WUNRN
CANADA - SECOND-GENERATION MUSLIM
WOMEN
By Salima Ebrahim
Eight years ago, I had the opportunity to be part of a group of seven women who travelled across Canada on behalf of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women to create a resource kit that second-generation Muslim women could use in navigating their various identities. In this case, it was the dual identities of being Canadian and Muslim, as well as a female. We went across the country and facilitated conversations with young women, creating a safe space where topics such as identity, relationships, and family dynamics and violence against women were discussed.
Although each story had its unique attributes, what struck me the most was the dichotomy which permeates the lives of young Muslim women in Canada—that is, their struggle to belong to mainstream society while maintaining a sense of tradition and belonging within their communities of origin. This itself requires strength, with the multitudes of stereotypes about (1) what it is to be Muslim and (2) what it is to be a Muslim woman. What also struck me, however, was that a number of these woman had lives remarkably different than their mothers; they were pursuing higher education, travelling overseas, and taking time to discover who they were, if and before they got married. These discussions we had were nothing like the stories usually found in the media, which often portray Muslim women as one-dimensional in nature—usually submissive and downtrodden—and don’t take into account the huge diversity within the faith.
So, in the vein of celebrating International Women’s Day, its Canadian theme of “Strong Leadership. Strong Women. Strong World: Equality”, and a look at Muslim women’s identity in the Canadian context, let me tell you about my story, which is similar to others out there, and hopefully dispel some of the myths surrounding Muslim women.
I was born in Medicine Hat, raised in Edmonton, and did all my schooling in French. Growing up in a household where politics were talked about every night and you better come prepared at dinner with an opinion on what was going on in the world, my going into political science in university was no surprise. Following graduation, I worked for the public sector, but always knew I wanted to go back to get my master’s degree, prompted in no small part by my parents who reiterated that one degree was not enough. This encouragement and constant positive feedback that I could do it all, and moreover should do it all, led me to working and living in Quebec City and Ottawa, after which I headed to England to complete my master’s degree and then Geneva to work for the UN. I came back home to Calgary to be closer to friends and family, but it was my choice, not one imposed on me.
I share this to showcase a story that often does not make it into the media, as a sign of change in a time where the news is bleak, and to hopefully dispel some myths.
So, let us take this opportunity to celebrate the women who have helped pave the path to allow us second-generation women to live our lives according to our rules, and the men who have stood up and supported us as well. One only has to look at my favourite music group, U2, whose new single “Get on Your Boots” is about how we should hand over things to women if we want the world to be a better place, to feel that things are changing—admittedly, incrementally and not fast enough for a great number of women out there. But that should not stop us from celebrating this occasion, as it has only been by celebrating the small steps that women have been able to make such strides.
Salima Ebrahim is a national board member with the Canadian Council of Muslim Women.
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