From Muslim Matters
No one can know the depth of pain and suffering that a true Muslim goes through. There are the usual ups and downs of life that every person on the planet goes through – failure, poverty, ill health and even death. There are the long term issues that worry anyone – economy, environment and quality of life. But for a Muslim that truly sees others across the globe as his or her brothers and sisters in Islam, there is so much more that makes us seem to be in a permanent state of depression. The news is bleak and it keeps getting bleaker.
It is important in times such as these to actively look for happier news coming from the Muslim world. This is not to distract ourselves from our very real problems, but to give us hope at a time when it is easy to fall into despair.
Here are 5 good news stories from the Muslim world:
1) The Sisters Fight Back
We are used to the clichéd stereotype of “the oppressed Muslim female.” She is supposed to sit there demurely while being alternately defended by enlightened others or oppressed by them – sometimes simultaneously. Well, lately, Muslim women seem to be flipping the script (I’ve always wanted to use that phrase.)
When a Muslim sister got fired by Abercrombie and Fitch for wearing the hijab, she decided she wasn’t about to let them get away with it. She took them to court and won her case for unfair dismissal. In Birmingham, a college with many Muslim students decided to ban the Niqab. They even had the support of the Prime Minister. But the students campaigned against the ban and in a smart move; the college repealed the ban realizing it was fundamentally unpopular and unfair.
Muslim women are signaling that they are no longer going to let others oppress them in the name of freedom. And there are signs that people are listening. This advert from Canada speaks volumes about this growing self-confidence.
