SISTER-HOOD

15/04/2021

One pillar of Islam that my mum strictly adhered to was the difficult but humbling act of fasting. Unfortunately, at the point that it became obligatory for me to fulfil this religious duty, the lunar Islamic calendar was displaying summer, and in my long-ago youth, summers really were summers. Gloriously long, hot days tasted delicious during the school holidays. Each drop of sunshine was absorbed with full appreciation of its ability to put smiles on people’s faces – except when they were hungry: tired, lethargic, thirsty and hungry. Depriving the body of its essential requirements from sunrise to sunset is a cruel experience, especially when that body is a mere twelve years old.

One pillar of Islam that my mum strictly adhered to was the difficult but humbling act of fasting.  Unfortunately, at the point that it became obligatory for me to fulfil this religious duty, the lunar Islamic calendar was displaying summer,...

15/04/2021

There is a large group of people, mostly teenagers and young adults, who have been living double lives. They are closeted ex-Muslims – people born in an Islamic family/environment who have consciously stopped believing in their parents’ and community’s religion. Due to the harsh and potentially dangerous backlash of revealing their philosophical decision to their families – especially in high control communities – many live in a rather tricky catch-22 situation on a daily basis.

Ramadan plus Covid19, while living with a strict family is an ex-Muslim’s nightmare. There is a large group of people, mostly teenagers and young adults, who have been living double lives. They are closeted ex-Muslims – people born in an...

14/04/2021

Ramadan is predominantly known as a time for abstaining from food and drink – yes, that means no water – from sunrise to sunset, every day for a month. But it’s so much more than abstaining from food. It’s a time to detox your body and mind; a time to disconnect from the chaos of the world around us and connect with the divine. It’s a time to consider your actions, and make a conscious effort to walk with a kind and hopeful heart. It’s more than abstaining from food: it’s abstaining from bad-mouthing, anger, hatred, impatience and ill-will.

Ramadan always brings a mix of emotions for me – relief, excitement, reflection and anxiety that I won’t be good enough to fulfil the requirements that come with the Muslim holy month. Ramadan is predominantly known as a time for...

14/04/2021

Mughal princess, Sufi scholar and poet, Jahanara was the most powerful woman in the Mughal Empire for nearly thirty years of her life, responsible for shaping the city of Shahjahanabad, and managing the imperial household.

Mughal princess, Sufi scholar and poet, Jahanara was the most powerful woman in the Mughal Empire for nearly thirty years of her life, responsible for shaping the city of Shahjahanabad, and managing the imperial household. Jahanara was the much-beloved eldest...

13/04/2021

As Ramadan begins, the Muslim ummah attempts to focus on our Islamic duties, reflect on our religion and strengthen our intentions to practice our deen with a renewed passion and purpose. Personally, Ramadan gives me a distinctive boost of confidence in my abilities. It reminds me that I have an inner strength that I can call upon whenever I choose to. There is a depth of knowledge that exists within this holy month. I always feel that our sense of community, as an ummah, is amplified. Nevertheless, I cannot help but consider whether our approach to Ramadan might be too task-orientated: read a few verses of the Qur’an every day, ensure all prayers are kept up and attend taraweh.

As Ramadan begins, the Muslim ummah attempts to focus on our Islamic duties, reflect on our religion and strengthen our intentions to practice our deen with a renewed passion and purpose. Personally, Ramadan gives me a distinctive boost of confidence...

13/04/2021

Platters upon platters, overflowed
To again feed the empty pangs of Ramadan
Another year tendered sustenance,
With memories yet to fill

Corners folded, curved, stuffed With minced meat, potatoes, peas Spices galore Platters upon platters, overflowed  To again feed the empty pangs of Ramadan Another year tendered sustenance, With memories yet to fill Each dish embraced as savoury favourites; Samosas, pakoras,...

12/04/2021

What Muslim women want is a creative solution similar to that achieved in Morocco. Through the collaborative efforts of Islam’s experts, clerics, Moroccan women activists and the judiciary, and under the guidance and political patronage of the King of Morocco, it was possible to arrive at a negotiated, creative and progressive version of the Personal Status Law. This is referred to as the Mudawana. It safeguards the rights of women and men equally, and is in harmony with both the spirit and letter of Islam.

It’s an open secret among women activists in the Muslim world that we will never be truly independent and liberated until the personal status laws in Muslim countries are drastically revised, reformed – or, better yet, debunked. These laws starkly...

12/04/2021

Fatima al-Bahandly was able to convince tens of other young men to disarm, along with her own son. She is the director of Al Firdaws Society, an NGO founded in 2003 in Basra, Iraq. She works to demobilise and reintegrate young people and children who have been recruited by militias. She has overseen a number of projects in a range of areas, including issues of literacy, conflict resolution, women’s political participation, and violence against women.

‘My 15-year-old son, one of the best students in our province, decided to take up arms and go to battle without informing me or his father. It was a big shock for me. I thought that my son would go...

11/04/2021

Our children can be made aware of the facts of what happened, and the lessons to learn from them, without charging the content emotionally in a very negative way and making them susceptible to creating discrimination against women and girls.

Much of history, including Jordanian modern history, is portrayed as being vacuumed of the contribution of women and girls.

The troubling conduct of many of our young people, such as reckless driving, littering and violence, is an indicator of a lack of proper values having been instilled during their upbringing. There was a recent incident at one of our...

11/04/2021

Whilst there are many factors at play, one particularly toxic narrative embedded into our society at large across all ethnicities is the common phrase ‘boys will be boys’. The brazen way that Naker gave his details, and the self-assured statements made by members of grooming gangs suggest a toxic masculinity which is particularly manifest where the women are vulnerable and intoxicated.

‘Only by promoting the idea of s*x as a mutually undertaken, freely chosen, fully conscious interaction, in contradistinction to the too often held view that it is a battlefield in which each side tries to exploit the other while avoiding...

10/04/2021

Extremism, to me, is imposing your views and values on others. In Pakistan over the last decade we have seen extremism in different forms. It’s not just shown through terrorist attacks, but also the growing tendency for people to hold extreme ideas and ideologies. These have trickled into every level of society, from the poor and less-educated to the highly-educated elite. So for us it is a dual battle: we are not only fighting off extremists who are training young people to become human bombs, but also struggling against divisions within the educated community.

Extremists fear the power of education, as shown by their attacks Malala Yousafzai and other schoolgirls. Bushra Qadeem Hyder also understands the power of education. She is a driving force behind efforts to eradicate extremist ideologies in Pakistan and a...

10/04/2021

Over the course of ten years and two relationships I have found myself crying in airplanes more often than what I assume to be the norm. As I write this, I am in fact on a domestic flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Eight years ago I boarded a flight from Istanbul to Cape Town after meeting my then boyfriend’s parents. They were decidedly against our relationship. Two weeks later he was back in Istanbul for good; six months later he was married to someone else. Anyway, on that flight home I pretty much sobbed for the entire duration of the nine hour flight.

Over the course of ten years and two relationships I have found myself crying in airplanes more often than what I assume to be the norm. As I write this, I am in fact on a domestic flight from Johannesburg...

09/04/2021

I was pulling an all-nighter when suddenly he texted. I shut him off. He was polite about it and apologised. He said he wanted to make me happy but did not want to do anything to offend me. He wanted to hold my hand but was not sure how I would react since it was not appropriate in my culture. I thought it was cute.

The desperate story of a Muslim woman and a Trump-voter It was the first date of my life. I had spoken to him a few hours before on OK Cupid. I was 27, and carrying multiple rejections in the arranged...

09/04/2021

Fatima was brave enough to tell this story. She insisted that it be spread to the world, in order to illustrate refugees’ lives today in Europe. But many refugees, especially woman, are not brave enough to tell their stories about their experiences on the refugee route and in the camps. They stay quiet, hoping they will be able to forget it one day. Some of them are trying to convince themselves that the horrors that are happening to them are normal. Violence and degradation of migrants has become normality. A majority of European citizens do not even notice that human beings are humiliated in every possible way. Due to the policy of closed borders, security issues are taking priority over humanity.

Refugee women in Europe ‘They checked our whole bodies. Everything. They took our clothes. All the men could see us in our underwear. The staff just told the men to turn their faces to the other side. All the women...

08/04/2021

sister-hood is an online magazine and community for women of Muslim heritage from across the world, founded by film-maker and activist Deeyah Khan. sister-hood aims to show the diversity, creativity and passion of women of Muslim heritage. Our mission is to challenge stereotypes around women of Muslim heritage by making their voices heard.

With first -time writers alongside well-known names and full support from an experienced editorial staff, we can help you get your writing published, giving you all the support you need to kick-start your career as a writer. Find out how you can write for us here:

Contribute Want to pitch an idea or tell your story on sister-hood? Whether it’s written, video or visual – we’d love to hear from you! Read the contribution guidelines and contact the sister-hood team via email. FAQs Get answers to the questions we are asked the most. Read them here. Social M...

08/04/2021

In 2011, Tunisians sparked what become known as the Arab Spring. Young and old, men and women, they flowed into their cities’ streets, calling for the end of dictatorship. In subsequent years the struggle to foster democracy, justice, dignity and freedom has been laced with oppression and rising levels of extremism. From the start of the Syrian conflict, roughly 6,000 Tunisians – mostly young men but also many women – have left home to join the ranks of Daesh. Tunisia is amongst the highest per capita exporters of extremists in the world.

But Tunisia’s youth are also rising to the challenge. Ahlem Nasraoui, who was selected as one of the top ten people working in peace by the U.S. State Department, believes that young people will bring about positive change in the country.

In 2011, Tunisians sparked what become known as the Arab Spring. Young and old, men and women, they flowed into their cities’ streets, calling for the end of dictatorship. In subsequent years the struggle to foster democracy, justice, dignity and...

07/04/2021

We need a conversation about why so many families arrange marriage for their young daughters. Firstly, there may be too many children in their family. When they can’t maintain them all they arrange marriages for their daughters to rid themselves of the expense. Secondly, they don’t want to pay for education for their daughters and assume that their parental duties are limited to arranging their daughter’s marriage.

Early marriage is harmful: physically and mentally. Girls are married under the ages of 16 and 18. At an age when they should be studying, they are doing dishes, washing clothes, scrubbing floors and caring for a husband, their children...

07/04/2021

The way I walk
Didn’t seem right
For I didn’t fit right
I was told be like her