so, it's been a long day & i'm feeling pretty exhausted right now. but also a little more at peace. my meeting at the paper went well, on the whole, but as it wasn't a public meeting i don't feel comfortable sharing too much here. i had aliya danzeisen with me, a real champion who makes a huge difference to the lives of so many people in our community.
what i can say is that we were given a fair hearing, and treated with respect. i can say there was some difference of views and i think we came to some common understandings. i can say that i now have to write a 700 word piece to go into saturday's paper, and that's going to take some thinking through. i don't intend to reference mr cox's piece because i don't believe he or his views deserve further publicity. somehow i have to tread between that line of advocating for my community and for muslim women, without being preachy about my faith. i'll leave thinking about it until tomorrow.
because of all the support i've received, i felt that i went into the meeting from a position of strength - more of an internal feeling than anything else. it brings home to me again the importance of community, and how much more a group of people can achieve than an individual working alone. and my main objective was to bring the people i was talking to into that community, make them feel part of us and identify with us, because in the end we all belong in this place together.
i hope we managed that. my own impression is that we succeeded in that, but i can't be sure of how they felt. time will tell. and now to quote forrest gump: that's all i have to say about that.
9 comments:
Dear Anjum, when I read this line "and my main objective was to bring the people i was talking to into that community, make them feel part of us and identify with us, because in the end we all belong in this place together" it seemed like the most hopeful and peace-building response I can imagine someone making in the face of ignorance and prejudice. That beauty points us to the fruit of the faith you practice and gives me hope for humanity. Thank you for being a woman of faith, hope and love! Thank you for believing in the possibility of reconciliation in communities. Thank you for putting your vision and values into action when it must seem easier to stay home and read a good book!
thank you so much for your kind words, jemma.
I've been head down, tail up, marking exams, anjum, so I've only just now caught up on this story. You have shown such courage. I'm so sorry that you had to do this, but so very glad that you have the strength and the wisdom to push for change.
thanx deborah. it's having the support of people like you & others that makes me feel able to act.
Hi Anjum, my name is Saif Khan(friend of Zayid jones). It was him who informed me about Michael article. I was disappointed that an individual would be allowed to publish such a fear mongering and baseless article. However, I was really pleased when I read your 'response' to the article and glad that someone was making an effort to change this tide of hate. I had informed and asked my friends to send emails to the editor in protest and today, Zayid informed me about your meeting with the paper. Anyway, I want to thank you for not keeping quite and doing something about stereotyping the entire Muslim community. I have female cousins and relatives, who are working as Doctors, Accountants etc and I don't want some ignorant bigot misleading the NZ public about treatment of women in Islam. I want to thank you once again.
Well done Anjum for speaking out. Was really shocked to see such misleading article. Thanks
Zahra Mirza
Well done! The only thing I can advise is not to be platitudinous with regards to your article. The other trap the media lays is that they get a Muslims man to talk about Muslim women's rights. Make sure your article is not focussed on women's right but the issue of ignorance and bigotry. How a small sub-section, a small fraction of a percentage point of the Muslim community have some extreme interpretations that the vast majority of Muslims do not share and never have shared. It's like looking at rape statistics and deciding that white-men are all rapists and why do white people hate women etc. Any statements you make, or evidence you present needs to be referenced, don't put in anything that you can't find a source for. Anecdotes are good and you will present personal experiences on the subject at hand.
Anyway, good luck and well done!
thank you said, zahra & masud for your lovely comments. masud, i am actually a muslim woman, so that solves one of the problems you raise :) i've focused my piece on more general issues of womens rights for women of colour, and the impact that bigotry has on hampering us from achieving those rights. i'll put up the link when it is published on saturday.
Hi Anjum, whatever you decide to do, I know it will turn out well. But do mention how misleading articles in the media can demonize the Muslim community and lead to increase in racism. I have a young female cousin (born in NZ; 10 years old), who was subject to some nasty comments from native Kiwi's who suggested that perhaps, she should go back to country, just because she decided to dress up in traditional Indian clothes. She was too young to understand racism, but it did have an effect as she resisted wearing any Indian traditional clothes for a while. Better dialog and more understanding is needed from both sides. Take care and all the best.
Saif Khan
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