Being a woman in the 21st century can be one heck
of a confusing thing.
On one hand, we all know this- have heard this, have been bombarded with this, have
digested this
What to wear, when to wear, how to wear. How to look, where to look, why to look.
On the other hand, What to do when ‘he’ does something. What
does ‘his’ THAT look mean. What does it mean when ‘he’ says THAT word. Does ‘he’
love you or not.
We need more hands.
In all this dilemma,
It’s no wonder that the poetry/spoken word that arises out
of this Lil’ Muslim Black Riding hood’s brain goes something like this:
Being a woman
"A strut, a pout and a twirl
That’s
what you gotta do to get there girl,
Up the
ladder
Or Down
the drain
Please
make sure you don’t use your brain!
No, don’t
stop to think!
If you
do, and if it’s not our way, you stink!"
The game
of manipulation
That’s
the stipulation
Surprised
at my articulation?
Yea, I
had an education.
Not that
far from civilization
I know
you’re tired of the old women's objectifcation on-the-face slap
Wanna
hear something new?
Then
listen to these words, not music, not rap
Wait, I
forgot to ask my husband first, Oh snap!
Too bad
he doesn't exist, except in my imagination
Now that
I have his permission,
Let me
continue with my narration
No, it’s
not a lecture on feminism
Although,
I might consider communism
I know
what you’re thinking
You can’t
see my face, How frustrating!?
I
apologize for the discomfort
How silly
of me, to follow my faith and have your sentiments hurt!
Freedom
of expression you say....
But some expressions are more free than others, nay?
Nay? What’s wrong with me? Am I British? All happy and gay?
Speaking
of Britain, Jane Austen, my lady
Not long
ago, way before slim shady
In Pride
and prejudice, Emma , Sense and sensibility
She had
things to say
That
always makes my day
Again, I
somehow know what you want to say
“Hold on,
young lady
Stop it
already!
We know
that you’ll take that thing off
You have a dual personality!”
Sorry
folks, I may be in flowing black
But
eating souls, does not make up for the nutrition I lack
Speaking
of black, why do you see oppression when I wear this colour;
But it’s
liberation you see when it’s another
You see,
I studied technology
Know a little of sociology
And
thankfully, psychology
No,
I am not here to perform
But rather,
to inform
And
hopefully reform
Intellectual
stimulation is my aim
Without
this style, I’m not game
Let me
take you on a journey
Of
discovery and- OKAY you can take your attorney
I always
wonder; when we think of talent
Why is it
entertainment equivalent?
Mindless
and frivolous
But I
better stop wondering
Before my
thoughts go meandering
Because
this show must go on
As a little girl I loved Cinderella
She was
pretty, plus had a prince
charming, not a gorilla
But you
know who was the real beauty?
Not the
pinky, but the brain.
She wore
yellow and she valued that which was not in sight, plain
But now
I’m 22, it’s not the same
In
Beauty’s beauty too, I see that game
That game
of manipulation
Again,
the telepathy is unnerving
I can
hear your thoughts out loud and alarming
“211st Century is about sexual liberation!
Dress the
way you like, have no restriction!”
Now I
know this is no parliament
But here,
I’d like to make an argument
Let’s
think about the porn industry
Some may
support, some may disagree
Porn workers need to live, you say
But the
greatest bankruptcy is of the soul, Nay?
Again
nay! Ahh Britan, Britain why with you I’m so smitten!
Maybe it’s
the Monarchy,
Always
liked the royalty
Unlike in
democracy, the rulers are so pretty
By the
creator from the creator, for the creator
Oops- that’s not the definition of democracy?
I think
it’s spelled...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
- Rationality!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
- Rationality!
The radar
is picking up again
The
atheists and agnosts are squirming in their seats
“You
simple minded freak!
Where’s
the proof for this God of whom you speak?
OK we get your feminist P.O.V.
But Don't talk about religion, You can shut up now and l-e-a-v-e"
Listen here folks, that's where you assumed wrong
Not to avoid objectification do I wear this, neither am I a monk
Not for my husband or father
Not for you to stop staring at me, either
It's not a fling
Because I wear it for my King!
And that's the bottom line,
It's for the divine.
I answer to none but Him.
Now I know I am speaking for women
But before that, I am human
My role model is a man
Muhammad (pbuh) was his name
And definitely not.. Bella Swan
Self esteem is a sensitive
issue
And developing it is a journey
marked with tissues
Trust me, I know the vulnerability
I am not ignorant of reality
But Bella-she jumped off a cliff,
when left her love!
Muhammad (pbuh) on the other hand, when died Khadijah his wife, stood up
for prayer and called above.
Now Bella is just human, I agree
But wouldn't you consider, so was he!
"The most precious thing in the world is a pious woman", he said
Now if that doesn't make you reconsider, you gotta check your head
"The best of you is the one who is best to his wife" is from him
another quote
So you see, we are all still in the same boat
You don't think religion is cool
And I don't blame you, we all went to school
We were taught that religion is a mind
controlling tool
And the one who believes in it and follows it is totally a fool
But by stating that as a fact to me and you,
It makes me wonder..Who's controlling who?
Then there's the saying "Religion is the opium of the
masses",
But Mister, have you opened up the scripture and put on your reading
glasses?
If no, here’s something you might find interesting: Hope you are
carefully listening;
in the Qur'an this fallacy is equal to treason..
Which one you ask?
The one where you blindly follow your ancestors without using your reason.
In school I studied evolution
And when I read that humans came from apes, I had a simple confusion.
If humans came from apes, and apes are still around...
I don't need to complete this, you see it's not profound.
E may be equal to mc squared at sight
But this matter, my friends is definitely not light
Now I am not perfect, that my mom will testify
But that doesn't, your ignorance or hate justify.
Moving onto something that always makes me sad
Are ladies getting hit by men who are bad
You know what's even more sad?
Using religious justification, what a horrible
fad!
"Do not beat your wife!" Said my role model to his
friends
And I seriously failed to understand where from came this opposite
violent trend!
But it didn't take a lot of
thinking after all, in the end.
"Ignorance is the opium of the masses." is my conclusion
Why else do you think they say that Ignorance is the bliss and not
education?
But I'm sorry, I live in this world too and I refuse to be a victim of that drug
Not knowing the purpose of life might leave everyone else with the
atheism bug
But for me I follow this sign that says "Read" for on my
soul it tugs.
Incidentally "read" is also the first word of the Qur'an to be
revealed.
Now I know that you are tired of sermonizing and wondering if this
is yet another trap
But wanna hear something new?
Then listen to these words carefully,
It's not music, not rap
Now for the ladies in the audience I have a special task
Go to your room, lock the door, look in the mirror and a few questions please ask!
Who am I really, deep inside- what is under my mask?
Is it just in the glory of my outward beauty that I bask?
Something that will fade away, won't last
Or maybe it's in the misery of my deformity that I lay
The love of my man and his sweet words
Is that what really decides my worth?
Or maybe it's how many A's I get
in school
And making sure I am not a fool
Or in the happiness of my children
will I feel the oblivion
Or building a career
Making sure work is always near.
You will feel the layers peeling away
And raw vulnerability making its way
That's not the time to feel hopeless, nay
That's the time dear sister to get up and pray
That's the time to remember some of the women of yester-years
Who was protected, defended and God valued and preserved their tears
Think of the mother of Moses, her baby to her was dear
Not wanting to see him killed; she faced her worst fear
In the river she left him to float
In God alone she hoped
And wonder of wonders!
See what happened..she could not have imagined
Her heart was soothed
again by having him near
Yet another example and this is my favorite of the sample
Is that of Aisha r.a. when
she was slandered.
She cried and cried for days without end
Oh what to speak of the delicate workings of the mind of a young woman, who was
so full of modesty, accused of immorality!
Now on the surface this idea may seem foreign.
But ladies, before was formed your rough and tough terrain
Don't you remember, what it was like?
To be innocent and in your daddy's pride, take delight?
Innocence and ignorance are two different things.
One stems from inner purity,
The other from not having thoughts of clarity
Now back to Aisha's story
When finally her innocence God revealed
And she was asked to rejoice and feel relieved,
Her mother asked her to thank her man;
And her reaction never fails to awe me, definitely not like Bella swan!
As young as Aisha was, and of simple understanding
Non shall I thank except for God was her saying!
Now dear sisters, remember the questions I wanted to yourself make
you ask?
Don't get me wrong, I was not suggesting you forsake those things
all along.
Just that while doing them, the task of ensuring your hereafter is
safe, do not prolong
No I am not sermonizing, just giving friendly advice.
And I realized that this is a great
device.
Hope you had a productive time, And-
the purpose of life was re-realized.
Posts
Ma sha Allah sister. I found it engaging.
Hiba, that's a brilliant piece of work! Quite intriguing, I must say. Being someone who always felt religion or anything else had no right to curb the freedom of expression, especially for women, I felt liberated reading your reviews. Perhaps not all women despise or feel desolate in a purdah, perhaps, they must be loving the sense of security it brings, especially from impolite gazes. That's a social satire from you which is quite relevant to today's times. Cheers mate, keep writing!
@Adil Abdul Karim
Thanks brother! Glad to know. :)
@Anonymous
Thanks a lot for your feedback! I am very happy to know that this piece made you feel liberated.
If you found the fact that there are 'some' women who love the purdah/abhaya/that-flowing-black-piece-of-cloth-that-some-Muslim-women-wear intriguing, I am curious about what you'd say to the fact that in some countries like France, Muslim women are fighting for the right to cover themselves. Basically, their right to ‘freedom’ of religious expression is being curbed. If the irony was water, we’d be having an emergency evacuation right now.
There is a huge community of educated Muslim women out there, who love the hijab/niqab, because they love their faith and they want to follow it, free of any compulsion. And the word 'huge' is an understatement. There is even a World Hijab day ( http://worldhijabday.com/ ) , which came about to raise awareness about the Hijab. Here are some pages that might provide further insight:
Colorado soccer team dons headscarves after Muslim teammate is banned from field : http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/colorado-soccer-team-dons-headscarves-muslim-teammate-banned-field-article-1.1725987`
Marwa Sherbini: The Hijab Martyr : http://muslimmatters.org/2009/07/10/marwa-sherbini-the-hijab-martyr
Here’s an All-you-can-read Hijab buffet: http://muslimmatters.org/?s=Hijab
Much gratitude for your warm observations. Keep reading! ;)
Great piece Hiba