Empowering Muslim women

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By: Zaynab Al-waadh and Sunia Hassan

As young Muslim women, we rarely find ourselves reflected in the careers we want to pursue. Is this because there are no Muslim women who are lawyers, doctors or entrepreneurs? Or is this because we lack the drive to exist in such positions? We refuse to accept either of these ideas. Rather, this lack of visibility is because our existence and achievements in these positions are rarely recognized or celebrated in existing mainstream cultures and institutions. Simply put, a Muslim woman does not strike the common individual as either a leader or an image of success. Driven by this clear deficit in cultural perception, we decided that for International Women’s Week, we wanted to celebrate the many examples of success and leadership in our Muslim community.

On March 2, we hosted a networking event with approximately 24 female Muslim professionals. Among those in attendance were PhD candidates, entrepreneurs, lawyers, professional photographers, community activists, doctors, engineers, pharmacists, and fitness instructors. This diversity of professions depicted a stunning image of empowered Muslim women. For those present, it served as a testament against the common narrative—one that robs us of our agency by depicting us as bodies who are complacent recipients of other’s opinions.

The problem with Western liberal feminism is that it cannot conceive of an emancipation other than one found within its own paradigm. Secular feminists often dismiss Muslim-identifying feminists with suspicion and effectively label us as apologists to a theocratic patriarchy. They often strip away the autonomy of racialized women in deriving feminist thought and challenging the patriarchy present within their own communities.

This reduces feminism to a one-dimensional movement.

We know that there is no one-size-fits-all feminism and certainly no intellectual vanguard of feminist thought.

Feminism is a dynamic and fluid concept that conforms to the groups it serves. Our feminism is one that is intersectional. It is one that is cognizant of our cultural backgrounds, our religious diversity and our racialized bodies.

This reduces feminism to a one-dimensional movement. We know that there is no “one-size-fits-all” feminism and certainly no intellectual vanguard of feminist thought.

Feminism is a dynamic and fluid concept that conforms to the groups it serves. Our feminism is one that is intersectional. It is one that is cognizant of our cultural backgrounds, our religious diversity and our racialized bodies.

This concept of intersectionality points out that feminism is not just for those who identify as white, middle class, cisgendered and able-bodied.  This type of feminism is the spine of initiatives such as the Muslim Women’s Networking Dinner. As Muslim women activists, we seek to define our own feminism—one that accepts our choices as our own. We have always had agency but what has continuously been questioned is its validity. We will not remain complacent in the labels and stereotypes that are assigned to us without our consent and thus we are reclaiming our agency in how we are portrayed. Of course, this includes collaborating with other feminists through dialogue to both receive and contribute to a wealth of progressive ideas. We see McMaster’s community as a sanctuary for the infinite exchange of these ideas. The Muslim Women’s Networking Dinner is a step in the right direction and we would love to witness other marginalized women reclaim agency in how they are portrayed.

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