In a Pew Research Center Study on Muslim’s view of life in America that was conducted in 2017 during the second year of the Trump administration, the findings clearly showed that Muslim women were more afraid of discrimination, less assimilated into mainstream American culture, and more disapproving of Trump’s policies than their male counterparts.
Though men were certainly aware of and concerned about these issues, women felt them more keenly. One reason for this, as stated in the study, might be that women’s dress makes them more easily identifiable as Muslims.
According to Ihsan Bagby, associate professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky,“…it’s not surprising that Muslim women report differently than men…When we think about discrimination in general, it’s not applied evenly. We know sociologically that women experience more discrimination than men.”
When it comes to issues of social justice, it’s clear that women’s voices must be heard. The more diversity there is in the fight for justice, the more positive and far-reaching the effects will be. And women have real and pressing issues that exist at the intersection of being Muslim and being a woman in the US.
As we emerge into a post-pandemic world and a society led by a new administration, we want to take this opportunity to celebrate all Muslim women leaders who use their voices to effect real and lasting change; like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), the first Muslim-American Congresswomen, and Farhana Khera, who in 2005, co-founded Muslim Advocates, a national legal advocacy group that challenged President Trump’s travel ban and other infringements on Muslims’ civil rights.
We also want to celebrate the women who’ve had and are continuing to have an impact on American culture; like Ibtihaj Muhammad who, during the 2016 Olympics
became the first Muslim-American to wear a hijab during competition, winning a bronze medal in the team sabre event. Or G. Willow Wilson, who created the very first female Muslim comic book superhero.
To us, all Muslim women, who live out their faith daily and who stand for equality and justice for all, no matter where they are, are superheroes who should be celebrated and given a voice. It’s when we come together that the most good can be accomplished for the greatest number of people.
