Maria Knodt

Edited by Mariam Khan

It’s Not About The Burqa

This book is a collection of essays by Muslim women about their experience being judged, talked about, stereotyped and underestimated by non-Muslims and/or men. It’s basically a feminist manifesto, where Muslim women make themselves heard against all the prejudices that exist about them. Their voices are angry, provocative, frank, funny, and most importantly, all of them are strong, independent voices – belying the image many have of Muslim women. Contrary to the stereotype, it is not all about the burqa. A must-read!

“To be a Muslim woman in the so-called West, where Muslims, live as a minority, often beleaguered and subjected to the violence of racism and bigotry, is to stand in the middle point of a see-saw, engaged in a perilous balancing act of telling the rock of racist Islamophobes and the hard place of the community to fuck off, all the while trying not to fall off. I believe in the power of profanity and so I demand that we tell the powers that sit on either side of that see-saw to fuck off. Profanity – especially delivered by women – is a powerful way to transgress the red lines of politeness and niceness that the patriarchy – shared by the rock and the hard place – demands of us as women. I say fuck because I am not supposed to. I say fuck because I believe that the crimes of racism, bigotry and misogyny – enabled and protected by patriarchy – are more profane than swear words. I say fuck because there is nothing civil about racists, Islamophobes and misogynists arguing over my body as if I did not exist.”