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Toronto Star,
LIFE
Tuesday, July
30, 1996
Lifting the
veil of ignorance Muslim women try to debunk the myths
about
their religion, identity and way of life
Yasmin Syed
Fatimi loves the reaction when she tells people she's a fashion
designer.
"There are
two reactions. A few people come up to me and compliment me on
my 'exotic' look. Others assume that I design only scarves or
headgear. It's a typical reaction when the public can't see
beyond my covered head!
"As soon as
they discover that I have a diploma from Milan, design fashions
for Western women and speak four languages, their attitude
changes to one of disbelief."
Fatimi, 30, isn't
fazed by these responses, having grown up in Europe, where, she
says, acceptance of Muslim women was a long time coming.
"My mother,
a European, is not Muslim by birth but by choice. When she
accepted Islam and started living in England in the early '60s,
it was unusual for European women to show their conversion
openly.
"Today,
things are changing, as hundreds of British women accept Islam
under no coercion."
Fatimi's
experiences are not unusual for Muslim women, whose identity,
image and status are often the subject of myth and misconception
in the Western world.
"I draw
strength from my identity as a Muslim woman," she says.
"It hasn't always been easy, because negative images of
Muslim women in the Western media have created preconceived
notions and prejudices."
Fatimi was
educated in England, studied fashion in Italy, started her
career as a designer in Luxembourg and worked as a buyer in
Germany. As a result of her travels throughout the Middle East
and Europe, she speaks fluent German, Italian, English and
Farsi.
"Canada is
by far the most tolerant country I've lived in, but there are
still some preconceptions about Muslim women which stem from
ignorance," says Fatimi, who came here two years ago.
"I feel it's
our duty to project the correct image by talking openly about
our lives and not letting others speak for us.
"No matter
how closely a non-Muslim studies our psyche, they can't go into
the depths of our being and see how liberated we are mentally.
"Muslim
women have the right to property and inheritance. They can
propose marriage and ask for a divorce and they can keep their
maiden name (like I have)," adds Fatimi, who lives in
Thornhill with her husband.
Moreover, from
earliest times under Islam, there were women who expressed their
views about public issues, she says.
"How else
can one translate freedom and liberation? If emancipation is
gauged only by the way a woman dresses, then no importance is
being given to her mind, which goes entirely against the dogma
of women's rights everywhere."
Unlike Fatimi,
Nuzhat Jafri grew up in Toronto at a time when there were fewer
Muslims in Canada.
There were
"traumas" associated with being a minority, she
recalls.
"Our
prohibitions tended to become a joke for our peers. Once it
became clear to my friends that a restriction, like abstinence
from alcohol, is really a matter of choice, they learned to
respect my convictions. That's what all religions teach us -
respect for each other's beliefs."
Jafri, a
management consultant, observes that her religion "has
never been an impediment to my achieving success.
"It's been
nurturing, not restrictive."
She came to
Canada from Pakistan with her family more than 30 years ago,
completed her education and embarked on a successful career.
"It's a
misnomer to generalize that Muslim women are repressed,
ignorant, submissive housewives. That's a fine line between
urban and rural life found in every country."
Jafri, who lives
in Scarborough, talks about the future of her 13-year-old
daughter.
"I'll instill
the same values in my daughter that were taught to me. These
values have been a guiding light and very liberating.
"I believe
in equal rights and work towards promoting a woman's place in
society - equally to that of a man, while accommodating their
differences."
Muslim women, she
states, are denied rights not by religion but by cultural and
traditional limitations imposed by a male-oriented society.
"Women are
oppressed everywhere and it's unfortunate that in the Islamic
world , sometimes religion is used as a weapon . . . The inane
idea, for example, that Muslim women are not allowed to drive,
just because some sheik in Saudi Arabia said so. There's no such
injunction in Islam.
"Muslim
women can do anything within the boundaries of reason and logic
without compromising their status as respectable members of
society and without being forced."
For Barbara
Siddiqui, being a Muslim was a conscious decision.
Born in Midland
into a family that is still strongly attached to the Christian
church, she's often asked if she was obliged to accept Islam
because she married a Muslim.
"My decision
to become a Muslim was a personal, spiritual and intellectual
one, arrived at after years of extensive reading, research and
deep thought.
"In college,
I majored in religions, so I knew that Muslims are allowed to
marry Christians, but I accepted Islam by choice about 21 years
ago, married a Muslim, have three kids and no regrets."
Siddiqui, 49, and
vice-principal of Valleyfield Junior School in Etobicoke, often
finds herself cast in the role of unofficial counsellor and
adviser to both Muslims and non-Muslims about her faith.
When she meets
someone for the first time, she says, they are intrigued by the
combination of her first and last names.
When she battles
queries about the status of women, "I simply quote the
Koran." The holy book says "men and women have equal
potential for spiritual and intellectual growth, and share moral
and social responsibilities," she notes.
Siddiqui finds
lack of knowledge about the religion leads to misunderstanding
about the status of Muslim women.
"Once I
invited my mother to come to the mosque and she said, 'Your God
won't let me in.' I had to explain that we have the same
God."
Copyright
© 1996 Toronto Star, All Rights Reserved.
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