Hosai Mojaddidi – The Role of Women in Christianity & Islam

Hosai Mojaddidi
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The conversation discusses the history and role of women in the United Methodist movement, including Susanna Wesley's contribution to the movement and her son's success in the church. The shift towards women-led church practices has led to a shift in roles and the importance of speaking out against clergy status and authority. The speakers also discuss notable women in history, including those associated with Islam and the importance of honoring their rights and values. They provide examples of notable women in the public realm, including Fatima infinity and Mario. The importance of women in Muslim culture, including their roles as leaders, entrepreneurs, and creators, has been discussed, along with their roles as leaders, engineers, and writers.

AI: Summary ©

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			Bismillah mn offI. I'd also like
to say that I have no particular
		
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			expertise on the history or role
of women in the United Methodist
		
00:00:14 --> 00:00:18
			Church. So I was very grateful for
this opportunity, which came as an
		
00:00:18 --> 00:00:23
			invitation to me to study and
learn more about my own faith
		
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			tradition. And I know that's
exactly in keeping with the values
		
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			of the goals of this organization.
So I'm delighted to participate.
		
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			Having said that, though, I have
been a woman and professional
		
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			ministry in this denomination for
over 35 years. And I do have my
		
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			own experience to bring to bear.
		
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			As I thought about this topic, I
knew without a doubt that I would
		
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			have to begin at the very
beginning, with the life of one
		
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			woman in particular, who has a
unique influence on the
		
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			perspective of the denominations
and founders, and she, Susanna
		
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			Wesley,
		
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			the mother of John and Charles
Wesley, the founders of the
		
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			Methodist movement, which began
with him the Anglican Church.
		
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			Susanna became the wife of Samuel
Wesley in 1688 in England, and
		
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			together they had nine teenage
children,
		
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			nine of whom died in infancy.
		
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			The day after each child turned
five years old, Susanna began
		
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			their formal education with six
hours today, Spanish in lessons,
		
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			including the daughters being
taught.
		
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			On Sunday afternoons Susanna has
some of her children's were the
		
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			singing of songs, and for hearing
the sermon, which is deliver
		
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			up to 200 local people began
attending her services because the
		
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			Sunday morning preacher in
quotations lack the diversity of
		
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			spiritual teaching, which Suzanna
services provide.
		
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			Suzanne has husband Samuel, who
was a rector at the Epworth
		
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			church, and who had been awake for
some time while Susanna assumed
		
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			this Manage Roles as a preacher
challenged Suzanne to justify her
		
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			actions. She responded that she
believed the life of the church
		
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			hung in the balance, and no other
course of action was left open to
		
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			her other than to take it.
		
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			So her son John, who was nine
years old, at the time, had a very
		
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			powerful example of the kind of
leadership women might exert in
		
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			church, and it would influence the
role women would eventually have
		
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			the development of his Methodist
movement.
		
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			Methodism began as a revival
movement within the Protestant
		
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			Church of England. In the 1730s.
		
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			While attending Oxford University,
John and Charles began their holy
		
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			clothes, which adhere to
discipline, prayer study and
		
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			service schedules.
		
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			The name method is stuck. Though
it originated as a derogatory term
		
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			that students at Oxford used to
ridicule the rigorous methods and
		
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			structures.
		
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			As hobbling clubs bring into
madness societies and the movement
		
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			spread to North America, women
participated in large numbers.
		
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			Though John Wesley did not
encourage women to preach except
		
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			under extraordinary circumstances.
He did recognize their leadership
		
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			in a variety of other ways.
		
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			This kind of ambivalence toward
embracing women's full authority
		
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			to read in the church has remained
embedded in our denomination,
		
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			of course, has also been changing
significantly over the past 250
		
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			years.
		
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			It wasn't until 1956 That women
received full clergy rights in the
		
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			Methodist Church.
		
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			Today, women account for
approximately 60% of total church
		
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			membership and roughly 30% of
clergy positions.
		
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			Here I have to say that in the
United Methodist Church, there are
		
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			two distinct orders for clergy,
elders and deacons
		
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			It will require seminary training
and passing the scrutiny of
		
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			certifying boards.
		
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			However their roles are different.
		
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			Elders carry the authority to lead
or solo to Lead or be solo pastors
		
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			in local churches. Elders preach.
They administer the sacraments and
		
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			they are responsible for ordering
the life of the congregation.
		
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			deacons on the other hand, serve
in team ministry with elders and
		
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			local churches are in settings
outside the local churches, such
		
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			as hospitals or nonprofit
organizations, connecting local
		
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			churches to the needs of the
world.
		
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			The order of Deacon was
established in 1996. So it's
		
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			relatively new,
		
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			and provides clergy status for
those who carry on or legacy be
		
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			done by lay professionals and
specialty fields such as Christian
		
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			education, music and outreach
ministry.
		
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			But the order of elders can trace
its roots back to John Wesley's
		
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			ordination of men for service in
North America in the 1700s.
		
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			In 2014 76%, of all those ordained
as deacons were women,
		
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			and 80% of elders or men.
		
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			I'm a deacon. And my colleague,
Pastor Henry cam is an elder.
		
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			As is always the case in women's
leadership development, having
		
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			role models who are women has
immeasurable value.
		
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			I chose Christian education as my
profession because I felt called
		
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			to ministry and I was influenced
and powerful and delightful ways
		
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			by male hairs, the children's
ministry specialist at the church
		
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			my family attended in Texas.
		
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			Never know if I would have chosen
the border nation on the elder
		
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			track if Mandela had been the
pastor, rather than proficient
		
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			managing case.
		
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			But that was Texas in the 1970s.
And what's important to note is
		
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			that the United Methodist Church
looks very different in the
		
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			Western United States, and
particularly here in California
		
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			than it does in the southeastern
United States.
		
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			The race and gender divide is much
more pronounced in places like
		
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			Mississippi and Virginia, Alabama
and Texas, for instance, than it
		
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			is in California.
		
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			In 1984, Bishop Lantian, Kelly was
elected the first black woman to
		
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			become a bishop in any Christian
denomination.
		
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			And she was elected by the Western
jurisdiction of the United
		
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			Methodist Church after running
with great disappointment from
		
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			consideration in the southeast,
where her where her home church
		
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			was, because it was clear she
could not be elected there.
		
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			The United Methodist Church as an
institution that reflects the
		
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			racism and sexism, and homophobia,
don't get me started, have the
		
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			context in which it
		
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			it also contributes its own
layers.
		
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			A clergy sister once told me that
on the first Sunday, she led
		
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			worship in a small church in the
Central Valley of California, as
		
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			the first woman pastor in its
history. The organist rather than
		
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			playing a hymn or a piece of
sacred music, played the theme
		
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			song from the Miss America Pageant
as she processed down the aisle,
		
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			Indian worship.
		
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			In the decades since women were
first ordained elders, they have
		
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			faced many challenges, as they
have sought to carry their
		
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			authority authentically.
		
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			They have consistently asked
themselves, how do I take
		
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			authority while leading in a way
that empowers others?
		
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			Over the years as women have
continued to live their answers to
		
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			that question, it has become a
foundation for leadership style
		
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			shift throughout the whole Church.
		
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			Today there's membership in the
United Methodist Church and in
		
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			other mainline Protestant
denominations in the United States
		
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			continues to decline. And as
upkeep for aging church buildings
		
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			become more difficult.
		
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			Innovative young clergy are
creating new ways of seeing the
		
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			Church by returning to
relationship and hospitality as
		
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			the heart of ministry.
		
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			house churches are forming around
lead baking ministries, caregiving
		
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			ministries, workplace based
ministries are inviting seekers to
		
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			an experience of church that holds
promise for them. And is not the
		
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			style of church their grandparents
attend.
		
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			I think the influence of women in
ministry has been a significant
		
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			contributing factor to this kind
of attendance to the changing gate
		
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			of society.
		
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			I also think that generally,
historically, the new
		
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			contributions of women in the
church have been mostly resisted
		
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			at every step, and only more fully
appreciated again, in hindsight.
		
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			And as more and more women have
become leaders in the church and
		
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			prominent ways
		
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			women in the church have been and
continues to be bringers of food
		
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			for potluck supper, visitors of
the sick,
		
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			the prepares of wedding and
memorial service receptions,
		
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			committee members, worshipping in
the pews, teaching Sunday school,
		
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			leading small groups directing
choirs, printing bulletins,
		
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			answering phones advocating for
justice speaking prophetically and
		
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			pastoring churches.
		
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			It remains to be seen what new
roles and new ways of being in
		
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			ministry, women will create and
zoom into the future.
		
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			pretty impressed with the with the
turnout.
		
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			With that said, I, the topic for
tonight's talk is really something
		
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			I wanted to first focus on before
actually getting into the talk.
		
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			Because I'm sure it's been
repeated. But what is the role of
		
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			women in your face? Right? And how
has it evolved over time? The
		
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			wording is important. Because the
focus is on the face. Right? In my
		
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			experience, especially in post 911
with a lot of the rhetoric that's
		
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			sort of, permeated in our, in our
culture and our society about
		
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			Islam and Muslims, I found that I
don't often in a position where
		
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			I'm very defensive about not so
much what my faith says, But what
		
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			the people who claim to share my
faith do. And so I really value
		
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			opportunities like this, where I
can actually focus on what the
		
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			actual faith teaches, as opposed
to having to explain what other
		
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			people might do. Right? Because
many times, for example, I've been
		
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			asked,
		
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			Why can't women in Saudi Arabia
dry? Right? Or? I'm from
		
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			Afghanistan, born in Afghanistan,
so why can't Why can't girls or
		
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			women in Afghanistan get an
education? And so again, I have
		
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			to, you know, defend? Well, it's
not has nothing to do with my
		
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			faith. It has to do with the fact
that unfortunately, people who
		
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			again claim to be acting on behalf
of my faith are not acting on it.
		
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			And they have usurped the rights
of individuals. And you know, it's
		
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			offensive to different tangents.
So anyhow, like I said, I really
		
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			appreciate the fact that I can
actually just focus.
		
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			You know, the time that the talk
today on Idol Islam actually says,
		
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			and this is happening, especially
about Muslim women, it's really
		
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			one of my favorite topics to talk
about. I speak regularly on
		
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			different topics, because it takes
me back to my own journey coming
		
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			into the faith. See, I was born
into a Muslim family of very
		
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			conservative, conservative, I was
a culturally conservative family.
		
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			It wasn't quite religious, we
weren't really practicing, but we
		
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			had a very strong identity as
cultural Muslims. And so it wasn't
		
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			until my first year in college
when I actually started, I think
		
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			having mania, existential and
spiritual crisis and started
		
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			asking a lot of questions about my
existence. My purpose, I lost my
		
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			grandfather. So that was the very
first sort of, you know,
		
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			experience of reality about
thinking about existence. But
		
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			after that, I had another incident
at the school that I attended,
		
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			where I was actually asked to
gather or kind of rally around
		
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			some some Muslims to come to a
talk on campus where there would
		
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			be a female speaker and she was
going to talk about female genital
		
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			mutilation and she was she was
		
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			I was told by the
		
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			teacher or the professor at a time
that she was a Muslim woman. And,
		
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			and it would be really nice to
have members of the Muslim Student
		
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			Association come and attend and
just support her. And you know, to
		
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16
			be there for so I, you know, I was
actually at that time very active
		
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			in the club, and also students
association. So I asked some
		
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			friends to join me, and we
attended the talk, to go and help
		
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			and support her. But we found that
she had actually left Islam. And
		
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			she began to talk about sort of
her own personal feelings, you
		
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			know, things that she had
conflicts with, but also saying
		
00:15:40 --> 00:15:44
			things that were categorically
just wrong and flat out, untrue.
		
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			And so I found myself in a
position of having to speak out
		
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			and, you know, and kind of
question what she was doing. And
		
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			it kind of turned into this
moment, like, I felt like it was
		
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			kind of in the twilight zone,
where I really remember that
		
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			moment, because there was an
audience full of mostly women. And
		
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			they were there to obviously also
support her. But when they saw me
		
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			speaking out against her, they
kind of, you know, they felt like,
		
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			like I was offensive, although I
didn't say anything necessarily
		
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			offensive, I was just more
defending my faith. But I think at
		
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			that moment, when I saw the
response on the audience, I
		
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			started thinking about who am I,
and what's my identity as a Muslim
		
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			woman, because I didn't cover as I
do. Now, I wasn't doing my five
		
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			daily prayers, I wasn't really,
you know, embodying all the things
		
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			that I believe, but I just, I just
hadn't arrived at that place where
		
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			I wanted to really seriously, my
favorite, the practice. So when I
		
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			saw that reaction, and I, you
know, I just was in that moment of
		
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			thinking about deep
		
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			reflection about who am I, what's
my identity, that sort of sparked
		
00:16:55 --> 00:17:01
			my journey into studying not just
my own faith, but also other
		
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			faiths as well. So I started with
actually shifting my studies into
		
00:17:04 --> 00:17:09
			religious studies, and I took
different courses on all the world
		
00:17:09 --> 00:17:15
			religions. But when I landed on
Islam, it was revelatory for me,
		
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			because I didn't realize how many
prejudices and misconceptions I
		
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			carried about the role of Muslim
women. And things that you know,
		
00:17:24 --> 00:17:28
			even growing up as a family that I
thought they later found out were
		
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			very cultural practices. They were
all kind of, you know, again,
		
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			coming into life, as I started
studying your faith. For example,
		
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			the first thing that I remember,
		
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			you know, I read a list that had
comparison of all the rights that
		
00:17:45 --> 00:17:50
			Muslim women were given 1400 years
ago, compared to women from other
		
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53
			faith traditions, or just, you
know, around the world. And one of
		
00:17:53 --> 00:17:58
			the first things that the list
mentioned was the right of Muslim
		
00:17:58 --> 00:18:01
			women to marry and divorce,
		
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			you know, all on their own. Now,
by show of hands,
		
00:18:06 --> 00:18:11
			please work with me here. How many
of you have or have been led to
		
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			believe that Muslim women do not
have choice when it comes to
		
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17
			marriage and divorce? Right?
		
00:18:19 --> 00:18:23
			So again, this is something that
in that list, I started, you know,
		
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26
			reading more and more, but there's
a story that I'd like to share one
		
00:18:26 --> 00:18:31
			of the companions of the Prophet
Muhammad, his name was it many of
		
00:18:31 --> 00:18:35
			us if interest in the sun, so the
sun of having the best, he relates
		
00:18:35 --> 00:18:39
			that once a young girl, she came
to the public comment, and she had
		
00:18:39 --> 00:18:44
			just been buried off forcibly by
her father, and she was very
		
00:18:44 --> 00:18:49
			upset. So she came to complain to
him. Now, in that moment, that
		
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			moment, the marriage ceremony had
already happened. So he paused and
		
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			he ended up getting this is
important to reflect on what you
		
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			know how he engaged her, he asked
her, now that this has happened,
		
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			you have a choice? Do you wish to
stay in this marriage? Or do you
		
00:19:07 --> 00:19:13
			wish to leave the marriage? Her
response? was, what do you think,
		
00:19:13 --> 00:19:17
			brought some? Yes. How did you not
think she said, I want out? Bring
		
00:19:17 --> 00:19:21
			me out of this. She complained,
right? How many people think she's
		
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22
			sick?
		
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24
			Right. And
		
00:19:25 --> 00:19:32
			she, she actually says, I do wish
to stay. The reason I spoke up is
		
00:19:32 --> 00:19:37
			so that I let other women know
that no man has the right to force
		
00:19:37 --> 00:19:42
			them into a marriage. So this
story to me was really profound
		
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44
			because not only is she exercising
her own
		
00:19:45 --> 00:19:50
			choice, right in the matter, but
she's also clearly showing that
		
00:19:50 --> 00:19:53
			she is looking out for other women
and so she made a really
		
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56
			responsible decision to speak out
but she could have just, you know,
		
00:19:56 --> 00:20:00
			kept quiet and got into the state
in America without anybody ever
		
00:20:00 --> 00:20:03
			knowing that she's had a problem
with it, but she wanted to make a
		
00:20:03 --> 00:20:06
			clear point. And in fact that that
was related.
		
00:20:07 --> 00:20:12
			I'm just one of many that dispel
this myth that also women cannot
		
00:20:12 --> 00:20:16
			marry or divorce. And that's why,
like I said, but another, right?
		
00:20:16 --> 00:20:21
			Again, just you know, that might
surprise you is that Muslim women
		
00:20:21 --> 00:20:25
			have a right to an education.
Again, by show of hands. I mean,
		
00:20:25 --> 00:20:28
			I've talked about getting stung,
we went through the world, we've
		
00:20:28 --> 00:20:31
			heard it all, we've seen it all, I
think there's a very common
		
00:20:31 --> 00:20:36
			perception or misconception, that
girls, especially in Muslim
		
00:20:36 --> 00:20:40
			countries, are deprived of an
education. And this might be
		
00:20:40 --> 00:20:44
			somehow rooted in the faith,
right? Have you ever been led to
		
00:20:44 --> 00:20:49
			believe that? Okay, so, again,
another thing of a prophet
		
00:20:49 --> 00:20:53
			Muhammad, he said, the seeking of
knowledge is obligatory upon every
		
00:20:53 --> 00:20:58
			Muslim, and there's no
distinguishing there about male,
		
00:20:58 --> 00:21:02
			female, or even age or
backgrounds, just just a very
		
00:21:02 --> 00:21:06
			simple statement. But what that,
you know, tells us as Muslim
		
00:21:06 --> 00:21:11
			women, especially, is that at any
point in your life, you have the
		
00:21:11 --> 00:21:15
			right to learn, you have the right
to go and do whatever you want to
		
00:21:15 --> 00:21:20
			pursue the power hour, or whatever
your dreams are. And it's not just
		
00:21:20 --> 00:21:23
			you know, the, there's no limits,
you know, that it's only the
		
00:21:23 --> 00:21:27
			semester is only for young girls,
or single girls. So as someone
		
00:21:27 --> 00:21:31
			who's married, and I have
children, I think, you know, this
		
00:21:31 --> 00:21:34
			is really important to me,
because, currently, yes, I have
		
00:21:34 --> 00:21:37
			children right here, you might see
them in the back, I'm a stay at
		
00:21:37 --> 00:21:40
			home mom, but I didn't have most
to go back and possibly finish up
		
00:21:40 --> 00:21:45
			some school schooling that I want
to pursue. And so it just again
		
00:21:45 --> 00:21:48
			invalidates this point that this
is a myth that unfortunately, has
		
00:21:48 --> 00:21:53
			been perpetuated. But another
thing that might surprise you is
		
00:21:53 --> 00:21:57
			that women don't have the right to
own property, to work within to
		
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58
			earn their own income.
		
00:21:59 --> 00:22:04
			And there's nothing in Simon law
or so much about the rights of
		
00:22:04 --> 00:22:07
			women in regards to this. But one
thing that I remember being really
		
00:22:07 --> 00:22:12
			impressed by is that a one Muslim
woman, whatever income she
		
00:22:12 --> 00:22:16
			receives, by working, is her own
income. So there's no obligation
		
00:22:16 --> 00:22:20
			on her to actually contribute to
the household. And she can do with
		
00:22:20 --> 00:22:26
			it and whatever she wants. Men,
I'm sorry to say, that's not the
		
00:22:26 --> 00:22:30
			case for the Muslim men, they
actually the duty and
		
00:22:30 --> 00:22:33
			responsibility to carry the
household is not in Islam. So they
		
00:22:33 --> 00:22:37
			do have to work and their income
is to go to the hospital. So
		
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39
			there's, you know, this is
something, again, a lot of times
		
00:22:39 --> 00:22:42
			to private school, it surprises
people to find out that Muslim
		
00:22:42 --> 00:22:46
			women have the right in their
marriage contract to actually
		
00:22:46 --> 00:22:51
			stipulate if they want, for
example, someone to come and cook
		
00:22:51 --> 00:22:54
			meals for them, or clean their
homes, they can actually make
		
00:22:54 --> 00:22:57
			those stipulations in their
marriage contract. But these are
		
00:22:57 --> 00:23:00
			all ways to, again, honor the
rights and the needs of women,
		
00:23:00 --> 00:23:03
			especially once we have children,
as many of you I'm sure, in
		
00:23:03 --> 00:23:08
			Kerrville, if you have children,
or grandchildren, it's a lot for a
		
00:23:08 --> 00:23:11
			single woman or a woman to do it
all by herself. And they say it
		
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13
			takes a village, but
unfortunately, I'm sure you've
		
00:23:13 --> 00:23:16
			seen in the villages sort of
disappeared, right? And modern
		
00:23:16 --> 00:23:20
			times. And so you have all these
women carry, you know, not 123
		
00:23:20 --> 00:23:23
			multiple children on their own.
And so it becomes really hard for
		
00:23:23 --> 00:23:28
			them. Whereas here in our
tradition, this was taken care of,
		
00:23:28 --> 00:23:33
			you know, before it wasn't even
had you had children, and that
		
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35
			they were given the right to say,
You know what, if these are things
		
00:23:35 --> 00:23:38
			that concern, you can stipulate
that and if it's in the production
		
00:23:38 --> 00:23:42
			contract with a man has to honor
it. So again, another thing that
		
00:23:42 --> 00:23:46
			people are surprised to find out
about Muslim women, they have the
		
00:23:46 --> 00:23:51
			right to vote, right. I mean, here
in this country, separate women,
		
00:23:51 --> 00:23:55
			right 1920s, we got the right to
vote 1400 years ago, Muslim women
		
00:23:55 --> 00:23:59
			were given the right to not only
have rights to to participate in
		
00:23:59 --> 00:24:02
			elections, but actually to be
analyzed to be nominated into
		
00:24:02 --> 00:24:05
			political office. And we have so
many examples throughout history
		
00:24:05 --> 00:24:10
			of female leaders. And we're gonna
actually listen to you for a
		
00:24:10 --> 00:24:13
			little bit. But there's something
that people don't know often
		
00:24:13 --> 00:24:18
			about, historically, the position
of Muslim women kind of directly
		
00:24:18 --> 00:24:22
			have a right to be respected and
treated well, probably the same
		
00:24:22 --> 00:24:27
			said, the best of you are those
who are best in treatment, to
		
00:24:27 --> 00:24:30
			their wives, and theirs. This is
just one statement with many other
		
00:24:30 --> 00:24:34
			stories that relate this
importance of really honoring the
		
00:24:34 --> 00:24:39
			position of a woman in society, a
woman in her house, so a lot of
		
00:24:39 --> 00:24:43
			things that people again, don't
know, but like I said, in my own
		
00:24:43 --> 00:24:47
			journey, these were things that I
was surprised to find out because,
		
00:24:47 --> 00:24:52
			you know, culturally, things are
not always in line with the faith
		
00:24:52 --> 00:24:55
			and this is something that someone
who else speaks on the tradition I
		
00:24:55 --> 00:24:59
			have to, again, always kind of
clear up for people that there's
		
00:25:00 --> 00:25:04
			things that you might find out or
hear or see and witness, that are
		
00:25:04 --> 00:25:07
			expressions of maybe someone's
personal beliefs or someone's
		
00:25:07 --> 00:25:11
			cultural beliefs. But it's not in
the tradition in the, in the, in
		
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12
			the faith itself.
		
00:25:13 --> 00:25:17
			Just to kind of, I don't know how
much time I have, but I wanted to
		
00:25:17 --> 00:25:21
			just present some famous Muslim
women in history, to give you
		
00:25:21 --> 00:25:27
			clear examples of how these women
exercising their rights, need to
		
00:25:27 --> 00:25:31
			be awaited, is the first white or
wasn't the first life of the
		
00:25:31 --> 00:25:36
			prophet Muhammad. peace be upon
him. But she her reputation
		
00:25:36 --> 00:25:42
			preceded him, she was known as a
very wealthy and very intelligent
		
00:25:44 --> 00:25:47
			businesswoman. She was
entrepreneurial, she actually had,
		
00:25:47 --> 00:25:51
			she was a trans woman. So she had
a business of true selling and
		
00:25:51 --> 00:25:55
			trading goods, that she employed
men and most of the men who would
		
00:25:55 --> 00:25:59
			travel as far as Syria on her
behalf. And to be a woman in pre
		
00:25:59 --> 00:26:02
			Islamic Arabia at that time doing
something like that was pretty
		
00:26:02 --> 00:26:06
			extraordinary. But it just, she's
an exemplar in faith. And she's
		
00:26:06 --> 00:26:11
			considered one of the four perfect
women that that we study in terms
		
00:26:11 --> 00:26:16
			of just her story. But she even
after, you know, he had received
		
00:26:16 --> 00:26:19
			prophecy at the age of 40. They
were married at that time. But
		
00:26:19 --> 00:26:23
			even after Islam, she continued to
use her wealth in extraordinary
		
00:26:23 --> 00:26:28
			ways to help to help Muslims. And
so she was in her own right, a
		
00:26:28 --> 00:26:33
			very established like a woman and
she's an icon of the faith. And
		
00:26:33 --> 00:26:36
			there's another woman Her name is
Amara, and she was also a female
		
00:26:36 --> 00:26:40
			companion. The problem from when
she was actually went to join one
		
00:26:40 --> 00:26:45
			of the great battles at that time
as a nurse to attend to some of
		
00:26:45 --> 00:26:49
			the wounded but she found herself
on the frontlines of the battle.
		
00:26:49 --> 00:26:52
			So she's kind of one of those
warrior women who just went right
		
00:26:52 --> 00:26:56
			out there and you know, fight and
she was she's another amazing
		
00:26:56 --> 00:27:03
			example. We have Fatima infinity.
She was a ninth century woman who
		
00:27:03 --> 00:27:08
			established the paddlewheel mosque
in Fez, Morocco, which is actually
		
00:27:08 --> 00:27:13
			considered to be the very first
university in the world. This was
		
00:27:13 --> 00:27:17
			done by a Muslim woman. So again,
things that people don't associate
		
00:27:17 --> 00:27:21
			with Islam, first of all, but then
with looking Some women are things
		
00:27:21 --> 00:27:24
			that are like this, we have
looking at a photo but she was an
		
00:27:24 --> 00:27:28
			evolution Andalusi, an
intellectual and mathematician of
		
00:27:28 --> 00:27:31
			the second half of the 10th
century, and she was famous for
		
00:27:31 --> 00:27:35
			her knowledge of grammar and the
quality of her poetry. We have
		
00:27:35 --> 00:27:41
			Mario Astro the UGVs. That was a
title because she was a great
		
00:27:41 --> 00:27:44
			mathematician and scientists were
worked on Astro babies, which
		
00:27:44 --> 00:27:49
			again was in the 10th century
invented by Muslims, zeta Moshe
		
00:27:49 --> 00:27:51
			from the south century. She was a
great calligrapher and teacher.
		
00:27:51 --> 00:27:55
			Razia Sultana from the 13th
century was the first female
		
00:27:55 --> 00:28:02
			sometime on Delhi, Queen Amina of
Zaria of the 16th century, she was
		
00:28:02 --> 00:28:07
			known for her military expertise,
especially her brilliant military
		
00:28:07 --> 00:28:11
			strategy, and in particular
engineering skills, and erecting a
		
00:28:11 --> 00:28:14
			great wall of camps during her
areas campaigns. So she's actually
		
00:28:14 --> 00:28:19
			credited for doing something that
our own president has not yet been
		
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19
			able to do.
		
00:28:23 --> 00:28:27
			The main story a wall in Nigeria,
so I think he's elected.
		
00:28:30 --> 00:28:32
			But there's so many other
extraordinary examples throughout
		
00:28:32 --> 00:28:35
			history, and also women who've
done amazing things that again,
		
00:28:35 --> 00:28:39
			just to kind of show the role of
women as long as been pretty
		
00:28:39 --> 00:28:44
			consistent from the onset, it's a
matter of, you know, you know,
		
00:28:44 --> 00:28:48
			having that strength of knowing
who you are, knowing what God
		
00:28:48 --> 00:28:52
			expects of you, and then acting on
it. So when this question was
		
00:28:52 --> 00:28:55
			posed about how has the role
changed?
		
00:28:56 --> 00:29:01
			In Islam for women, and I, I would
say in my lifetime, honestly, it
		
00:29:01 --> 00:29:04
			hasn't necessarily changed in a
small it's been consistent. But in
		
00:29:04 --> 00:29:09
			terms of Muslim women in the
public sphere, yes, it's changed.
		
00:29:09 --> 00:29:14
			You know, when I started speaking
publicly, about 20 years ago, you
		
00:29:14 --> 00:29:17
			know, there was in our local
mosques and our Islamic
		
00:29:17 --> 00:29:21
			organizations, we'd have, you
know, talks just like this, or
		
00:29:21 --> 00:29:25
			banquets or dinners where they
would have speakers that would
		
00:29:25 --> 00:29:29
			come and present and very few
women were doing it at that time.
		
00:29:29 --> 00:29:33
			This was just about 20 years ago
or so. Ironically, though, when I
		
00:29:33 --> 00:29:37
			was training to be to do to become
a speaker, I was actually trained
		
00:29:37 --> 00:29:42
			under two women who are still here
in the Bay Area have amazing
		
00:29:42 --> 00:29:45
			women. They do a lot of interfaith
work. And you might have actually
		
00:29:45 --> 00:29:49
			heard about that because they are,
you know, sort of the trailblazers
		
00:29:49 --> 00:29:53
			in terms of Muslim interfaith work
in America. Their organization is
		
00:29:53 --> 00:29:57
			called Islamic networks. You bring
it up, yes, there you go. Have
		
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59
			some but my LGBT community
		
00:30:00 --> 00:30:03
			Got a personal friends of mine
actually worked for img for a
		
00:30:03 --> 00:30:06
			couple of years. But they're
amazing women there, they kind of
		
00:30:06 --> 00:30:09
			started, you know, a little shift,
you know, there was definitely a
		
00:30:09 --> 00:30:13
			shift that I personally witnessed,
where more and more women started
		
00:30:13 --> 00:30:17
			training and becoming comfortable
speaking not just to female only
		
00:30:17 --> 00:30:21
			audiences, which was a little bit
more common, but it might, it's
		
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23
			just like this sort of way to
actually come and talk. And so
		
00:30:23 --> 00:30:29
			now, you can find hundreds of
female speakers everywhere, in
		
00:30:29 --> 00:30:32
			addition to, you know, speakers
who do this type of work. We also
		
00:30:32 --> 00:30:36
			have famous women, I mean, just
last week, if you're paying
		
00:30:36 --> 00:30:39
			attention to the fourth part of
the political scene, you know,
		
00:30:39 --> 00:30:44
			right, when to our very first two
Muslim women in the House of
		
00:30:44 --> 00:30:48
			Representatives, right, Ilhan Omar
and Rashida to leave. So these are
		
00:30:48 --> 00:30:51
			just two examples of but in
addition to them, we have so many
		
00:30:51 --> 00:30:54
			other people that you might not
even know or Muslim that are in
		
00:30:55 --> 00:30:59
			the fields of journalism, film,
media and music. Even though, you
		
00:30:59 --> 00:31:04
			know, we had our first US Olympic
events or who represented the
		
00:31:04 --> 00:31:08
			United States, and she was in
full, he'd have, you know, full
		
00:31:08 --> 00:31:13
			cover gives you an edge moment in
2016. So there's so many examples
		
00:31:13 --> 00:31:16
			of Muslim women that are just, you
know, they're coming, I think more
		
00:31:16 --> 00:31:20
			and more into the public sort of
domain because maybe perhaps, it's
		
00:31:20 --> 00:31:25
			because our we kind of are, you
know, more visual, so in general,
		
00:31:25 --> 00:31:29
			and in terms of, you know, media,
internet, social media that we
		
00:31:29 --> 00:31:35
			just kind of use these platforms
for, I don't know, but I do feel
		
00:31:35 --> 00:31:39
			that that's where I would say
there's been a change, and I'm
		
00:31:39 --> 00:31:43
			proof of that myself, many of my
friends who do the same work and
		
00:31:43 --> 00:31:46
			proof of that, that in recent
years, we've seen that change, but
		
00:31:46 --> 00:31:48
			historically speaking,
		
00:31:49 --> 00:31:52
			as the examples I shared with you
and any other stuff that we didn't
		
00:31:52 --> 00:31:57
			have time to go over, like I said
that the role hasn't been
		
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58
			consistent.
		
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00
			Thank you. Thank you.