Introducing Letters from a Muslim Woman

I’ve been thinking a lot about the various layers to my identity. About the ways I perceive the world and am perceived by it.

I am:

• A Muslim

• A woman

• A person of Arab, Egyptian descent

• A Canadian

• A visible minority

• A hijab wearer

Of the above, you can immediately see all but the fact that I am a Canadian. For that, you need to speak to me, engage with me, know me. Many of the layers of my self come with a whole pile of negative assumptions about what I stand for and who I am. It’s an unfortunate truth that while the world loves our food, Arabs and Muslims are stereotyped as uncivilized, backward people, incompatible with modern times.

Photo by Ifrah Akhter on Unsplash

The more I think about these identities, and the way the world perceives them, the more I am drawn to write about it, to share what it’s like to belong to a group of “others”. A group that is misunderstood whether wilfully or subconsciously. Being a member of this group is something that affects your everyday, that colours your experiences and interactions. It touches on small inconveniences, like praying in stairwells and on buses, for lack of another space. And it touches on large injustices, like knowing a community member who’s been disappeared in the war on terror, and fearing the consequences of speaking out.

In Letters from a Muslim Woman, I will share what life is like when walking through the world in this body and soul. I hope you’ll join me.

This first letter explores my experience as a high school student, dealing with a teacher’s ingrained prejudices. I would say enjoy, but it may not be very enjoyable.

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Some Logistics

As I start off this new space within Prone to Hyperbole, I am going to experiment with frequency and length of writing. For now, I hope to continue to publish a regular post every Tuesday and an entry into my gratitude journal of Friday Drops every Friday. That said, my “regular” post may either be an entry within the main journal, or a letter within Letters from a Muslim Woman. By Default, you will receive posts in both sections of the newsletter. If you’d like to customize your selection to opt out of one of these sections, you can do so by adjusting your subscription settings here.