CHIME Through the Years: “Welcome to Sister-Hood” by Deeyah Khan
If the mainstream media has shaped your representation of women of Muslim heritage, you may imagine our lives as a grim bucket list from hell: honor killings, acid attacks, suicide bombings, forced marriages, FGM, hijabs... and the ever-growing risk of radicalization. Indeed and sadly, those issues are real and need to be discussed without fear. But conservative men claiming to speak on our behalf, or bigots eager to use our hardships to further their own divisive agenda, often are the one entitled to discuss these issues. In doing so, they specifically discard anyone else’s input, let alone that of young women (who also happen to be the primary targets).