Aurat aur Azadi

The world in this fast-paced modern and materialistic era has managed to convince us women that things are their opposites. Our priorities have been turned upside down. Our values are in disarray.
We’ve been taught that some of our greatest natural assets and feminine powers are actually our greatest liabilities and weaknesses, and that we need to ruthlessly suppress our natures in order to be more aggressive, abrasive and competitive.

We’ve been taught that our protective allies (our male kin: fathers and husbands) are actually all our oppressive enemies, and that instead of welcoming their protection, we need protection from them. (Yes, sad examples exist, but we can’t paint everyone with the same brush.)

We’ve been taught that our happiness and liberty comes from outside (the workplace, the streets, the public sphere) and that anything domestic is our prison (the home, the family, the private sphere).

We’ve been taught that our worth and self-esteem comes from our financial capability and material possessions, and that our internal stability and immaterial qualities don’t matter. No wonder a society that sees Capital as its God thrives on devaluing the immaterial values we bring to our families.

We’ve been taught that the home is our cage, and children are our shackles.

We are made to feel that the yardstick of our usefulness is the occupation of jobs that generate income and our wealth status. That the soft and lofty attributes we are inherently endowed with are worthless, let alone sanctified, such as the capacity to nurture and rear children.

We’ve been taught to conform to Godless values and system that does anything but liberates us.

While we can surely follow our dreams and passion, let’s ensure that our morals are strongly anchored in the commands of our Rabb. Domestic conditions can also push women into considering and craving financial independence, let’s foster an environment for such women to get what they want, without going against their own nature and the teachings of the Deen.

It’s time to own our identity as strong Muslim women, to reclaim the narrative, to rise up and honour our womanhood, and celebrate our femininity.