Life-enhancing things that matter to young Muslim women, a guest post by Khadija

Today’s post is brought to you by my friend Khadija, one of my very favorite people. Khadija also wrote something for TLT before in a Muslim Voices post. I’ve known her for seven years and had the joy of watching her go from a high school kid who hung around my desk in the library to a curious and hard-working college student to a writer and library employee. I asked if she’d like to write anything else for TLT and this is what she came up with. Grateful to add her voice to our conversations. 

Being Muslim is not something that I have to get used to because I’ve always been a Muslim. It’s difficult for me to understand that when some people see a Muslim person, it’s all they notice about them. They imagine the negative stereotypes associated with practicing Islam. Most people around the world believe in a higher power or follow a religion, but in my experience no religious group struggles with their image as much as Muslims do. There is so much more to a Muslim person, especially a Muslim woman, than her belief in a higher power. There are so many things that matter to young Muslim women and some of those things are things that matter to many people regardless of their religion. Some of these things include: 

Green space or a park area: Walking and running in order to get in their daily physical activity is very important to Muslim women such as me and my Muslim friends. We see it as a way to not only have control over our bodies, but to also fulfill part of our religion. We find the parks in our neighborhoods just as essential as the rest of the non-Muslim residents.

Being active members of their individual communities: Many of the young Muslim women I am friends with are very active in the community. In order to create a better life for their family and the rest of the people in the community, they volunteer in community centers and places like the Red Cross and Boys and Girls Club. They use their time in a way that enhances the lives of others and makes their own a rich one.

Hair care and hairstyles: Yes, many Muslim women do not reveal their hair in public, but that does not mean that they let the hair fall into a state of disarray. They still use products that keep the hair looking and feeling healthy. From my experience my hijab stays in place much better if my hair is not a mess underneath. The hair is still styled underneath the hijab. It can be braided, made into a low bun or some other style.

Having a successful career: Muslim women go to college in order to be lawyers, engineers, and artists. Many of the Muslim women I know see college as a great starting point towards a career that they will love and one that will allow them to be both contributors to their community and financially independent. They see it as absolutely necessary to stand on their own feet especially in a society that sees them as oppressed and terribly vulnerable.

Reading whatever book that’s new and hot: The young Muslim women I know read anything from The Hunger Games to The Divergent series to Harry Potter. These books are ones that not only cross racial boundaries, but also cultural and religious ones. From my experience, they have allowed growing up as different and seeing it negatively because of outside experiences to be a little more bearable. Having passion for young adult series is something that my Muslim women friends have in common with other non-Muslim young adults. Being able to use books to escape is something that I as a Muslim woman appreciate.

Meet Khadija

Khadija is a recent college graduate with a degree in English. She lives in Minnesota, works at a library, and is looking at getting into a graduate program in order to receive an MFA in creative writing. Besides working on her poetry writing skills, she likes to draw nature—mostly leafless trees in the dead of winter.

Filed under: #SJYALit