aunts ask you why you don’t wear a hijab ? Has it made you want to punch them ? Has it made you want to scream out loud and wish eternal sufferage on them ? Yeah, welcome to this post where we can collectively rage about this …

1400 years on is Islam anti-Feminist? Read More »

The Irony of Oppression

According to Google, the definition of oppression is the prolonged, cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority. And according to UKIP leader Paul Nuttall, the burqa is a symbol of oppression and is the latest headline act (so to speak) of the party’s attempt to gain favour. Politicians have used Muslim women as targets for …

The Irony of Oppression Read More »

Muslim Women’s Voices: A Muslim Woman Researcher’s Perspective

Personally whilst growing up (and still today) I could very rarely identify with the Muslim women that were always being spoken about in the media and by politicians. Perhaps, this is reflective of my somewhat privileged position, but the Muslim women that I knew were motivated and strong both in their careers and in the …

Muslim Women’s Voices: A Muslim Woman Researcher’s Perspective Read More »

Bravo France

Last night I forced myself to look at this image. Over and over again. It was uncomfortable, sickening and terrifying. But as I sat up in bed, in the dark, with Imaan asleep next to me, I forced myself to stare at it. I had scrolled past the image earlier in the day. I was …

Bravo France Read More »