A woman is excluded from her father's funeral. A feminist removes her headscarf for a day. A Uganda-born singer and social worker from Norway questions her identity. An internationally-renowned Egyptian author makes a strong case for harnessing creativity in the face of patriachy.
These are just some of the articles that launched a new digital magazine, sister-hood (sister-hood.com), which is aimed at spotlighting the diverse voices of Muslim women.
Founded by Deeyah Khan, an Emmy-award winning filmmaker and activist, the magazine went live on Monday after several months of work.
Al Jazeera spoke with Khan about the the perception of Muslim women in the media and the aspirations of sister-hood.
We are endlessly spoken for, and spoken about. It's time we got to speak for ourselves.
Women of Muslim heritage are always in the news – as victims, as 'jihadi brides', in innumerable pieces on the hijab. We are endlessly spoken for, and spoken about. It's time we got to speak for ourselves. If we can't get heard through mainstream media outlets, then it's time to build our own.
We cover hard hitting geo-political realities, the impact of western military policies as well the more intimate experiences of love, loss and honour in the lives of women. We are interested in receiving multimedia content. We love the written word and we are also interested in poetry, videos, art and music - and all other forms of creative expression.
I am funding this myself with proceeds from my film work and a small grant from the Norwegian Freedom of Expression foundation Fritt Ord. Beyond this, all of the work is currently done by volunteers. We aim to continue as a non-profit project and do not wish to gain commercially.
Our integrity and independence of voice is dear to us and we will not accept any restrictions upon our freedom of speech.
We need to be able to expose the hypocrisy and double standards of the international community that may speak of human rights, while supporting oppressive governments and bombings and strengthening oppressive leaders despite the negative effects on the lives of women. We want to be able to criticise religious extremism as well as extreme capitalism and the perpetuation of violence in the name of both.
The other half is bringing attention to those who combat oppression. There are people – many people – who rise up and resist hatred, violence and fear, despite facing impossible odds and being largely unrecognised and unsupported in the public sphere.
For me, the heroes are not just the loud and fearless activists, but also the young woman who resists a forced marriage, or insists on continuing her education or who refuses to be reduced to her gender. It can be an act of heroism for a woman to insist on being herself and directing her own life.
We are also building a thoroughly researched library of profiles of courageous women from history to show young women today the stories and work of women of Muslim heritage who have come before us, who have fought for a better world and created progress in their time as activists, artists, writers, scholars. These are the women whose shoulders we stand on today, and we should acknowledge their accomplishments, talent, brilliance and courage.
We are also building a thoroughly researched library of profiles of courageous women from history to show young women today the stories and work of women of Muslim heritage who have come before us, who have fought for a better world and created progress in their time as activists, artists, writers, scholars. These are the women whose shoulders we stand on today, and we should acknowledge their accomplishments, talent, brilliance and courage.
People constantly ask me, 'Where can we find women's resistance against social, political, economic and religious injustice and oppression? Where is the opposition to religious extremism?' The fact is we have always been here, but often our stories and perspectives are not represented on the global stage.
There is a huge, under-recognised movement of women who have been on the frontlines of progressive change for decades in Muslim communities. These voices are the trouble-makers and peace-makers, activists and artists, rebels and revolutionaries who have been defending peace, justice, freedom of expression, gender equality and human rights for decades.
I feel that in the media there is a tokenism about Muslim women and a tendency to show the most victimised and the most devout as the most 'authentic' representation of women. I want to challenge that view.
This has to end. Change ultimately will come with men and women standing together for peace, equality and justice, but first we need to bring women closer to an equal footing.
Women are part of the solution to the challenges that our world is facing today. I will not rest until their voices are heard and taken into consideration in the current global discourse around topics that affect us most.
