As someone who used to be an avid book reader in my past life, which sadly I continue to make zero time for, in the interim, I get my read on by way of articles and blog posts.
The posts I’m sharing cover topics that can carry an incredible amount of shame and guilt, especially for women. I like to think I have always been a reasonably self-aware person, however, over the last couple of years of lockdowns and having to work from home, it meant further time to think about shit that has its benefits and drawbacks, one of the most significant alongside getting older (and hopefully wiser, she says), is it brought me to at a minimum recognise my unhealthy behaviours and go-to responses.
Reading these posts has been a comforting reminder of how our stories matter and the need for more honest and diverse conversations. If you want to discover more about these fascinating women and their work, I have left all relevant links below, ENJOY!
“I’m not interested in being powerful if it means lording that over anyone, or feeling superior to anyone, or being suspicious, fearful, or threatened by women in whom I see some of myself.”
– by Zeba Blay
In this post, Zeba has shared poignant images of notable women sharing a moment of joy and complete admiration for one another, no sense of fear or intimidation by the other’s successes, this is a cue to female empowerment and how considerably powerful we are when we come together and lift each other up.
“And when I speak of power here I don’t mean fame or material success or seats at proverbial white tables. I’m thinking of a kind of innate power, a spiritual power. Power that has less to do with being “the best” than it does with simply being — authentically, wholly, yourself.”
Sisterhood to me is just as important as the relationship I have with my husband and my family, It’s another level of friendship I hold dear to my heart and one I do not take for granted even when life gets in the way, the connections remain strong because you’ve been through it, you’ve weathered the storms and keep each other rooted in times of difficulty.
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Legends Only – some thoughts on jealousy, comparison and power.
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@zebablay – Writer and Author of a book called ‘Carefree Black Girls’
“Jealousy, at its core, is a lack of grace. Grace for others to exist beyond our projections. Grace for ourselves to be enough beyond perfection.”
– by Kendra Austin
There is a slight theme here following the above post by Zeba. In this piece, Kendra asks us to stop condemning jealousy, it’s a human reaction and one that we should not hide away from or feel shame and guilt around, instead, use it as an opportunity to explore further.
“We also have to find grace for the fact that jealousy is natural and can be a tool to transform beyond not-enoughness.”
When I look back on my own experiences with jealousy, whether I was on the receiving end of it or the one projecting, it was freakin hard to call it out I’d sooner jump off a cliff than show a speck of vulnerability, much easier to pass blame and wallow in self-pity….. having said all of that, I am now coming to you from a place of perspective and forever hopeful with more sincere conversations and writings on subjects like this, it can only encourage us further to speak our truth and receive it with an open heart.
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The Power of Jealousy – We’re all a little green and that’s human.
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@kendramorous – Writer
“Is this true social justice? How is this helping the black community? How is this shaping a world where you and I aren’t judged by the colour of our skin? Are we really trying to eradicate racism with racism?”
– by Africa Brooke
I started following Africa Brooke on IG last year, it was then when I came across her open letter which the title alone is enough to draw you in or maybe even make you go oof. Here she shares her experience following on from the height of the Black Lives Matter movement and the internal struggle she faced from being heavily invested in the social justice space.
This piece did seriously get me thinking about my own state of mind at that time (2020) and the frustrations I held towards people for not speaking out on the mistreatments in the world, It was this combination of living in never before times, emotions were running high and then to witness over and over again just pure hatred and evil imposed on a particular group of people who looked like me, was not only traumatic, it felt hopeless.
“On social media at that time I was DEEP is various social justice echo chambers that shared more than enough infographics, stories, feed posts, IG LIVES, to make my fight or flight response go nuts. I was in constant fight mode, and wasn’t aware.”
Africa is calling out censorship and cancel culture, which we continue to see time again. How can we move forward if we’re not open to hearing a different set of beliefs or opinions from our own without immediately having to resort to a place of anger? Yes, of course, if someone’s being a complete asshole that’s a separate issue, we can only be responsible for our own actions and reactions.
Our mental well-being must come first.
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An open letter – why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness by Africa Brooke
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@africabrooke – Consultant & Writer
“There is a movement brewing to demystify sexual education for Muslims, driven largely by women on social media who are speaking openly about sex.”
– by Hafsa Lodi for Refinery 29
This article covers what some would consider a very taboo subject, yet one which is becoming more reflective of the times, stats are shared from an Instagram poll taken which scarily shows a low percentage of Muslims who have had any sort of sex education from a religious framework, I think it’s about time we all had a sex education reboot.
“Lack of awareness and education about sex can lead to a fear of intimacy, unbalanced sexual roles, unenjoyable sex and, in extreme cases, marital rape.”
One of the women featured, Angelica Lindsey-Ali who goes by the name Village Auntie on social media, is a certified sexual health educator, intimacy and relationships expert, I started following her last year after coming across her as a guest speaker on a podcast discussing the same topic sharing her expertise, busting some myths and dropping valuable tips for parents on how to broach this kind of subject with their children within the perimeters of Islamic teachings.
It brings me back to my own personal journey with IVF and the realisation of how little I knew about my body, my menstrual cycle, my fertility, what is considered a good period vs a bad period, I had no freakin clue at the ripe old age of 40, wtf! Honestly, these open discussions are so needed, the more knowledge we have, the better prepared we will be.
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How These Muslim Women Are Reclaiming Their Sexuality – By Refinery29.
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@villageauntie – certified sexual health educator, curator of woman-centered spiritual spaces, leader of a global women’s movement, and leading kunyaza expert.
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@sexualhealthformuslims – Sameera Qureshi, Speaker, educator, & consultant.
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Sex-ed with The Village Auntie – Podcast Sex & Fertility with HEART.
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The Village Auntie X muzmatch – Muslim Women’s Rights In A Marriage.
In relation to this, I also came across another article that shares more people leading similar topics 8 Muslim Sex Educators and Resources by Amaliah
It took me a minute to put this all together, hopefully, it makes sense and feel free to share your thoughts on any of the articles shared in the comments below.
Keep Safe & Till Next Time
xx