News
From poets to politicians.
Bundled into the term "marginalized" is the message that people who belong to those groups don't have their voices heard nearly enough. In American society following the Trump era, there are few groups more marginalized than Muslim women — so there’s no time like the present to elevate their voices. Here are seven quotes from Muslim women to inspire you today, in honor of Muslim Women's Day.
This is a very diverse group of individuals, representing numerous countries, cultures, and periods of history. They have their religion in common, but as you'll see, that is hardly their single defining characteristic. They come from all sorts of backgrounds and work in a wide range of different industries. And as you can see, they're capable of inspiring you in all sorts of directions.
If you are a Muslim woman reading this, then use today to exercise your own unique, inspiring voice. If you're not, take some time to educate yourself. Read something written by a Muslim woman, or learn about the multitude of ways that Muslim women have added to society. Elevating and appreciating marginalized groups is the best way to fix the problem of marginalization, so this work is necessary now more than ever.
5
Ilhan Omar
For any immigrant feeling left out in Trump's America, Ilhan Omar is a person you can relate to. The first Somali-American legislator in the country, Omar's life is definitive proof success is always possible and that refugees are an asset for the country they come to instead of a burden. The quote below is from an interview that she did with People.
My election win offers a counter-narrative to the bigotry in the world. This is a land of immigrants, and most come here for opportunity, a second chance. It’s our time to fight for the America we know we can have.
6
Linda Sarsour
Linda Sarsour is one of the Women's March organizers, and one of the great side effects of the movement is that now she has a platform where people can actually hear her brilliant voice. She's shaping herself into one of the political voices of her generation and she spelled out her brand of feminism in an op-ed for Women's Media Center, and this is just one detail of it:
Women are intersectional human beings who live multi-issued lives. When we are protected, when we are respected, when we are able to thrive and given the same opportunities as our male counterparts, when we are given space to lead and rise — our nation will rise.
7
Warshan Shire
Warshan Shire, a Somali-British poet who stole at least part of the show on Beyoncé's Lemonade, is responsible for the quote below She's everything — female, feminist, Muslim, creative, pro-refugee. She was a Young Poet Laureate for London at age 25. Start getting to know her now.
“Give your daughters difficult names. Give your daughters names that command the full use of tongue. My name makes you want to tell me the truth. My name doesn’t allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right.”
Feeling inspired yet? I definitely am — and that's only seven quotes in. This is the beauty of Muslim Women's Day — it brings voices to the table of women who you definitely should have heard of before, and everyone's better off for it.