Dear Hillary,
As a young Muslim woman living in the United States, you told me in your recent speech “There are ceilings to break.”
I listen and nod in agreement because, yes as woman, we have a harder time trying to find a place to fit in when it comes to equality in the workplace, among other things.
I then listen to your remarks about your mother, and your tribute to her, and am drawn to the part where you mention that it takes a village to raise a child.
It almost plays with the strings of my heart before I blink, and instantly call BULLSH*T.
How do you even have the audacity to say you represent me — a brown Muslim woman — when you’ve single handedly played a role in destroying the homes and lives of innocent men, women, and children?
How is it that you represent the American women, but ignore the fact that the women in the Middle East are also, well, women?
For someone who claims to be representing womanhood, why are those women from the Middle East ignored, except by your bombs, and your “bomb them into submission” peace strategy?
It almost plays with the strings of my heart before I blink, and instantly call BULLSH*T.
I feel like most political representatives are hypocritical, saying one thing and doing another. I get it; it’s how politics generally work.
But I don’t feel represented by you. I’m offended and hurt that you think it’s okay to represent only one type of woman, the white American kind.
When a woman fights for equality, it should be for every woman, regardless of race, religion, or any other social factor.
Your nomination and claim to victory is overshadowed by the attacks you contributed to, and although you believe that being a front runner is an accomplishment, I feel like it’s an anchor that is holding down Muslim women that are unrepresented by you.
Time and time again, I’ve seen your views on foreign policy slowly creep toward the moderate to conservative route. Even when you ran for presidency in 2008, you openly supported the Iraq War. How is that any different with what you might do when you’re in power and you steer a war towards Syria. Was the aftermath post-Gaddafi not enough?
I fear the bloodshed that will foreshadow this election if you win.
How do you even have the audacity to say you represent me — a brown Muslim woman — when you’ve single handedly played a role in destroying the homes and lives of innocent men, women, and children?
There is a huge double standard in your campaign, and the hypocrisy irks me. Your supporters are blinded by your achievements throughout your career, but ignore the fact that you have blood on your hands.
You attack the Republican frontrunner for how he treats women, and the things he says about them, but at least he isn’t pretending to be something he is not. You pull the gender card time and time again but don’t even represent all of us like you claim to do.
I agree that this is a huge step forward for America as a nation. Women have lived through a lifetime of inequality and hardships to witness this. But your feminism isn’t inclusive; you fail to include all types of woman because you say one thing, and your actions have reflected differently in the past. I fear for the young girls that may watch you become the first woman President of the United States. Once again, they will feel like a person who could’ve been a potential role model, is single handedly contributing towards the destruction of more Muslim nations.
I hope I’m not coming across as criticizing your gender stances, but you’re literally running an entire political campaign with the fact that you’re a woman as your number one premise. We get it. You’re a woman.
But I want to reiterate, one last time, as a Muslim woman living in America, you do not represent me.
XOXO,
A Forgotten Muslim Woman
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Written by Maham Khan.
FINALLY a decent article on this website!
I think your issue is with Hillary’s stance on foreign policy rather than her stance on feminism. After all, those bombs affect men too, not just women.
As a Muslim woman, I agree with the author on all points, except crazy notion that all Muslim women are “brown”….. Sorry, as a white Muslim woman (btw- Syrians and Bosnians and many converted European and American Muslims happen to be white), Who wears Hijab and practices her faith, Hillary doesn’t represent me, either. Please don’t make Islam a “racist” religion- Prophet Muhammed invited all to the religion of Islam, regardless of color. Please don’t mix “race” with identification as a Muslim in your argument. If you are offended and want to argue that Hilary doesn’t represent you as a “brown woman” AND secondly as a “Muslim woman”- then this is more appropriate and I would agree with your argument. However, to assume all Muslim Women are “brown” (as you say) and to assume only “brown Muslim women” are not represented by Hillary, you are mistaken. We are all misrepresented and feel for out Muslim sisters in Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan and Palestine….. Respectfully, Maria