picture in my mind

This isn't a particularly recent speech,

but I did just watch it;

and it was lovely and moving (doubtless made me cry, if you know me) --

because it is very disheartening and discouraging,

the reality of fighting for women's rights on the ground,

or even the daily fight of being a woman.

And what I find extra painful and disheartening,
is when Muslim men especially dismiss it
thinking that it's outside of the religion or that surely, Muslims are exempt from this --
excuse me!
it's one of the major gripes I have about Muslim institutions in general
that unwittingly (or not) restrict the potential and ambition of amazing women.
check your privilege!
check what the Prophet s.a.w. fought for.

It's not the word 'feminism' that matters, but the ideas and ambitions behind it.

Right you are, Emma Watson. I wish people would get it a bit more. Stop bickering about semantics, and reflect on what you mean or what you stand for if you say you're against feminism.

I actually wanted to post about privilege in general, having followed the recent hoohah surrounding Alfian Sa'at's facebook posts (see below), and getting infuriated about people's blindness to their privilege. And feminism works similarly. Men, check your privilege. White people of any society (white being metaphorical for the dominant race and culture), check your privilege. People born to at least a modicum of wealth and comfort (and therefore what it affords you in life), check your privilege. People gifted with anything from God, check your privilege.

Checking your privilege = Acknowledging your inherent privileges and putting them aside in order to understand another human being's plight. (I actually got this from a South Park clip, haha.)






Personally, my struggle is perhaps acknowledging my privilege of having a thorough and varied education, that then affords me the perspective and understanding that I am able to have about these issues. And I have to have patience with people who can't seem to see what I see. Patience with everyone because each person has their own journey.

💜