Just some reasons why I am not opressed

First and foremost I am a Muslim woman - nothing can change that. I am proudly Muslim and not at all ashamed of my beliefs.

Like many Muslim women in this and other countries, I dress in the way that is recommended by my faith. This means covering up everything except my hands and face; except when in the comfort of my own house, in the company of other women or in front of men I cannot marry.

I am also British. There is nothing that can change that either. Nor do I want it changed. Being British is part of who I am.

I'd like to discuss my Muslim and British identity with every person in the world who feels like the very idea I can be both is confusing and some who seems to have gotten completely the wrong idea.

In an age where people like the BNP (British National Party) get elected to represent the people of Britain in Europe - a party that has long been known to be racist, white-supremicist, Islamaphobic and aggressive- these issues need to be discussed. A party that has a known connection to violent, racist and Nazi gangs in the past few decades. And its not just them, more and more propaganda is spewed out by many about myths surrounding Islam, its women - people from all walks of society have all sorts of views and many of them are completely incorrect and ignorant.

Islam and women is even on Wikipaedia!! See: link

I cannot dispell all the myths about Islam - and I cannot hope to even alter everyones views but I hope that those who do read this will understand a little bit more about Islam and a lot more about Islam and women.

So - what are these myths?

(1)

Well the first would be that I am opressed. Uh - NO. I am not. Is that clear enough? NO? Let me explain....

I am Muslim because I make the choice to be one, and I cover up because it is something my religion demands of me. Not my father, not my brother (I dont have one but just to be sure), not my husband (especially since that'd be scary since I'm single!) and definately not some random man I am unrelated to. In fact, generally speaking no man tells me what to do - this includes my father. The man I respect and love most in this world. If anything, I'll do what he says because I love and respect him - and all his years of experience!! (well, age has got to count for something, right?!)

"And they (the women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in equity" Quran Chapter 2: Verse 229

I understand that some girls are oppressed and some have their views, opinions and life choices supressed but they are not the majority - they are the unfortunate minority. Islam gives every woman the right to make her own choices - and it is her choice to be as religious (or not) as she wants - after all, she alone will have to answer for her actions to God, no one can answer for her.

[3:195 ]"Their Lord responded to them: "I never fail to reward any worker among you for any work you do, be you MALE OR FEMALE, YOU ARE EQUAL TO ONE ANOTHER........."

In Islam I have the right to vote, be educated, be who I want to be, dress how I want to dress (within Islamic guidleines - which I can chose not to follow should I so wish), marry who I want to marry, have my own career, keep my own money, inherit etc etc.... I have had all these rights under Islam for over 1400 years.

If anyone tries to take away these right in the name of Islam - he/she is lying since ISLAM gives me these rights and no human can take them away.

Its about time the actions of few bad Muslims were not blamed on the rest - its stupid, its hyporitical and I'm getting sick of it. No one blames all Catholics for the IRA or all white people for the KKK - therefore it follows that not all Muslims are responsible for the stupid psychotic actions of a few.

(2) Can you speak English?

Well - doh!! Actually I can speak English - and rather well too, if I do say so myself. The benefits of a great education, an amazing (if somewhat insane) mind and being BRITISH!

(3) Are you a Ninja?

Yes. Or rather I wish I was - how cool would that be?? I mean, talk about 2 birds and 1 stone.... Soooo.... no I am not a Ninja however I wish I was. Don't u?!

(4) Are you British?

Yes - shall I eat lots of fish and chips to prove it to you??Mmmmm.... Or even curry - since its Britains official favourite dish? Or would rather see my passport? Birth certificate? or just hear my Mancunian accent?

 (5) Do you wear that thing even when you sleep or shower?

Of course I do - its the only way to get your clothes truly clean!

The hijab - as the full covering of the hair and body is called - is something Muslim women (and men to a lesser and less well known degree) are required to wear in Islam. It is a loose, non-transparent, non-garish outfit that covers her except for her hands and face. It can be any style and any colour and from any culture. It does NOT have to be the "burkha". It doesn't have to be black - I hardly ever wear black. I am infact known for the large number of red outfits I have.

She does not have to wear it 24/7 - she can take it off as soon as there not "married" men around!

When I am with my girlfriends or hanging round the house - I don't wear my scarf (or hijab). Actually I usually hang about in a t-shirt or a hoody, jeans etc - like NORMAL people.

And there are the parties - where we dress up... or dress down as I call it since it involves wearing less. We wear what everyone wears at parties - including make up, high heels, jewelry and doing our hair up. We are girls after all!! The only thing is - u'll probaby never see us looking different as w'll be covered up until we get inside.

(6) Well, if you don't date, how do you get married??

Its a brave new world - one where I do not have to date a long succession of weird and if I'm lucky, wonderful men.

There are many ways Muslim women can get married - while respecting their culture, obeying their religion and also making a free and informed choice. Like every other girl.

The story of each romance and each marriage is different - no two are the same. This is also true for Muslim women.

Some women have what is called an "arranged marriage" - this is NOT a forced marriage but rather an introduction. Much like your friends arranging you to meet some guy think you''ll like, your parents or family do the same. From there it is up to the individuals to get to know one another and make a decision. I don't think this is too unusual.

You can get introduced to some guy by your friends - far more likely nowadays. Again, you'll meet in an Islamically acceptable environment and get to know one another and then make a decision. Again, not that unusual surely.

Some people just bump into a future partner, as university, at work, on the bus. Like I said - it varies. No two stories are the same. I have seen lots of friends get married in the last couple of years and no two met their match in the same way.

I am only far too aware that there are girls that forced into marriage in the name of Islam - that is most definately NOT Islam. It is their culture - and frankly, its not a very good culture to have, if it forces young women to marry a man not of their choice or even marry when they are not ready to.

Islam recommends marriage but does not force it on anyone. If anyone, man or woman, is forced into a marriage they can claim that marriage null and void in any Shariah (Jurisprudence) court. A forced marriage is totally unacceptable in Islam and what Islam has to say about people who oppress their sisters and daughters in that way is quite clear - and it isn't complimentory!

(7) Being a Muslim woman means that your father, brother or husband can beat you.

As a individual Muslim woman I can say that if a man hit me - whatever his relationship to me - I'm pretty sure I'd hit him right back. Thats just me - I know not all women would react that way.

The fact is, men are NOT allowed to hit nevermind beat up women in Islam - Islam does not give that right to any man. Full stop. No arguments.

The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) tell us that the best of men are those who are best to their wives.He also tells us that mothers deserve the most honour us in this life, after God.

If men truly want to be the best Muslim they can be then they will follow their Prophet's example and treat the women in their life with respect and honour and gentleness.

[ Chapter 30: Verse 21] "Among His proofs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves, in order to have tranquility and contentment with each other, and He placed in your hearts love and care towards your spouses. In this, there are sufficient proofs for people who think."

It is true that there are some Muslims who hold the belief that they can beat the women in their life bloody and that somehow Islam allows this - this is totally wrong. This is culture being called religion - and its not very nice culture at that.

As a Muslim woman why would I follow a faith that allows me to be treated so? Answer - I wouldn't. But Islam gives respect and honour to the position of a woman and so therefore I feel that I am blessed to be a Muslim.

(8) Where were you born?

England.

Really?

Yep - Manchester.

No I mean, where were you actually born?

In a hospital.....

Ok, so where are you from originally?

Ermm... I believe I just said I'm from ENGLAND. British.

.......

and on it goes.

It's really suprising in this day and age how many times I have had this conversation - as have all my Muslim friends. It seems to be hard to accept that we are actually British - just because we happen to be Muslim also.

It sometimes seem like people want us to be from anywhere but from where they are - we Muslims cant possibly be just like them and from exactly where they are!!

So - get OVER it. I am British. if u don't like it - move.

(9) Raped women are stoned to death in Islam.

Sounds extreme.... thats just what the BNP leader Nick Griffin claimed on Question Time a couple of weeks ago - he sounded so sure of himself as he spouted this complete rubbish.

As if any religion, nevermind one which is the fastest growing in the world and one claimed by over a fifth of the world's population, would say something like that.

Islam is a religion of justice and fairness. How could anyone punish the victim of a rape? Its so horrible to even suggest such a thing.

Islam believes in honouring and protecting women as well as their virtue - and should any man harm a woman it is he who is punished - not the woman.

(10) Polygamy.

Now this is hard subject, even for many Muslims to discuss and while I do not know the ins and outs of it I do know a few things.

(a) Polygamy is allowed in Islam for men; men are allowed up to a maximum of 4 wives.

(b) It is strongly discouraged in Islam.

Polygamy is allowed in Islam for a variety of reasons, which I will not go into here but they are good reasons. However, if you study the subject in full you will quickly realise that it is very very very rare for any man to meet the conditions to have a second wife nevermind a third or fourth. In the very rulings surrounding polygamy, you see how Islam discourages, even prevents this practice.

Many men exploit the fact that polygamy is allowed, look no further and jump into a second or third marriage with no thought as to conditions and laws surrounding this. Due to this ignorance within the Muslim community itself - many Muslim polygamous marriages would actually not be allowed by Islam's rules.

The Quran emphasizes the limitations against polygamy in very strong words:

"If you fear lest you may not be perfectly equitable in treating more than one wife, then you shall be content with one." (4:3)

That is to say, if you can't deal fairly with both women, you'll have to be satisfied with one. Bearing in mind that as a Muslim woman, it is your husbands job to make you happy and content. The Quran goes on to say:

"You cannot be equitable in a polygamous relationship, no matter how hard you try." (4:129)

Which basicaly means - stop at one wife!

(11) Women in Islam are not allowed to drive.

Don't be daft!! Of course women can drive, and operate heavy machinery and lift boxes and fly planes, and whatever else they want to - if we chose not to, thats our decision too.

What you'll notice is that many of the countries that implement daft rules like women can't drive are run by the most ridiculous men. Men who twist things - even religion to suit their own warped vision of the world.

Weirdos.

(12) Are you bald under there?

Nope - I have a green and blue mohawk. Ok well... no I don't. But you don't know that. We are normal girls - so we have hair. Some of us even have really nice hair. It can be short or long and any colour we like or were born with.

(13) Muslim women are not allowed to cut their hair.

Ha - that'd be tough. If that was the case then my hair wud be like a trail behind me... past my ankles. Why can't people be sensible? Of course we can cut our hair - and the hair style can be as funky or as fun as we want it to be.

(14) Muslim women can't leave the house.

Well - yes we can. Can't keep partying in our house - the neighbours would get mad, gotta share the fun!

Like I have already said - Muslim women can leave the house to work, meet friends, have a nice time out. Nothing prevents us from this - least of all our religion.

(15) You Muslim women, poor you, need to be liberated.

Nope. We have an amazing amount of rights given to us in Islam - it is a just and fair religion. If anyone takes away any of our rights - its silly idiots who think they can. Don't worry - we'll beat them till we get what we want.

(16) Muslim women are not allowed to get an education.

Of course we are. In fact Islam strongly recommends getting a good education and in the words of Malcolm X:

"To educate a man is to educate an individual, to educate a woman is to educate a family."

It is true that in many so-called Muslim countries the education of women is not just forgotten but discouraged or forbidden. This is completely contrary to Islam. In Islam we are told that women have a complete right to education; and it is even said that a father who brings up and  educates a daughter is guaranteed paradise.

(17) Muslims are terrorists or at least, violent people.

Now I know this doesn't have anything to do with the specific topic of being Muslims and British but it does impact heavily upon it.

Many people think that Islam is a violent religion and encourages terrorism.

Wrong again.

This is just some people who have decided they want to be murderers or are psychopaths - most of them would kill anyway, its just someone has given them some twisted reason and couched it in terms of some weird version of Islam they have made up.

Islam is a very peaceful religion - it does not allow murder, it does not encourage war, it does not encourage the "jihad" that some silly idiots have made so famous.

In fact, Islam means peace. It is such a peace loving religion that we even have rules for safeguarding trees in times of war.

The Quran tells us:

"it would be as if he slew the whole humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity." (Chapter 5; Verse 32)

So - those that justify mass murder or so-called jihad on innocents are doing not only injustice to those that they kill, their families and themselves but also a most beautiful and peaceful religion.

Furthermore - why is it that the world has started blaming Islam and all Muslims for the actions of a few? This is not something we do with any other religion but somehow it has been acceptable to think that the actions of a few dozen idiotic men can be blamed on over 1.5 BILLION Muslims.

I hate to say it but ..... NOT FAIR.

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The harsh truth is that many of the weird, morbid and twisted "facts" and myths about Islam and women are made by men (and sometimes women) for their own reasons and to fit into their own vision of the world.

Anyone who reads an accurate account of Islam or reads the Quran, with an open mind, will learn pretty fast that Islam is not the evil religion it is so often claimed to be.

And therefore, I feel no conflict between being a Muslim and being British. Being a Muslim teaches me to respect the county I live in, to follow its laws and regulations and to help make it a better place.

In fact, Islam excourages me to be the best British Muslim I can be and to be a positive force in society - now, how can that be bad?