Muslim Women and the Misconception of Oppression

I am debilitated by seeing women like me misrepresented in the mainstream media, and to read the same articles about us, over and over again. After searching the keywords “Muslim Women" on Google, all you’d get to see are articles that convey how oppressed we are and how miserably we live. 

An Apple Original TV show, Hala, portrays the story of a young Muslim girl who is depressed and downtrodden. It depicts a teen girl’s story who does not like covering her head, and at the climax of the movie, she is rescued by a western boy. I am tired of seeing women like me portrayed as “damsels in distress” and in “dire need of saving.” Since when has following one’s culture started to become frightening and demeaning? Of course, there are women being mistreated, and women who are abused daily. However, abuse has nothing to do with one's culture, religion, or tradition. Women get abused in the east and the west. So why is it that only a Muslim woman is constantly demeaned and shown as weak?

In an interview, Billie Eilish told the news reporters that she likes to wear loose clothes because it makes her feel comfortable and stops people from sexualizing her body. The twitter and social media audience called her “empowering,” “strong,” and “inspirational.” Do you think the response would’ve been the same if these words were uttered by a Muslim woman instead?

At the age of 16, I was introduced to the world of media, and that is when I had discovered my passion for writing. Being a young girl with a drive to make an impact, I pitched to various online platforms internationally. I got a rejection letter from most of them because I had no experience. However, there was a small start-up magazine about empowering women by a group of young adults. They emailed me an acceptance letter, and it was an immensely joyous day for me because I was the only woman of color in my team. I discussed the topics for writing with the editor-in-chief, and she asked me to cover a story on the topic “An Insight into the everyday abuse faced by wives of the Middle East.” I had never seen any woman in my family, nor women around me facing any kind of abuse. It was strange to write about something I had no idea about. Not wanting to create a wrong impression on my first job as a journalist, I researched the domestic abuse in the Middle-east and wrote an article on what we can do to improve the situation. However, they were never satisfied with the article I wrote. My team members and the editor-in-chief wanted me to write a piece that shall degrade Muslim women immensely, which shall portray our wrong image. They wanted me to represent the Muslim women of color as beings who were living their lives miserably.

 Nevertheless, I still submitted my article for review. It never got published. Perhaps they expected me to write against women of my own kind. How was I supposed to betray my sisters and degrade them in front of the whole world? I respect all women; brown, black, and white. However, it is not right for the world to tell our story. Just because we aren’t given as much screen time and opportunities in the mainstream media does not mean we are living caged lives. We are busy making an impact; we are busy raising our children to become responsible citizens of a safe community.

They preach diversity. But when we wish to tell our stories, they want us to remain quiet as they write our lives’ stories. I want to live in a world where strong Muslim women are brought more into the mainstream media. I want to read books about strong female characters, the ones who feel empowered in their hijab. Because she wears her hijab for herself, it is a part of her identity; it makes her feel confident, it makes her feel whole. Who are we to judge a human being? I wish to watch movies where Muslim women are not portrayed as someone who is in dire need of saving. Instead, she is a girl who is kind, compassionate, and in love with her cultural heritage and religion.

I am still a student, and I still have many things to pursue in media. I wish to empower women across all cultures and religions. As a Muslim woman of color, there was never a moment in my ongoing media career when I was not reminded of how different I was from everyone else. Various internship opportunities came to me, but they never replied after knowing my race. However, I firmly believe my diversity makes me who I am. I might be different than the rest, but I will not let that contrivance deter me from the path of my dreams. I wish to make an impact, and I know that I will. Why? Because we need more Muslim women of color in the media, to tell their stories, instead of letting other people write it for them. Until when will we live with the notion and stereotype of living oppressed lives as weak beings?