On being a Muslim feminist.

As talked about in an earlier post regarding peace in Islam, the media loves to portray the wrong side of Islam, and this portrayal includes how women are treated within Islam.
In the West, both feminism and Islam have very negative connotations to it that drive people away. Many people who are secluded within their own bubble like to call feminists "bra burning man haters" who only want to become superior in society. These same people also like to call Islam a terrorist and extremist religion that oppresses women.
It's especially infuriating when feminists degrade Islam by saying that women in Islam "need to be saved" or when Muslims claim that feminists are radical women who only want to degrade men and let go of their traditions. So is there really an in between? Is it possible that one can coincide with Islam and feminism and appreciate both?
The answer is absolutely, and here's why.
Islam is a religion of over 1.5 billion people, within it, there is a history of over 1,000 years, spanning across many cultures, people, and languages. So of course it is natural that the people who identify with Islam will vary, and so will their beliefs. The same can be said with feminism, which has been around since the beginning of time. To box an entire group of people into one stereotype- claiming that they are terrorists or hairy lesbians-  is rather ridiculous.
Let's look at Femen for example. Femen are a group of women, founded by Anna Hutsol, who claim themselves to be feminists and are globally known for organizing topless protests for a variety of causes. One of these causes, is their view on Islam as an oppressive and misogynist religion. Femen has declared "Topless Jihad Day" on April 1st, 2013, where they rally in front of Tunisian embassies and mosques.

Many protests are known to show women drawing unibrows, beards, and wrapping their heads in towels while drawing the Crescent star (the symbol for Islam) on their chest.

This is not liberation and does not help Muslim women at all. In fact, it's quite racist. Femen boxes Muslim women into one stereotype reinforcing that they are voiceless, enslaved women who need saving. 

Many Muslim women have spoken out against Femen, and Femen's reaction is quite hypocritical, calling them "brainwashed, stupid, and enslaved," as if according to Femen, Muslim women can't have a voice of their own.

Now you may ask, "are you forgetting Saudi Arabia? Afghanistan? Pakistan? What about what's going on with women there?" Of course the hardships women face there are something that needs to be pointed out. However culture and religion are two different things, and the hardships the women face there are cultural issues, not religious issues, that happen all over the world regardless of religion. Many people like to point out the status of women in these countries, however no one talks about the many women who had prominent political positions in Muslim countries, such as Benazir Bhutto, Lala Shevket, Khaleda Zia, Sheikh Hasina, Rawya Ateya, Tansu Ciller, and many other women. Not to mention the many Muslim feminists and Muslim female organizations that shaped the notion of modern day intersectional feminism today. 

Both Islam and feminism are very broad topics that are meant to be explored, questioned, and researched. I personally believe that Islam is a feminist religion and was the first religion to advocate for rights women didn't ever have in history before, such as the right to own private property, to work, to consent to marriage, and more. Of course there may be some things in the Qu'ran that I may not uphold to my values, however being a Muslim feminist is a beautiful thing and I very much cherish that. To be a true feminist, you must advocate for the rights of all women, and to be a true Muslim, you must advocate for the rights of all people, regardless of gender.

Khaled Hosseini: Short Biography

Khaled Hosseini is the author of the Kite Runner and a Thousand Splendid Suns. He was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1965.
Hosseini's father was a diplomat in the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi at a high school in Kabul. In 1976, Hosseini and his family were relocated to Paris and planned to return to Kabul in 1980, however Afghanistan was being occupied by communist Soviet troops so his family sought asylum in the United States instead. Hosseini graduated from high school in 1984 in San Jose, California and went to Santa Clara University for a masters in biology, which he earned in 1988. Afterwards, he enrolled in the University of California, San Diego, where he earned a medical degree in 1993.
Hosseini became a practicing internist between 1996 and 2004.
In March 2001, while practicing medicine, he began writing his first novel, The Kite Runner, and was published in 2003. The Kite Runner quickly went on to become an international bestseller and literary classic and spent over a hundred weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. His second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, was #1 on the New York Times bestseller for 15 weeks, and nearly an entire year on the Bestseller list.
In 2006, Khaled Hosseini became apart of the United Nations Refuge Agency and was named a Goodwill Envoy. Inspired by the trip he made to Afghanistan by the UNHCR, he started the Khaled Hosseini Foundation, which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

For you a thousand times over.

Recently, I finished Khaled Hosseini's heartbreaking yet deeply moving novel, the Kite Runner. One thing is for certain that it was hard for me to put it down. I laughed, I definitely cried, and this book certainly moved me enough to pass on lessons and morals to me that will follow me for the rest of my life.

The Kite Runner is set in 1975 Afghanistan all the way to early 2000's America and follows the lives of Amir, a Pashtun Sunni, and Hassan, a Hazara Shi'a, two inseparable boys, who, despite their religious and ethnic differences are best friends that share a love for flying kites.
Amir is the son of a wealthy merchant and Hassan and his father are their servants, yet the two parents are basically brothers to each other and the same can be said to Hassan and Amir.
On the day of a local kite fighting tournament in the winter of 1975, the relationship between Hassan and Amir are shattered, and in replace of it a dreary, painful year. Not to mention during a time when there is political havoc amongst the many ethnicities in the country of Afghanistan.
Years later, Amir and his father flee Afghanistan for America where he spends the rest of his life in, but the life in Afghanistan is still there waiting for him.

If I could rate this book out of 5 stars it would be 5. However, I am not a book critic and didn't look for anything in the book to criticize. Perhaps if there was anything in this book to criticize it could have been the anger I felt for Amir who at many times would be very narrow minded and only think of himself.

I'd spend hours sitting in my room reading, the tales of the exotic lives of people in Afghanistan, the inspiring yet heartbreaking loyalty Hassan had for Amir, following the life of Amir and the many people that shaped him, and learning about the happenings of Afghanistan from an Afghan perspective all resonated within me and deeply moved me.

I recommend this book to everyone. The storytellings of this book, the unique characters, and the morals and lessons in this book will be unforgettable. This heart-wrenching yet inspiring book is one that I will always recommend and most of all, always remember.

Treatment of Women in Afghanistan by the Taliban

The Taliban was a predominantly Pashtun group of Islamic fundamentalists who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. The Taliban began to rise to power in the early 1990's, fighting against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and were backed by the US Central Intelligence Agency and the Pakistani counterpart, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate or ISI. The Taliban was joined by younger Pashtun men who studied in Pakistani madrassas or seminaries. The word Taliban is actually Pashto for "students."
At first, the initial post-soviet Taliban movement attracted a lot of support by people in Afghanistan, by promising to impose stability and order after many years of Soviet occupation and conflict.
However, this overwhelming support didn't last long. Especially for women, who were affected the most by Taliban rule.

Women in Afghanistan being beaten by a member of the Taliban

 While the Taliban were in power, they were notorious for their sexist treatment of women.
Women in Afghanistan were required to wear the burqa, this was because the Taliban believed that "the face of a woman uncovered is the source of corruption for a man not related to them." The requirements of the burqa was that the veil had to cover the whole body, their clothes couldn't be thin, decorated, or colorful. Women couldn't wear perfume or dress like men either.
Child marriage was very common and even encouraged by the Taliban. Over 50% of girls were engaged by 12 and 60% by 16. Most girls married far older men and over 80% were from rural underdeveloped areas and were arranged or forced. Many parents have their daughters bartered into marriage to repay debt or resolve disputes. Many older men (in their 60's) will pay a high price for child brides. Child marriage increased the rate of illiteracy, abuse, and physical and psychological trauma. Not to mention the increased health problems for young girls who were pregnant or gave birth.
Women in Afghanistan weren't allowed to work, and suddenly doctors, professors, engineers, and teachers became beggars on the streets. Women weren't allowed to go out in public, unless accompanied by a mahram (close male relative). A woman who was badly beaten by the Taliban for going out by herself said "my father was killed in battle... I have no husband, no brother, no son. How am I to live if I can't go out alone?"
The punishments for women who went against these rules were often times public, and held in sports stadiums. Some examples of punishments were women having their fingers cut off for wearing nail polish, public stoning for adultery, public beatings and whippings.

Public execution of a woman known as Zarmeena in Kabul's Ghazi Stadium. She was the mother of seven children and was found guilty killing her husband in his sleep after allegedly being beaten by him

Despite the Taliban slowly losing power since 2001, women have continued to have it hard. However, it is safe to say that it is getting better. Since the fall of the Taliban, new constitutions in Afghanistan were written to give women more political rights. Women have since even been appointed to hold prominent positions in government. Literacy among girls has improved as well, with the increase in number of girls attending schools by 30%.

Child marriage is more unlikely to happen, since the government has set laws in place that girls under 17 are not to be married (however not all who marry under 17 obtain marriage certificates). Women are more likely to be employed, only if male relatives permit it, and some feel that employing women takes jobs from men. Also, the number of women who burn themselves to death has decreased from 350 cases per year to 70.
These may seem like small changes from a western perspective, however they are real and only getting better.
Education of women within Afghanistan, not merely support from the west, needs to happen to help women get the rights and justices they deserve. Educated men are also very important as they are more likely to support choices for women, appreciate, and feel less threatened by their educated wives, daughters, and relatives.

Afghan women today

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton standing with Afghan female politicians.

Sources:
Life as an Afghan Woman
Taliban treatment of Women in Afghanistan
Some of the restrictions imposed by Taliban on women in Afghanistan

How I was introduced to human rights and social justice issues

From a very young age, I was always interested in learning about helping others. I also loved to learn about different cultures from all around the world. I remember watching middle eastern news such as Al-Jazeera and Press TV with my parents and pestering them with questions to the point where they would sigh in exhaustion and send me to my room to read a book or do something more elementary school girl-like. Not that my parents forced their political beliefs down my throat or brainwashed me into believing certain things, because they definitely didn't. I just often overheard their political conversations and watched the news with them, only half paying attention because I honestly couldn't keep up with the dense issues they often talked about. 

My interest in social justice didn't come until later around 8th grade and freshmen year when I joined a social blogging platform called Tumblr. Tumblr and I became inseperable. I spent almost every day on Tumblr reading about others' lives, reblogging pleasing pictures, and liking hilarious posts. Naturally, I also came to learn a lot about the world especially many oppressed people in the America, including women, LGBTQ+ advocates, and other minorities. I at first thought that these people were making a big deal out of it and complained about very minuscule things. But after a while, I came to realize that when thought about, these issues are actually very significant in affecting the bigger picture. I slowly became introduced into the world of progressivism, feminism, and LGBTQ+ rights. 

Learning about the flaws of the world often made me angry, sad, and upset that changes in the world aren't happening fast enough. I will admit that I still sometimes get angry and upset about the realities of the world. But it is important to know that change comes very slowly, and that it also comes with many people making the effort, instead of sitting around waiting for others to do it. If you are just being introduced to social justice issues and human rights, you should be reminded that you should always stick up for what you believe in, and fight for it too. While we may think we are just one average human in the world of billions of humans, it is also important to remember this quote by Libba Bray, "And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time."

Islam means peace

Shocking I know.
But really, something needs to be said over the growing ignorance over 23% of the world's population, aka Muslims. If you've been watching national news within the past two decades, you probably know what I mean.
In the news, Islam, terrorism, and extremism have many times been said in the same sentence. Let's take this for example, when you hear the word "jihadist," you probably picture a terrorist in a turban with a gun in his hand. Which is fair to assume considering that's what the media calls them. But in reality, "jihad" in Arabic simply means the "struggle." When westerners use the word jihadist to describe a terrorist, they're giving a negative connotation to a very common word in Arabic.
Being a Muslim in the west is no doubt a jihad. (Do you see what I did there?) Especially after the unfortunate events of 9/11, where terrorist groups hijacked four planes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and killed 2,977 victims in the attacks.
Personally, I believe no group of people have been affected more by 9/11 than Muslims. Before 9/11, hate crimes against Muslims went from the second least reported to after 9/11 when it became the second most and went up by almost 1600%. Not to mention the approx. 145,000 Iraqi civillians killed due to military occupation by the west from 2003 till now, but we'll save that topic for another post.

Being a Muslim female, especially a hijabi Muslim female is a struggle, or as I said before, jihad. Many love to ask "are you bald under there?" or "what are you hiding under your hijab?" and the favorite "do you shower with it on?" I personally don't wear the hijab, but witnessing what many of my relatives and friends go through is definitely one that gives me some insight on being a hijabi. Many see wearing the hijab as a sign of oppression and restriction, when in reality, it is freedom, choice, and becoming stronger with your faith. Don't get me wrong-- becoming a hijabi is definitely a long process and a jihad, which is why I know I'm not quite ready for it just yet, but for many, it is a long process well worth it.

There are very many misconceptions about Islam, mostly brought on by the media, however it is my, and many other Muslims goal to shed a light on the reality of Islam and how it is a peaceful, non-violent religion that endorses feminism and women's rights. Muslims are just like any other kind of people, and the incredibly minute minority that call themselves Muslims do not represent us.

A very brief history of Palestine and the conflicts with Israel

Palestine is a country located in the Middle East. It borders Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. Well known and religious cities in Palestine include Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The Palestine vs. Israel issue is definitely considered a complicated and controversial subject. People who support Israel are considered "Zionists." The definition of Zionism is the movement for the protection of a Jewish state currently known as Israel. It was a political organization began by Theodore Herzl in 1857.

The United Nations imposed the Partition Plan of Palestine that decided it would break Palestine and Israel in half. 

The Arabs nor the Israelis were very happy with this, and so went many wars and conflicts the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, where Palestinians rejected the partition plan because they felt that they deserved the right to all of their land, and not just half. After the war, the 1949 Armistice Agreements established separation lines between the two. Israel controlled areas originally designated for Palestine, Transjordan controlled the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, and Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip. The Six-Day War was fought between June 5th-10th in 1967, with Israel being victorious and seizing control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. The U.N. Security Council called for Israel's withdrawal from territories occupied, based on Resolution 242, the "land for peace" formula. 

In 1974, the Palestine Liberation Organization was recognized as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The intifada was another resistance organization and uprising that was sparked by more than 20 years of military occupation, oppression, and confiscation of land. Between 1987 and 1983, over a thousand Palestinians were killed and more thousands injured, detained, or imprisoned in Israel or deported from Palestinian territories. 

Peace negotiations started in 1993, with the Oslo Accords. It was the first direct, face to face agreement between Israel and the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) and was signed and intended to provide a process for relations and affairs between the two parties. However, in 1995 when Prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Since then, many peace proposals, including the Camp David Summit (2000), Taba Summit (2001), the Road Map for Peace (2002), and the Arab Peace Initiative (2002 and 2007) have made no success. 

Many issues remain to be settled between Israelis and Palestinians before an independent state of Palestine is formed, but negotiations are ongoing.