Voice of British Muslim Women

Munazzah Chou, Farnham

20/20 vision is a way of saying a person can see perfectly. The events of this year have certainly allowed me to see some things more clearly. The average person is said to think over 6000 thoughts a day, but through much of 2020, I imagine that many of us may have had even more. Some of my random thoughts follow.

Lockdown in 2020 was the first time I experienced overt verbal racism. Racism is part of the day to day reality for many people and the extent of racism in the US is horrifying. Increased recognition is a positive development and we can all do better in removing our own prejudices. Maybe what seems to be the last socially acceptable prejudice, Islamaphobia will also be recognised for what it is.

The borders of normality and acceptability have shifted. I remember seeing women at restaurants eating a dainty mouthful at a time, lifting their niqab just enough to pass the next spoonful through. Last week I saw a white, middle-aged, middle-class man perform the same deft manoeuvre on my train from Waterloo.  The argument for banning the face veil to ensure the principle of ‘living together’ or ‘le vivre ensemble’ has been shown up as hollow. There is no one way to live together, society is functioning with face masks and any law which infringes on a woman’s right to choose what to wear should be unacceptable; as long as public security is not compromised which it isn’t -as established by The European Court of Human Rights in 2014.

I recently sat in a virtual room with a group of doctors on a course called ‘Mindful Self-compassion.’  We were asked to think of a time a friend came to us who was struggling or was having a bad day or had made a mistake and to think about how we spoke to them, the tone we used, the words we used… and then think about how we speak to ourselves when we are in the same position and have made a mistake. The vast majority of us subjected ourselves to a very different internal dialogue.  Most of us are our own harshest critics, which research shows is unproductive, and we can all do with some self-kindness and self-compassion.

Where did the government find the billions spent during the pandemic? Where was this magic fountain when community centres and libraries were closing, benefits were cut, schools couldn’t afford stationery, headteachers were having to do the cleaners’ job and parents were asked to pay for toilet roll? Every time government makes budget cuts it is clearly not because they have to – it is because they choose to. More empathy, understanding of people’s hardships and less short-sighted political gains are in order.

The handling of school exams this summer was a universally acknowledged disaster. An algorithm was produced which managed to disadvantage the already disadvantaged. If we know that there is such variation, created in large part due to state school standards and social deprivation during ‘normal times,’ should we be allowing for this and adjusting grades each year for the sake of equity and allowing upward social mobility based on raw potential?

Can our lives be simplified? This year has shown that there are different and possibly better ways to do things that we had considered indispensable. Excess has been forcibly cut in daily life as well as once-in-a-lifetime occasions. In many ways for the better.  Islam has always promoted the middle way and maybe 2020 will reset our points of reference and get us back on track.

Islam is a perfect religion; a practical and complete philosophy for life and anything we might encounter. Our physical, mental as well as spiritual health has been catered for. We even have guidance from Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) on quarantining during a pandemic, we have been provided with universal tools to rise to any challenge. Whatever trials we may be going through, we are advised to consider those whose condition is even more fraught, as a way of gaining perspective on any troubles and dwelling. As Ahmadi Muslims we are even more fortunate to be guided by the Khalifa of the Promised Messiah (peace be on him) who is a constant reminder of true Islamic teachings and of the proportionate response to all of the world’s upheavals.

The prayer of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ  meaning, all praise is due to Allah in all circumstances is a soothing ointment to be applied PRN/as required during any of life’s challenges.