By Muslim Girl Founder, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, joined together with other leading writers and global thinkers on Australia’s most watched television show – ABC’s Q&A last night. Together with panelists Rutger Bregman, Laurie Penny, Shashi Tahroor and Michael Fullilove, she took the internet by storm in response to audience questions ranging from Western feminism and hijabs to utopia and what *exactly* is going on with the U.S. President conflation of social media and official policy.
Fetishization of Fashion and Feminism
Amani responded to questions conflating freedom with freedom from religion and condemned notions misrepresenting the choice to cover one’s hair with oppression. Citing France’s burkini ban as the Western equivalency of controlling a woman’s body and choices, she highlighted her own agency in wearing hijab and underscored that being asked “why” she wears hijab is inherently rooted in and an expectation that she is pressured to do so.
Slow Politics
The panelist of writers discussed the complexities and nuances that are forgotten, if not ignored, in the social policy that comes about from Presidential Tweets. One-hundred and forty characters will never be enough for a thoughtful statement from global leaders, and they have a responsibility to their community to more thoroughly elaborate on the scope and impact of their words. Amani spoke to the speed in which these society-altering announcements are made, highlighting that technology will only make things move faster. In response, she stated that “you can’t put the genie back in the bottle.”
“she highlighted her own agency in wearing
hijab and underscored that being asked “why” she wears hijab is
inherently rooted in and an expectation that she is pressured to do so.” What a load of waffle! It was a simple enough question: why have you chosen to cover your hair? Why didn’t she just answer the question? What’s the big secret? Does Amani actually have a good reason to dress differently from everyone else? Or is the reason she covers her head an embarrassment to her? Is she advertising her adherence to Mohammed’s teachings? If so, where in the Koran and the Hadith would we find the advice from Mohammed to cover heads when in public. Or maybe her hair was just dirty and she didn’t have time to wash it.
Racism is the belief that a person of a particular race is superior physically or mentally, to all the people of another race. Race is genetic and the only reason we think racism is wrong is that none of us can choose our race or change it.
But we can all change our religion. Muslims are perfectly capable of rejecting Mohammed’s claims to being God’s messenger. Muslims can exonerate Allah of any involvement in the dictation of the Koran. Muslims can stop slandering and insulting Allah. Accusing our Creator of being responsible for Mohammed’s Koran is insulting. Our Creator can do better than that.
Fed up with Muslims screaming racist whenever a non-Muslim disagrees with them, or expresses disgust at their choice of beliefs. Stop being Muslim! You can do it.
Are u Muslim?