I write stuff.

I WRITE ABOUT THINGS.

[muneerahwrites]

The Rain in Spain

[I was trying to be clever but there was no actual rain - rain meaning my tears LEL. I want to share contents of the lessons too inshaAllah but this will come slowly and surely. Bc there was really A LOT. This post is dedicated to my unsorted-out feelings – an attempt to rationalize and understand why I felt what I felt and to attempt to move forward with clarity of heart.]

Came back to SG from Granada to find myself plunged into deadlines and unfinished work. Grappling with jet lag, acne, a worn out yet, invigorated soul, and an unsettled mind, I dragged my body to work for the past 4 days trying to refocus and get myself into my comfortable SG work routine.

I haven’t had the time to reflect properly on my Ramadan and then, the 2 weeks Critical Muslim Studies – on what I’ve learnt and about myself. Why was I crying so much everyday? I mean, I cry occasionally but Spain was something else. I felt like I was ALWAYS crying lol. I couldn’t speak without tears bubbling beneath the surface. The garden behind the school became a regular witness to my tears (and on one occasion, the whole class but I’d rather bury that in the depths of my mind.)

I did not fully understand it at that time, but I concluded in Spain that it was probably for four reasons:

1.       PMS is real.

2.        I came to learn about decolonial theory and largely expected “head-work” about Critical Muslim Studies. Instead, there were discussions about dealing with the metaphysical catastrophe of coloniality, the counter to that being weeping and praying (Fanon), embracing other ways of being (the soul as a way of decolonising) and that I’ve been approaching the Qur’an or my faith (something I hold so dear to and I thought was the anchors of my always changing life) incompletely, maybe even self-indulgently. I realized that I usually leave my soul out the door when I enter “secular” spaces. Of course, I hold on to prayer and du’a but the reminder that the soul is there with your mind and body as a way of understanding and communicating was such as shock to my system. As I realise this, my body was so still but I felt so moved. Therefore, the tears.

 3.       I felt inadequate. What was I doing in this space? Neither activist, content producer nor scholar, I entered the space positioned as a student, only to be overwhelmed by everyone else. I felt that I was not fit to talk about decolonisation or liberation theologies. What limited struggles have I gone through as compared to everyone else in the space? I shut my mouth, I listen, I took in everyone’s pain. I felt so much guilt that I did not have my own pain (or I thought I didn’t). What have I done in my life? I have nothing to share that is important in this space. Bc of these negative thoughts, I brought up all my weaknesses as excuses not to engage. I am not critical enough, not eloquent enough, my heart beats too fast when speaking in front of many people. Anyway, everyone needed to speak so I shouldn’t, whether inside or outside class. I concluded that I shouldn’t be here. I felt even more guilty because it’s Allah’s will and plan that I was in Granada and I felt that His plan was wrong. I retreated. Therefore, the tears.

 4.       Another level of inadequacy was from the fact that I was from Singapore. I have nothing to contribute coming from Singapore. Who cares about Singapore anyway? Was I even Singaporean, being away from Singapore for 5 years of early adulthood. What does being Singaporean even mean?? *Existential crisis* Other experiences seemed more valid, more pressing, more outwardly violent. The need for social justice in other parts of the world was more pressing because people are constantly dehumanised and stripped of dignity. What is Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo to Singapore’s ISA and prisons? What is racism and white supremacy in the US and UK/Europe compared to racial politics in Singapore? Was my experience not important? Or was it relegated as unimportant? Did I do this myself or was this another power dynamic that is playing out? I was confused but also, I am not a personality who insists that my voice be heard. (WHY MOO? I need to examine this more?) I was frustrated. Therefore, the tears.

As the classes come to an end plus the long trip back home, I realised that I was crying because of all those reasons and then some. I was mainly crying because I was so uncomfortable. I realised through the classes, my reflections, my interactions with the other participants and with my interaction with Granada as a place, that I am still colonised. It’s not just a theory I use in my research or studies. My self, my being and thoughts are so unchecked and it’s suddenly being called out in Granada. The process of decolonisation of the self, that the summer school was pushing me to do, was/is an extremely uncomfortable one. Therefore, the tears.

Colonial domination is often understood as a historical process that has ended with independence of nation states. It is easy to recognise that there are legacies in our political, education, economic systems but I don’t think I understood the far-reaching creeping fingers of coloniality – it is in the domination of mind, body and spirit. But coloniality didn’t end in 1963, when the British left. It is not just concerns of “unfortunate Third Worlders” and diasporic communities in distant lands, battling corruption and poverty because they lacked the vision and the statecraft of a Lee Kuan Yew. The logics, practices and legacies of colonialism disrupted our local/faith/indigenous epistemologies (ways of seeing, being and understanding), our social orders and norms and forms of knowledge.

Singapore was colonised but emerged as “crown colony”. Someone from Guardian even wrote a whole article about how we “benefited” from colonialism LOL: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/04/colonialism-work-singapore-postcolonial-british-empire We’re so good at being a “modern nation-state” with our policies based on race and hierarchies created by meritocracy – but always framed as having the promise or intention of equality. We (or rather, I will say I myself, Idk about other people) just internalised coloniality (the colonial mindset) so much that we became model global citizens. White masks, yellow, brown, black skins. Wanting to be “modern”, to imitate. But as someone who has multiple levels of otherness (global south, woman, muslim, brown, introverted etc), when I imitate, I never feel enough or belonging to anywhere.

Discussions came up about how we should not to compare issues, but to be relative. And that’s when I realised: The logic of coloniality remains the same – whether we are talking about clear individual acts of Islamophobia in the UK or the state control of our asatizah in Singapore. No matter how it is being framed.

So returning back to discomfort in decolonising the self. The solution was not to retreat to the soul or to some pristine, native state of being. I was called to recognise the narrowness of my “broadened” mind: whose standards are you trying to meet? Whose questions are you answering? What are your own questions? What are the standards and values decreed by Allah? Why did I think or feel my personality, skills and socialisation not enough? Why do I think that I could not offer anything when everyone else could (especially those from the West?) How was I reproducing coloniality even in the way I was thinking about myself in relation to others? I was called to take my sensing and knowing beyond dominant ideas of what was natural, true and good.

Also, I don’t think my highly introverted self was ready for how short of a time, intensely close and intimate spaces (physical, mind and heart) I would share with so many diverse women (mostly Muslim WOC from everywhere). Everyone was so loving, embracing, warm, spiritual but at the same time, brave, strong, eloquent, unafraid of their thoughts and femininity, critical and aware of power and power dynamics and so quick to call out BS and violence when they saw it. They are honestly so aspirational and I have so many conversations/advice embedded so deeply in my mind (or heart? Allahu ‘alam). So honoured and grateful to have met every single one. Farid Esack (an absolute legend) advised us: “our interactions with other people are sacred. No matter how you differ, do not pee [desacrilise] on this sacred space.” Jasmin Zine (or was it Amina Teslima?) also read this hadith at the start of class which explains why some souls feel inexplicably drawn to other souls:  The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The souls are (like) an army joined (in the world of spirits) whichever souls knew each other (in that world) are attracted towards each other (in this world) and whichever remained distant and indifferent (there) are disinterested to each other (in this world)" (Saheeh al-Bukhaari)

It was truly a blessed group to be around. I regularly got advice and reminders that were so on point and poignant, I wish I had just took out a notebook to write all of it down. One of the ladies shared Audre Lorde’s concept of self-love as a radical act. I found the quote: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” A few other girls too had a discussion over salty seafood paella haha that self-love requires us to accept our flaws and understand that as Muslim women, Allah is there to forgive us and complete us for anything lacking. Our flaws aren’t meant to be overcome or pushed away, its meant to remind us of our humanity, how everyone is flawed. We can use what we think as “flaws” as strengths. When our life isn’t in alignment or we aren’t what we expect ourselves to be, we shouldn’t blame ourselves. Rather, it is an opportunity to grow and learn, make a change. Listen to yourself, how do you feel. How is your body responding? How is your heart? I need to learn how to cherish my authenticity and forgive the times I forgot my strengths and my power. Rather than treat myself as a blank sheet that can constantly be recreated everyday to be my ‘best self’, I must realise that I have a history, experiences, pains and triumphs that make me complex and valuable, if not to society, then, to God. “Make your voice the clearest and centred in this creative space”, another wise lady told me during the trip.

[Ok I will conclude for now]: Being in St Andrews as someone from “the rest” (from Southeast Asia, Muslim and woman) in a distinctly white space, I never felt fully “integrated”. In a way, I am grateful I didn’t. My sanctuary and solace was being with women of colour after uni and during Fridays. SOAS was interesting for me to dip my feet and see what using post-colonial and decolonial theory looks like in academia. But I think, if I am deciphering my thoughts and feelings correctly, Granada was a proper introduction for me into what a decolonial/liberation/social justice space looked like, it is not only a space for pain to be shared but also one of empowering resistance, love for each other and self-love. It also taught me that decolonising the self as well as histories, faith traditions, etc is going to be a long and uncomfortable process, with a lot of learning, praxis as well as reflection.

what about this theory.

the fear of not being enough,

and the fear of being ‘too much’

are exactly the same fear. 

the fear of being you. (@nayyirahwaheed)

[muneerahwrites]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIHZypMyQ2s)

“[...] the struggles along the way are meant to shape you for your purpose” A friend said to me in St A that Allah’s tarbiyah (growth, devt, training) for each person is tailor-made so that we can fulfill the purpose that He created us for. In the midst of self-doubt, confusion, rejection and loss, we always forget this.

What a great and timely reminder, so grateful to hve role models like Chadwick Boseman in our pop culture.

[muneerahwrites]

I’m going to take some time before I start work proper to write this public birthday wish to my beloved mother (or aka Cik(g)u Aishah, to her students lol)

This is one of my favourite pictures with mummy because it was the fasting month in 2015 and we were in Manchester after mine and Irshaad’s graduation. The fasting hours were long but when she saw the pictures and heard my recounts of Peak District with Aida, instead of lazing around during Ramadan, she suggested we do a slow walk down the Monsal Trail. And if you know anything about walking trails in the UK, you should know that they are long and winding and not even. So we walked from the morning and reached home around 6pm (with a lot of rests and sitting on the grass). Break fast was at 9pm so we slept the rest of the time, so tired. Haha, but it will forever remain one of my treasured memories because this is who my mother is. She takes on challenges and is always willing to keep learning, keep seeking new things to learn about herself, about others and seeking new things and places to see.

I rmb during this trip too, we went to Khadeeja’s house for Eid and ate great Pakistani food that her grandmother cooked. My mother and her family met once or twice and two years later, when I visit Khadeeja’s family again, her grandmother, who cant speak much English will ask me: “How is Aishah?” TWO YEARS and she still remembered my mother😊

When Shafeeq and I were doing German and French respectively in secondary school, somehow we went home and Mummy could speak German and French too. When my father learned Mandarin, she picked up a few words too. Recently, after a long day at work, I would see her hunched over her desk around 8.30pm-11pm to learn Arabic from Bayyinah Institute so that she could further understand the Qur’an. She’s always buying books, recently, she was reading about the Dutch and coffee in Indonesia, and also, Andrea Hirata’s fiction books lol.

And I can go on and on about her virtues because being the only girl with three brothers, so much that I learnt about life, spirituality, character and being a confident Muslim woman is from my mother.

I was reflecting that our names are prayers and hopes for us. When our parents give us good names, its so that we can emulate our namsakes or live out the meaning of our names. My mother’s namesake, Aishah r.a., one of the mother of believers, the wife of the Prophet, was called “mother” of all believers till the end of time because she had a special mission and responsibility. As a wife to the Propeht, she was no ordinary women, she had to instruct women in spiritual matters and aid the Prophet in his mission. Aishah r.a. was a brilliant, smart, fiery lady, who is most well known for narrating ahadith pertaining to the Prophet’s daily life and behavior, how he was in the home and how he was a man in the family. She was regarded as a spiritual teacher and scholar, who was incredibly intelligent and wide. She was consulted by the companions (male and female) to comment about the Qur’an and hadeeth.

And I see so much of Aishah’s spirit in my mother. She inspires me everyday to value knowledge and truth, to be open minded to different lived experiences, to strive to be a better Muslimah, to be generous, to be family and akhirah minded, to be patient and perservere through difficult times and emotions, to be grateful, active and adventurous.

I pray that Allah forgives, protects and showers His Love and blessings on my mother, all mothers, those who have left us and those who are still here, mothers to-be (!!) because we would literally be nothing without them in this life and they hold our keys to Paradise.

Happy Birthday Mummy!:)

[muneerahwrites]

The Stars in the Night

Zulm also means darkness, a place/situation void of light.

To think that darkness and oppression share the same root word is enough to understand how these two concepts feed into each other. Oppression onto others and oppression onto yourself feeds into the darkness and the darkness makes you blind: not seeing, not recognising your oppression. Worse, you think your oppression is right, you think it beautiful. Even when you think you are think you are doing something right (good actions like donating, dawah etc), Zulm/darkness can make you blind to corrupt intentions ><

“Shaitan beautified their actions to them…” [Surat An-Nahl: 63]

Yesterday DTL had delays and I got impatient and upset. I was travelling longer than I should but it was also a time to reflect. I was stuck at the start of DTL train and there was a window looking out into the tunnel. I realised that it’s kind of insane and amazing that humans thought of something to transport us underground. UNDERGROUND, where we don’t think of us living, we think of darkness, we think of death.  Even underground, in the train, we weren’t left to be in the dark. There are lights in the tunnel, OUTSIDE THE TRAIN. Why wasn’t it just left as it is, dark?

When we have light, we feel safe. We know where we are going, what we are doing, what other people are doing to us/in relation to us.

When Allah talks about stars in the Quran, we must bring our minds to the bedouins in the desert travelling at night. If you want to experience true darkness, I say go to the desert. It’s unnerving: you can see your own hands, you can’t see if you’re walking into a bush, your eyes latch on to any source of light and that’s usually from fire far away or from the night sky. On a journey, the stars proved to be a source of guidance and navigation. Not only for navigation, they are decorating the sky, so beautiful, orderly and majestic.

When we parallel their journey through the desert, we see ourselves journeying through life. And we often find ourselves lost, we realise we are in darkness, where are our guiding stars?

Allah says in Surah Al Waqiah verse 75-77: “I swear by the locations of the stars. It is indeed a very great oath, if you but knew. Most certainly it is a Qur’ān most honorable.” 

The Lord of All the worlds took an oath upon the stars and their locations, said what a great oath this is and then talked about the Quran. He wanted us to think about the Quran in the way we think about stars. Our guiding light in the dark. When I read this few verses it made me realise that I am so disconnected to the Quran. I have so much anxiety about decisions that I don’t make in the end, things that I have to do etc etc. But peace, security, safety, guidance and beauty is in the light. It was reminder to me to purify my intentions and go back, keep consistent on making the Quran my travel companion. 

So when I read this: “I seek refuge from the Lord of daybreak (al-falaq)” (falaq - to tear the darkness open to bring forth light), I am reminded that the God who is able tear open the darkness and bring forth light, will always be there for me with guidance and reminders through His Word.

[muneerahwrites]

The Man of Two Gardens

I still don’t truly understand it so if you all have some reflections, please share your thoughts with me. Everytime I read surah Al Kahf, I am just struck by this phrase: “Zaalimun linafsihi” (18:35) He was unjust to/wronging/oppressing himself.

This is the second parable in Surah Al Kahf about the man of two gardens. Verse 35 says “And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, "I do not think that this will perish - ever.” He did three things:

1. While in conversation with his friend, he slipped in smth like "I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in [numbers of] men."

2. He said, "I do not think that this will perish - ever.” He thinks that his wealth, fruits and beautiful gardens (his efforts and material goods) is permanent.

3. “And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return.” (Verse 36)

So Allah said that while entering his garden, he did these three things and this is being described as “oppressing yourself”

When we think about how the Quran has used the word “Zulm” (oppression), its usually in the context of physical acts – oppressing the innocent, children, believers. This is usually used in the context of people wronging the orphans for example, taking away the wealth that belongs to them. Or referring to the Companions at the time of the Prophet, how they were denied rights and the freedom to believe in the Prophet’s religion.

Or in 7:23, Adam said he and Hawa wronged themselves. "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers." This is because they physically took the fruit that was forbidden by God.

When we read about this man and his two gardens, he did not do anything to oppress anyone physically. It was more of an attitude, a state of mind – he had a big garden and successful business and a big family. He gauged his self-worth based on these material goods and then it led him to believe that he was better than others. Then, a step further, he has enough and the material world will suffice. Then, another step, denying that this world is temporary and denying that we will all be held accountable for what we have. And the ultimate step, he believes that even if he is held accountable, he will be in a good position because if God has “favoured” him in this life, God will favour him later on.

At first, I was thinking why isn’t this an oppression against God? But Allah is Allah, He doesn’t need us, He is self-sufficient, the rich, Al Ghani. We need Him. When we disbelieve in Him, He doesn’t lose anything bc He is still God, maintaining our health, families, our businesses, OUR GARDENS. The fruits that bloom in this man’s garden is entirely due to Allah’s will.  I was reminded today that “After you have worked, put your trust in Allah and not your efforts.”

Created as human beings, our main purpose is to serve and to worship Allah. We trust that everything He does for us is from an unimaginable position of love. And when we forget this purpose and deny the Mercy, the Love that Allah has for us, in the end, we are ultimately the ones at loss – ultimately, “oppressing ourselves”.

The fact that Allah point out his state of mind, rather than a physical act of oppression, is interesting to me. As someone who gets easily overwhelmed by stress, feelings of inadequacy and negative thoughts, it was reminder to myself that this state of mind – of putting my trust in my efforts, my capabilities. My circumstance, rather than in Allah – is oppressive to myself. And yes, anyone can feel the weight and the darkness of such an attitude.

In verse 39, his friend gave him the solution to rid us of this mindset: “If only, when you entered your garden, you had said, “This is God’s will. There is no power not [given] by God.” La hawla wa laa quwata illa billah.

[muneerahwrites]

Surah Ar Rahman

I decided to go for the Sunday morning class at Al-Qudwah, called Conversations with God: Fear and Insecurities. It’s incredible seeing the Muslim community (I only know of UK and SG) opening up discussions about faith and mental health. The first session was great, inshaAllah will try to be consistent with this.

One thing the Ustaz mentioned about steps towards healing/self-care is to do something that you are good at or you know you will succeed. From my experience, when people are doubting themselves and in depression, they tend not to see anything good about themselves. So they ask: what if I am not good at anything? I fail everything I have tried.

With this mindset, it’s a bit difficult to take the first steps so instead of looking at something “you are successful at”, I think maybe just do something that you know you will feel productive or satisfied consistently. Eg, regular writing, regular cooking, creating, drawing etc

So inshaAllah hopefully, with this, I would like to dedicate Sundays to self-care days. Sundays will be the days I do my:

-          Bullet journaling for the week

-          Self care with some exercise – walking or cycling with my “Flying” soundtrack

-          Writing a reflections piece for instagram or for my Tumblr

Starting this week, Im going to write some reflections either about thoughts, life, Quran anything. As long as I am consistentJ

3 verses from Surah Ar-Rahman (Chapter of The Merciful)

This surah is famous for its recurring verse: “So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?” Amongst the favours that Allah mentioned are descriptions of nature, things around us. And we notice that everytime a verse about nature -- trees, bees, ants, sky, earth etc -- is mentioned, it is a pointer for us to stop and reflect. Allah wants us to look at the creation around us and take the good qualities that are often pointed out. To take a step back and look at nature, and see how its qualities manifest in us.

55:5 The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation.

Whenever the sun and moon is mentioned in the Quran, they are always mentioned in respect to their timing, they know when to rise and set. They bring light, warmth or signify darkness, comfort, coolness. In 3:191, they are mentioned in relation to purpose. The sun and the moon teach us about timing, discipline and purpose.

When we think about worship, we see that the wisdom behind it is to inculcate discipline and to internalise that everything is has its own place and its own time. There is a time to seek provisions on this earth, work and be with friends and family. There is a time to pray. Simple acts of worship such as prayer, it’s a disciplined ritual that is based around the timing of the sun. Acts of worship such as fasting and Hajj, they’re based around the moon’s monthly calendar.  

So a reminder to myself that whenever I look at the sun and the moon, I should remember that our Maker designed these essential celestial bodies to say that He values time and discipline. It reminds me that I should respect time and discipline. Also, it reminds me that everything has its purpose, its proper time and place.

The Sun and Moon shine when it is their time to do so.

55:6 And the stars and trees prostrate.

This was a strange verse to me. “The star and the trees make sujood”? They prostrate?

According to the tafsir by Ust Nouman on Bayyinah, there are some scholars who interpret it to be the shooting star or the tree bearing fruit.

1 - When the shooting stars fall - they may be 'falling down' in prostration/sajdah to Allah.

2 - When trees have an extended shadow - they are in prostration. Or when their fruits have grown and become heavy, the branches lean forward as though they are in prostration/sajdah.

Others (and this is how I understood it too) said that the stars of the heavens and the trees of the earth, are all subject to Allah's Command and obedient to His Law. They cannot exceed the rule that has been set for them. This implies that our whole universe, those in the sky and on the earth, has been and is functioning in His obedience.

Ust Nouman explained that the other opinion was aside from the sun and the moon, when your head is already tilted up to the sky, the Arab could not take their eyes off the stars and the tree.

I seriously urge everyone to experience sleeping overnight in the desert. Its an experience that I will never forget because in the darkness and vastness of the desert, the stars were literally the only thing you could see. It was splendid and glorious: pockets of light scattered across the dark blue canvas like sand, it seemed chaotic but the stars were orderly placed. And precisely, these stars were the literal light in the dark that the Bedouin Arabs used as guidance in the desert. It was a thing of beauty but it served as guidance too.

In the dry and course desert as well, we rarely see the lush greenery that we see in Singapore and the UK. Trees were a thing of beauty, a source of shade and rest for the Arabs, in the desert.

If we think about these creations again, they serve as a thing of beauty but with purpose. And it is reflected in our creation too. We are beautiful beings but ultimately, we serve a purpose and as creations as majestic as the stars and tree are obedient to God, we question ourselves if we are as well?

55: 7-9 And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance; That you not transgress within the balance; And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance.

With this verse, the sky is attributed to being raised and how balance is achieved. Literally after mentioning the sky, Allah says that we should not transgress the balance and establish fairness, justice and retain balance. Again so strange, speak of the sky, and then speak to us to maintain the balance.

But scholars say that the term “Al-Mizan” in the verse refers to justice and balance found in all of Allah’s creations. Everything that Allah has created on this earth was created with justice and balance, and the sky is a prime example of this. The sky is an avenue for night and day, where warmth, light and energy motivates us, along with all other creations like ants and plants, to work and seek gains, grow. The night is time of reflection and rest, inactivity, healing. The sky collects water in clouds and gives us water in rain. It is raised with no great pillars. Essentially, the sky ensures that life can continue to exist harmoniously.

This aspect of balance in Allah’s creations is something that I should reflect on more. Any imbalances and excesses in using the blessings that Allah has given to us will affect the balance and harmony of the earth. The undesirable consequences will be seen not just in the hereafter, but also as harmful effects to humanity in this world.

This concept of balance is something that I aspire to learn more about and embody in my life in 2018 inshaAllah.

I shared this specific picture because it just reminds me that now we can even use the sky for travel now, we just live IN blessing after blessing. When we look up, look down, left, right, we see that we are surrounded and totally overwhelmed by Allah’s favours, so which of it will we deny?

[muneerahwrites]

BHM: Autobiography of Malcolm X

I am a little late because it’s already mid-November and I’ve only just finished “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” that was meant to be reading for Black History Month in Oct ahhaha.

Anyway, I was looking forward to reading this because I admit as much as I knew that Malcolm X was an icon and role model for civil rights movement for the Black community and Muslim community worldwide, I did not know specifically what he stood for. More importantly, I did not understand his journey. I heard snippets of his talks from the Nation of Islam days and then some during his Hajj journey. These snippets confused me most of the time because they were at times, contradictory.

In 2013, I was at a Malaysian event for youths and they asked us to shout out notable Muslims, so Malcolm X came to mind. Muslim, famous, black, American, (different from the other figures that everyone else named, for eg, Salahuddin, Hasan Al Banna etc) I shouted his name.

“Malcolm X!” The room stilled and even the MC was stunned. He brushed his shock off quickly and said that he could not be counted in this list because he was a controversial figure. I am ashamed to say that even though I was thrown aback but that statement, I did nothing to learn more about this man and why he was so misunderstood.

So fast forward 4 years, I am glad I dedicated three books to 3 Black figures and I am glad to finally understand Malcolm X as he himself wishes to be understood.

His autobiography is a great read, I took a while to read it because I was re-reading certain chapters. His life is truly remarkable.

Who was Malcolm X?

I think this section can be answered by his book – YALL SHOULD READ IT PLEZ. The whole time I was reading his book I kept thinking that Allah’s tarbiyah (development of the self) is really tailor made.

Malcolm X (he claimed that his slave name was Malcolm Little, adopted by slave owners so he disowned his surname and referred to himself as X) was also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.

Malcolm Little, was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He grew up in a myriad of locations in the United States including Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lansing, Michigan, Boston, Massachusetts, Flint, Michigan and New York City. He was assassinated in New York in 1965.

Malcolm X was raised by a Baptist minister, he had an understanding of Christianity in his youth. He led a life of hustling, crime, drugs, dancing, women etc. (When we watched the movie, my younger brother was so confused, he didn’t know Malcolm X’s past). This was so important in hindsight and just shows Allah’s wisdom in putting him through so much pain and suffering. This period was so important in terms of him understanding racism, systemic racism, the attitudes of White people, the attitudes of Black people and the different struggles, poverty cycles that are violently placed on the Black community.

“I believe that it would be almost impossible to find anywhere in America a black man who has lived further down in the mud of human society than I have; or a black man who has been any more ignorant than I have; or a black man who has suffered more anguish during his life than I have. But it is only after the deepest darkness that the greatest joy can come; it is only after slavery and prison that the sweetest appreciation of freedom can come.” – Malcolm X

He was in prison for seven years. Honestly, for me, these chapters were the most captivating and it truly showed how pivotal this time in confinement was for his journey. He discovered Nation of Islam in jail, as well as the importance of reading and knowing the language of your oppressors.

 “I certainly wasn't seeking any degree, the way a college confers a status symbol upon its students. My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America. Not long ago, an English writer telephoned me, asking questions. One was, "What's your alma mater?" I told him, "Books.” – Malcolm X

 Autobiography of Malcolm X review

Stage 1: The Nation of Islam

Before he went to Africa and for Hajj, Malcolm X was quite a bit more militant (I’m not placing a value on this word, it’s neither moral nor immoral. He was just fiercer and less willing to sit defenceless/passively.  He said things like:

I am a Muslim, because it’s a religion that teaches you an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It teaches you to respect everybody, and treat everybody right. But it also teaches you if someone steps on your toe, chop off their foot. And I carry my religious axe with me all the time. – Malcolm X (not from Autobiography: https://hollowverse.com/malcolm-x/#footnote_2_6100)

His period of his life from Chapters “Savior” to “Out” was intense. We get an understanding of the physical, emotional and systemic violence and racism that went down in the US against the Black community. I got an understanding of how Nation of Islam was an organised Black nationalist movement that had a religious rhetoric (and also a very specific unorthodox/fringe understanding of Islam).

As a Muslim myself, when I was reading about the practices and the rhetoric of Nation of Islam, I immediately knew that the organisation was not religious per se. The practices and rituals were not orthodox (what Muslims around the world do). It is particularly a US creation and institution, that can’t be found in Sunni, Shi’a, Sufi, Wahabbi teachings etc.

Nation of Islam was most defined by its leader Elijah Muhammad, who put forward a very clear, conservative code aimed at black spiritual, mental, social and economic improvement --- using Islamic rhetoric and toughing on some aspects of Islam but not truly Islamic? Its interesting because I felt as though Islam was used solely as an anti-thesis to Christianity, aka “the religion of the white man/the oppressor”.

They called for/preached about:

-          The complete separation of races

-          the created narratives and mytic views of the creation of the Black man

-          Black separatism

-          Black capitalism: economic self-reliance and empowerment

-          Return of African American to Africa / creation of a separate state

Read more here.

Stage 2: Transition post Hajj/Africa

Reading his recollections of how he was betrayed and how he broke off with the Nation of Islam was actually heart breaking. And we see this too often, when the time is dire and in need of unity and strength, we see organisation breaking apart with different allegiances and leaders being goaded by power and delusions. For someone who was loyal and so committed to the cause, I felt the pain and emotional confusion of Malcolm X.

This was when I realised what a great man he was. Through and through, Allah kept seeing that there was a diamond in the rough, misled by the system, by circumstances and by people. He was tested in terms of his sincerity to the Truth and in this phase we see it manifest.

It really is quite sad that we were not able to witness the development of his philosophies and how this more refined, more open understanding of Islam and the situation in America could have played out. But Allah knows best.

For more detailed understanding of his life please read the book! Or read here.

In 1963, Malcolm X travelled to Africa, the Middle East and Europe where he met white people of whomhe could find no reason to hate, no matter what colour they were. Furthermore, Malcolm X discovered hypocrisies and deceptions within the Nation of Islam that caused him to question his allegiance to the organization. At this time, he changed his socio-political worldview as well as his religious tone, saying things like:

[Islam] is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white, but the white attitude was removed from their minds by the religion of Islam.

“America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white, but the white attitude was removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all together, irrespective of their color.”

― Malcolm X

His commitment to Truth and speaking it to power.

He was an important figure and an inspiration to all of us in terms of speaking Truth to power – truth in terms of speaking out against the oppressor and its systems as well as being committed to searching for the ultimate Truth.

“I’ve had enough of someone else’s propaganda… I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

Powerful quotes

(Reading his book was one experience but searching up his speeches, now THAT was another experience. He was really really charismatic, mashaAllah)

“So early in my life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise.” 

“Hence I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight.”

“And because I had been a hustler, I knew better than all whites knew, and better than nearly all of the black 'leaders' knew, that actually the most dangerous black man in America was the ghetto hustler. Why do I say this? The hustler, out there in the ghetto jungles, has less respect for the white power structure than any other Negro in North America. The ghetto hustler is internally restrained by nothing. He has no religion, no concept of morality, no civic responsibility, no fear--nothing. To survive, he is out there constantly preying upon others, probing for any human weakness like a ferret. The ghetto hustler is forever frustrated, restless, and anxious for some 'action'. Whatever he undertakes, he commits himself to it fully, absolutely. What makes the ghetto hustler yet more dangerous is his 'glamour' image to the school-dropout youth in the ghetto.These ghetto teen-agers see the hell caught by their parents struggling to get somewhere, or see that they have given up struggling in the prejudiced, intolerant white man’s world. The ghetto teen-agers make up their own minds they would rather be like the hustlers whom they see dressed ‘sharp’ and flashing money and displaying no respect for anybody or anything. So the ghetto youth become attracted to the hustler worlds of dope, thievery, prostitution, and general crime and immorality.”

House Negro and the Field Negro (THIS WAS SOOO SIMILAR TO FANON’S OBSERVATIONS in “Black Skins, White Masks”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kf7fujM4ag

By any means necessary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dfSpjyCplg

Who taught you to hate yourself?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaXPhR7aWvo

[muneerahwrites]

BHM: The Souls of Black Folk

Hearing my classmate’s presentation on Du Bois (I didn’t do the readings for that week of Uni because Du Bois’ work was only recommended reading and I was swamped, that’s why going back to it now), was an experience that I don’t think I will ever forget. My classmate, a British girl of African heritage, started the presentation stating that she herself has never been exposed to Du Bois work. It was a powerful presentation as she related a lot of his work to current affairs, and more relevantly, her own life as a Black British lady. She touched on the concept of “double-consciousness”, micro aggressions that she had faced in her everyday life (as Du Bois brought up in his own anecdotes) and Du Bois’ recommendations on how to rebuilt a world that has been so clearly divided.

Who was W.E. Du Bois?

W. E. B. Du Bois was an American sociologist, the most important black protest leader in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. Although Du Bois had originally believed that social science could provide the knowledge to solve the race problem, he gradually came to the conclusion that in a climate of virulent racism, expressed in such evils as lynching, peonage, disfranchisement, Jim Crow segregation laws, and race riots, social change could be accomplished only through agitation and protest. (This is so similar to Fanon - both were in violent circumstances though)

In this view, he clashed with the most influential black leader of the period, Booker T. Washington, who, preaching a philosophy of accommodation, urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and elevate themselves through hard work and economic gain, thus winning the respect of the whites.

In 1903, in The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois said that Washington’s strategy, rather than freeing the black man from oppression, would serve only to perpetuate it. This attack crystallized the opposition to Booker T. Washington among many black intellectuals, polarizing the leaders of the black community into two wings—the “conservative” supporters of Washington and his “radical” critics.

The Souls of Black Folk

I have to admit, due to my lack of knowledge of the American civil rights movements in the early 20th century, it was a difficult book to read. Naturally, my mind focused on the sociological theories that Du Bois introduced such as “double-consciousness” and “the Veil”. This book is said to be notable in the field of history and sociology, which is interesting because if you read his writing, it is actually very prose-based, lyrical, many metaphors and anecdotes, actually a literary piece too to me.

The “Veil”

Du Bois highlights the problems that come with the “color-line”. He suggests the idea of race as a social contruct, symbolising it as a “Veil” that obstructs America from accepting black people.

The veil concept primarily refers to three things. The Veil suggests:

1. the literal darker skin of Blacks, which is a physical demarcation of difference from whiteness.  

2. white people’s lack of clarity to see Blacks as “true” Americans.  

3. Blacks’ lack of clarity to see themselves outside of what white America describes and prescribes for them.

This concept is essential then as it is now.  My classmate stressed that every Black person in the US or even she affirmed in the UK, realises the moment that he/she was Black, and the moment when he/she realized that was a problem. 

Like DuBois, many African-Americans can pinpoint the exact instance at which both of these life altering encounters took place, and they too came to this realization at a young age.  

For DuBois, these realizations came during a youthful ball, at which his card was “peremptorily” refused by a Southern, white girl simply (or rather, not so simply) because he was Black. (mirco-aggressions)

“Then it dawned upon me with a certain suddeness that I was different from the others; or like [them perhaps] in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil.  I had thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through; I held all beyond it in common contempt, and lived above it in a region of blue sky and great wandering shadows.”

Booker T. Washington

Chapter three was interesting as Souls directly addressed Booker T. Washington. He embraced the veil and sought to keep in place. Dubois claimed that Washington asked blacks to give up three things: political power, insistence on civil rights, and higher education of “Negro” youth in order to concentrate on industry and making money. This was not a removal of the veil but conforming to it. Dubois claims that this compromise led to disenfranchisement of the Negro, concretised black inferiority legally, and thus, the steady withdrawal of support to Blacks in higher learning institutions.

In the rest of the book, he states his observations of the condition of Black souls and what should be done in terms of Black empowerment, through education, political participation and his/her contribution to the economy.

The concept of “double-consciousness”

Last but not least, the concept that resonated so much with me. I am not an African American of the 20th century (or have any African heritage at all) but this concept is just so relevant for any misunderstood or oppressed nation, and I think I resonate so much with this as a Muslim woman of the 21st century.

For Du Bois, the way to understand Black American life through understanding “double consciousness”. It is both a gift and a curse given to African Americans at birth, Du Bois describes, wherein blacks are “born with a veil, and gifted with second sight”. This second sight is a barrier, by which Blacks see themselves through the eyes of the dominant, white, society “measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.”

To be an African American is to be torn by two competing identities.

“It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness, an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife- this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost. He does not wish to Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He wouldn’t bleach his Negro blood in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world. He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of opportunity closed roughly in his face.”

I felt a huge resonance with this description largely because as a Muslim woman, there has been many a time where I am on the defensive - about my faith, my role in my community and as a feminist. My feelings are articulated perfectly in this article that I came across: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/10/souls-muslim-folk-20131029124336354563.html

I agree with Bazian completely when he states that "double consciousness" is a condition that afflicts all who inhabit the modern Eurocentric world. 

“Indeed, how we define ourselves; the superior or inferior, who we seek to emulate, the Fair and Lovely we purchase to whiten our bodies, the history, novels, movies and media we devour, the political structures we build, the cities we desire to visit, the music, fashion, the things we hold important, the food and corporate symbols we all share, etc., are all burdened by double consciousness.”

“In acting Muslim, a person is preoccupied with answering and resolving the racialisation and otherisation central to Eurocentric discourses and coloniality.”

[muneerahwrites]

BHM: Wretched of the Earth

[I am revisiting books of black thinkers or activists that were introduced to me during my Masters in SOAS but due to uni being uni, I did not have enough time to dwell on the readings. As it is also Black History Month in the UK, I thought this was the perfect opportunity for me to pen some thoughts down upon re-reading three texts.]

I remember finding this a difficult text to read and in the Comparative International Political Thought class in SOAS, it was the week on anti-colonialism and we had to compare Fanon’s position on violence with Gandhi. Me, being from a very safe country, not knowing a lot about physical strife and conflict, I instantly leaned towards Gandhi. Non-violence and passive resistance always seemed of a better and morally sound stance for me. I attribute this to my upbringing and from media today, the world is always portrayed as black and white. Violence is always dismissed as bad and evil, no matter the perpetrator or the context. And violence is always attributed to certain peoples and actions – this is a whole different conversation, one that I will not delve into here. (I was so intrigued by this concept of moral violence, I dedicated a short reaction paper to this, if you’re interested in reading it, I posted it here: http://muneerahwrites.tumblr.com/post/166455572563/can-violence-be-moral-revisiting-fanon-on)

Short Background of Fanon and the text

Frantz Fanon, born 1925 in Martinique, a French colony, was a psychiatrist, philosopher and revolutionary who wrote two works that came to shape anti-colonial movements –  Black Skin, White Masks and The Wretched of the Earth. Black Skins, White Masks is a great great piece on the psychological effects of racism and colonialism, where Fanon laid out the definition of a colonized mindset and explained where feelings of dependency and inadequacy of the colonised come from. 

If you’re interested about Fanon’s backstory, look it up online, there’s a lot of resources about him. Writings always reveal more when we understand the writer.

It is important to note that Fanon wrote most parts of The Wretched of the Earth in 1960 – when decolonization was occurring in most African countries. This has to be highlighted to show that Fanon had a direct experience of colonialism, independence and problems that came with it. Wretched of the Earth covers Fanon’s discussions of decolonization in Africa, especially Algeria. He looks at patterns in how the colonsied overthrew the colonizers – its success and failures, how newly independent countries form national and cultural consciousness and the psychological impact of the colonialism on the colonised. Most people view it to be a call to violent action against the coloniser, a radical militant anthem for oppressed people and an ideology for resistance. This was how I viewed it too upon first reading in uni, especially reading this side by side with Gandhi’s discussion on decolonization.

But as a whole, it is actually his critique and observations of the colonial reality; he warns about the liberation movements, that when they have attained independence they are capable of undermining their own democracy and liberation through ignorance and greed. Also given the complexities of the colonial struggle and almost a century of exploitation, newly independent countries struggle to function independently.

He wrote this book while he was terminally ill with cancer, so many saw it as an attempt to make a larger contribution to a theory of colonialism in the African continent. His observations stem from his experiences as a psychiatrist for the fighters and tortured combatants of Algeria’s National Liberation Front (FLN), and with influences of Marxism, he was a staunch critic of the French Left.

The Wretched of the Earth

I have a feeling Im only going to talk about the first chapter:/ But sokay.

To me, the intended audience of this book was for a multi-racial and global audience, not only those experience decolonisation as Fanon challenges the Manichean thinking created by colonialism. Fanon asserts that “racialism and hatred and resentment - ‘a legitimate desire for revenge’ cannot sustain a war of liberation”. (138) He doesn’t call on racial or geographical binaries but forces us to look at the systems and the environments created by colonialism.

Fanon talks about the importance of violence as a political tool, which can not only bring about fundamental change, but which also deconstructs the colonizer-colonized, master-slave relationship thus bringing in a change in the social structure from the bottom up. He highlights the colonial systems and how the colonial hierarchy is perpetuated and maintained through violence. According to Fanon, violence begins with the coloniser, who “does not alleviate oppression or mask domination. He displays and demonstrates them with the clear conscience of the law enforcer, and brings violence into the homes and minds of the colonised subject.” It is only through violence, then, that the colonised can reassert their own humanity. Decolonisation, he states, is a violent process of overthrowing the government, but more than that of freeing the colonised mindset that is imposed and drilled into the colonised. During decolonisation, it is this unchecked, destructive and tireless violence that is “appropriated” by the colonised.

Violence is thus an empowerment tool which the colonized uses to reassert their authority and legitimacy at the colonizer. This notion of violence seem to be a way for the colonised to construct themselves as a people with agency, rather than passive subjects who are the receivers of powers.

He says: “At the level of individuals, violence is a cleansing force. It frees the native from his inferiority complex and from his despair and inaction; it makes him fearless and restores his self-respect.” (51)

In stark comparison with Gandhi, Fanon ridicules the notion of formal independence granted through peaceful handovers and more moderate means. Negotiation is no substitute for capitulation, and does not bring about effective decolonization. For example, Gabon gained a black, national-bourgeois president who is received as the guest of the president of French Republic; but within Gabon the status quo realized under French colonialism continues (26-28).

Fanon's disdain for the national bourgeoisie is due to his observation that their primary goal of decolonization is not fundamentally altering the political system and improving the situation of the majority. Rather, they wish to gain access to the wealth and social status that had previously been held by the colonists.(53) This commentary is so useful in the reading of decolonisation across the globe as we see elites and nationalist movements actually replicating the colonial systems and retaining their economic interest.

The national bourgeoisie, defined by its European-based education and culture, is credited with founding the political parties, which give rise to the country's future leaders and those that negotiate the terms of decolonization with the colonist country. However, the relative social and economic comfort of the national bourgeoisie prevents them from supporting a violent insurrection. This made me think of how we always project our moralities onto others because we don’t want to let go of our own interests.

I think Fanon brings up an important concept of self-empowerment that we often overlook. He claims that through this struggle (decolonisation) a new national culture will be defined-not a culture defined by European norms; nor a culture that harkens back to indigenous traditions of pre-colonial times as this culture is forever lost, reactionary, and has been ruined and degraded in the psyche of the colonized through colonial racism and modernisation. The colonised must looked inward yet forward.

In the rest of his book, he comments on the divisiveness of the national bourgeoisies and the limits of nationalism.

Importance of Fanon

He is a black political thinker that speaks of nation building and revolution. Throughout my whole undergraduate years studying political theory, there has been no mention of Fanon in my lectures and tutorials and it is really such a shame as his work is really relevant to what we see today of post-colonial states and his work is compelling as it looks at politics and psychology and philosophy.

There is so much truth in his work when we look at African and Middle Eastern states today; bourgeoisies that tended to replace the colonial force with a new class-based system replicating the old colonial structures of exploitation and oppression. Today we can see states across the formerly colonised world giving rise to national security states, to dictatorships, oligarchies and one-party systems.

Share your thoughts and opinions! If you’ve read the book, lemme know what your opinions are!

Lol and I got too excited, so this is way too long. I’ll try to shorten it for the next book!

Passages that struck me

Colonialism is not a machine capable of thinking, nor a body endowed with reasoning faculties. It is naked violence, and only gives in when confronted with greater violence. (23)

We have said that the native's violence unifies the people. By its very structure, colonialism is separatist and regionalist. Colonialism does not simply state the existence of tribes; it also reinforces it and separates them. The colonial system encourages chieftaincies and keeps alive the old Marabout confraternities. Violence is in action allinclusive and national. It follows that it is closely involved in the liquidation of regionalism and of tribalism. Thus the national parties show no pity at all toward the kaids and the customary chiefs. Their destruction is the preliminary to the unification of the people. (51)

At the level of individuals, violence is a cleansing force. It frees the native from his inferiority complex and from his despair and inaction; it makes him fearless and restores his self-respect. (51)

The whole commentary on capitalism and repatriation from pages 55-62 is great. Pay special attention to it: “Moral reparation for national independence does not fool us and it doesn’t feed us. The wealth of the imperialist nations is also our wealth. At a universal level, such a statement in no way means we feel implicated in the technical feats or artistic creations of the West. In concrete terms, Europe has been bloated out of all proportions by the gold and raw materials from such colonial countries as Latin America, China and Africa. (58)

Europe is literally the creation of the Third World. The wealth which smothers her is that which was stolen from the underdeveloped peoples. The ports of Holland, the docks of Bordeaux and Liverpool were specialized in the Negro slave trade, and owe their renown to millions of deported slaves. So when we hear the head of a European state declare with his hand on his heart that he must come to the aid of the poor underdeveloped peoples, we do not tremble with gratitude. (58)

“This spectacular flight of capital is one of the most constant phenomena of decolonisation.” (59)

“Colonialism hardly ever exploits the whole of a country. It contents itself with bringing to light the natural resources, which it extracts, and exports to meet the needs of the mother country’s industries, thereby allowing certain sectors of the colony to become relatively rich. But the rest of the colony follows its path of under-development and poverty, or at all events sinks into it more deeply.”

[muneerahwrites]

Black History Month

I decided to write some thoughts and short summaries down since I am unemployed at the moment (but nevertheless enjoying being at home Alhamdulillah). I actually started re-reading Fanon in late September because I wanted to revisit books that were being discussed in tutorials. But I read them so quickly to prepare for tutorials that I could not really digest them properly.

Also, the next book I planned to revisit is that of Du Bois. AND it is also Black History Month in October in the UK so I might as well aim to finish three books from black thinkers/activists this month.

I hope to read:

1. Wretched of the Earth by Franz Fanon

2. Souls of Black Folk by W.E. Du Bois

3. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X

What is Black History Month?

Historian Carter G Woodson and prominent African-American minister Jesse E Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History which sponsored a Negro History Week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Over the decades, cities across the US started recognizing Negro History Week.

Mr Woodson thought the teaching of black history was crucial in the study of race within society, and said: “If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.“

With the growing awareness of black identity and the Civil Rights Movement, Negro History Week evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses.

Thus, each year since 1976, the President of the United States has officially designated February Black History Month.

In the UK, Black History Month, celebrated since 1987, is held in October rather than February.

Something interesting: My first exposure to Black History was in St Andrews, when St Andrews' Africa Summit (SAASUM) had exhibitions, talks and dialogues during the month. My friend told me to get involved but I said that I did not have African heritage so I shouldn’t intrude on a month dedicated to highlight a very much sidelined history. But apparently, the UK version not only recognises the contributions of those from African and Caribbean heritage, but those from Asia too.

I guess the POC (a phrase that I don’t agree with but this will be another post hahaha) in general. POC covers all/any peoples of African, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Island descent, and its intent is to be inclusive.

(Information from: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/black-history-month-2017-what-is-it-where-is-it-held-what-is-the-controversy-a7556191.html )

Why observe Black History Month?

As a Singaporean, currently living in Singapore, Black History Month is something of a non-conversation because there isn’t a visible black community in Singapore, let alone the whole region. So why is it important to even start a conversation about Black History, let alone observe it and advocate about it?

History taught is often Eurocentric, with our political science classes filled with theories and thinkers that came from the West, with our history books written by the victors. Black History Month is a time when the education system is pressured to look beyond. So much of what we understand about history has been white-washed, especially recently often overlooking the darker side of modernity. BHM came out of necessity as there was a gap in the curriculum, the need to address the issue of decolonising our education is still present.

I feel it is so important to learn about figures (whatever the race) who are speaking out against injustice. As we shall see, much of what is being said by Black thinkers about race, justice and reclaiming the self is timeless and relevant to any community who has been or is going through difficulty and/or oppression. I, personally as a Muslim woman and a minority within Singapore, see that there is much to be learnt and reflected on from the experiences and history of a strong and proud community like the Black community.

[reitsc-deactivated20221203]

[muneerahwrites]

[...] do not despise the lore that has come down from distant years; for oft it may chance that old wives keep in memory word of things that once were needful for the wise to know.

J.R.R. Tolkien (Celeborn)

[muneerahwrites]

Do not trouble your hearts overmuch with thought of the road tonight. Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them.

J. R. R. Tolkien (Galadriel)

[ofquotesandpoetry]

She is the brightest star on the darkest night because she understands how it feels to be lost She is the mountain that offers support and shelter because she understands what it means to be a survivor But she is also the ocean, pulling her waves back into herself as she rests between breaths-  And she hopes that the world understands that even the sun must set to be able to rise.

Emina Gaspar-Vrana, She Is (via ofquotesandpoetry)

[muneerahwrites]

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

Kahlil Gibran

[muneerahwrites]

Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others’ faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.

Rumi

[muneerahwrites]

Blue Scholars - Yuri Kochiyama

“I got that third world militant, still think it's relevant Even if them kids copped the shirts and stopped wearin 'em Humbled in the presence of the veterans And not the ones who picked up their guns But who picked up their brethren and sister and History in the making I was witnessin' Listenin', seein' this old Japanese lady with a sticker on her walker, said "Free Mumia" and This was before the Trustafarians were sayin' it Taking it for granted that we talk about the 60's and Never get to talk to anybody who done live this shit and still exist Or better yet, shit, she still resist, speaking to a myriad of young, dumb and ignorant kids I was one of 'em Stuck around lingering Said that "It's a privilege to meet you in person" and She took my hand, said "It's good to meet you too" “