1st Muslimahs Speak Up! Carnival

Welcome to the first Muslimahs Speak Up! Blog Carnival.

The purpose of the Carnival is to highlight the voices of proud Muslim women. The media has been over-run with non-Muslims and former-Muslims who purport to speak for the average Muslim woman, but who actually speak to their own agenda. As in any colonization, non-Muslims often feel the need to speak up about what Muslim women must want and need or should want and need based on their own ideology, without actually speaking to real Muslim women and allowing those Muslim women to define their own needs and desires. On the other hand, often (though not always) well meaning Muslim men will also purport to speak about the views of Muslim women. In this case, they at least have the Islamic frame of reference, but it is still patronizing.

  

At the same time, far too often when Muslim women are given the floor to speak or write, they are asked to discuss “women’s issues” such as hijab, balancing motherhood and work (why aren’t men ever asked how they balance fatherhood and work?), or about homemaking topics. While these are certainly part of who we are, we are also political, social, and most importantly, spiritual beings just as much as men are and would like to discuss a wider variety of issues that are of interest and import to us.

 Here are some inspiring sisters speaking up: 

Tiel Aisha Ansari of Knocking From the Inside shares her poem, Depth.  

Danya at SufiStication gives us some thoughts on cynicism  .

IzzyMo puts us all on notice with Fear of a Black Veil. An absolute must-read!

Aishah Schwartz gives us her take on Hijab in the Workplace.

Najiyah shares with us What Americans Stand For (And What We Don’t).  

Baraka at Rickshaw Diaries explores cultural and social aspects that influence Muslim women to be less than physically fit and also discusses Circles of Women, described as “smudging the lines between the political and personal to appreciate the lessons learned at the feet of women”.

  

Aneesa at Through A Muslimah’s Veil tells us “It’s All About Perception”.  

Maliha at Lightness of Being shares a poem, Incomprehension.  

Bint-e-Adam of TranquilArt talks about Girls & MakeUp, but it’s not what you expect! She also gives us a moving description of “More Than a Woman”  as well as “You Alright Sista?!”   

The next Muslimahs Speak Up! Carnival will be held in July and hosted right here. To submit a blog post, simply click on the link “Muslimahs Speak Up!” to the right under “Blog Carnivals I Support”.

And please remember, the carnival is open only to practicing Muslim women - no men, no non-Muslims, no one who feels Islam “needs to change with the times”.

For more details on the purpose of the carnival, please read my “Muslimahs Speak Up!” page by clicking the tab at the top of this blog.