Enough!

Background: A lot of stuff has been written and said on the subject of “to hijab or not to hijab” and how practicing Muslimahs are “oppressed”. For those who don’t know, social media suddenly erupted into a battle between the FEMEN activists who set out on the mission to “liberate” muslim women. In response, Muslim women did a counter-campaign with the hashtag #MuslimahPride depicting that they have a voice and don’t need “liberating”. Obviously, our very own homegrown liberals could not stay out of the action and came up with an article called “Thank You, Dear Muslimaat” which sarcastically ridiculed the #MuslimahPride campaign. In view of all this, I was compelled to break my hiatus from poetry, and felt the need to respond. Because, sometimes, enough is enough!  JazakAllah Khair to Br. Omer Chaudhry for helping me complete it! 

With a heavy heart I do relate,

The tale of a soul so sedate;

Society’s shackles bound her down,

While she was born to be crowned.

To live her life she longs to be free;

Governed not by fools but the Divine Decree.

While you blame her for bowing to the status quo,

What she truly wants, do you even know?

She’s tired of being told that she is “oppressed”,

Of being dictated how to dress to impress!

If being independent and free means killing her soul,

Then spare her from playing the “feminist” role.

She needs no soldier or knight in shining armour

To rescue her from society’s constructed tower.

A mind shining bright with the light of knowledge,

Longs not for approval or people who acknowledge.

What she needs is the freedom to practice her Deen,

So she rises to the status given to her of a Queen.

So cut the sarcasm with your “Dear Muslimaat”!

Your ideology from ours is way too apart.