Women
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Sarah Ward Khan, London Sometimes people stare at me in the street. I’ve come to recognise that certain look that crosses a stranger’s face of confusion and bewilderment. For I am a white woman in a headscarf – an anomaly, not fitting the mould. There is no cultural or familial pressure for me to conform,…
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Navida Sayed, London Over the last decade the hijab has become one of the most widely discussed and controversial topic not only in the West but also in Muslim societies. The covering of the head has also been debated among some Muslim scholars and they have joined in the debate on whether or not…
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Laiqa Bhatti, Surrey The hijab is a piece of cloth that covers a Muslim woman’s hair and bosom. Yet somehow it seems to become the focal point of many debates particularly when discussing Islam. Many European countries seek to, or have legislated against, the hijab or some form of it. They justify this in the…
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Sameea Jonnud, Aldershot, UK In a recent example of interfaith dialogue, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, worldwide leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community met with Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury on 10th October 2017 where he spoke about the need for tolerance in society and for mutual respect to be displayed by all people and…
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Sameea Jonnud, Aldershot, UK One of the questions that most often get asked of Muslim women is why they wear the headscarf; those who disagree with it claim it is forced on women and unnecessary in the modern world. Another is why in Islam women can’t shake the hand of men in greeting; here accusations…
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Maleeha Mansur, Hayes, London The hijab is a garment that bestows its wearers wings of liberation. However, for those who fail to understand it, it is unjustly labelled a cage of oppression. In order to bring some clarity to this heavily misunderstood garment, a review of some facts is in order. A Divine Commandment Not…
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By Qudsia Ward, Cornwall, UK Beautiful, of the creation of Allah, are diamonds. Diamonds are carbon – carbon is in all life forms; essential! Diamonds are transparent, crystal, bright and clear. Diamonds are lustrous, reflecting and refracting light into a myriad colours. Hard and strong, diamonds mark and shape materials around them. Diamonds are beautiful;…
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By Rashida Nasir, Aldershot, UK Suffragettes and Amelia Hart What is it that sets them apart? Pioneers of their time Raising the status of womankind. No right to vote? No equal pay? How absurd In the modern day! Yet 1400 years ago Islam emerged with an eternal light Respecting women And honouring their rights While…
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By Riyya Ahmad, age 13, Aldershot, UK Islam has suffered from false allegations about the veiling of Muslim women for centuries. The media portrays the veil, or hijab, to be a restriction on Muslim women when it is really an act of modesty. It is one of the most misunderstood concepts of Islam. Society believes…
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Ayesha Mahmood Malik, Hampshire Imagine it is the 7th century. Camels and horseback dot the Arabian sands that continue to sprawl endlessly into the horizon. Desert dwellers use basic oils or the friction from rubbing stones to light wood to warm themselves in the desert chill and also use these fires as stoves. Tales of…