THE AFRICAN MUSLIM WOMAN: Looking Through a Different Lens

When you meet someone for the first time, what do you see? Is there something about their appearance? Does that influence how you view their essence even before you interact with them? According to social psychologists, our impressions about others are often times based on our own perceptions about them.  Now, whilst this helps us to make snap decisions, it also influences our own stereotypes and biases about other people.

Today, I am sharing two personal stories of my own struggles of identity crises but before that let's take a look at this photo appearing.

What do you see? This will not represent one of those global images that are imprinted on our minds about who sophisticated women are or who professional women are. 

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to who this woman is. This is Dr Rabiatu Armah, one of my mentors back home in Ghana. This is a woman who has risen through the high office of a member of a council of state which is an advisory body to the president of Ghana. She is also a professor and a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana and she is a member of the Ghana National Media Commission.

Now, in 2005, I was a first year college student. Really excited about that. I applied to intern in Ghana's biggest state hospital. On my first day that I arrived at work, my appearance became a subject of ridicule. The administrator said to me, 'People from your kind of community have nothing to offer here.' Wow! Now, the fact that a young girl from my supposedly kind of community made it to college was of no news to him. If you are wondering what kind of community I hail from, I put this up to show you.

So, my community is a very congested community with very busy markets and you will see children after school playing with car tyres. That is their toy. 

So let's come back to the story. I was left buried in my thoughts the entire day with no work assigned to me. I went back home and I came back to work the next morning but this time around, I demanded that work should be assigned to me. So, what did the administrator do? He pointed at this archived room and said to me, 'Go in there and find work for yourself.'

I went into this room that looked like a simile dungeon. Really dusty and I was completely settled but how disorganized the patients' folders were in that room. I remember that faithful day. It was a Tuesday. I immediately put myself to work. Well, I called for it I guess. And by the Thursday of that same week, I had completely cleaned up that room and organised all of the patients' folders.

And that was the only department that served the maternity ward of the entire hospital.

And do guess what happened? I became the most loved student intern that break. Yeah! And this same administrator became a mentor to me later on who would advise me and I will consult him on other issues about life and academic work.

So, the second story happened eight years after graduating from college. I applied to this big international organisation. One of those big opportunity everyone will look for and so what happened? Despite being preview to my resume, and hoping that my resume was going to speak for me, my application met some level of resistance that questioned my capabilities and skills. At the interview, they said to me; 'What can an African muslim woman offer us?'  Wow! I knew at that moment that if I were to stay at that organisation that I would have to work twice as hard just to prove my worth and then if I were to walk away, I will save myself some stress but then I will not give them an opportunity to get to know who I am and to change their perceptions about me.

So, I decided to stay and I pulled through that interview and guess what happened again? By the end of my contract, there was every reason why my contract should be extended.

Women from my community have had to deal with serious negative stereotypes based on their appearance. Up here, are women lawyers, educators and a psychologist. But what do we see?

I grew up shrouded in misconceptions. Polarized in a narrow definition of who I ought to be and not what I thought about myself. I wore these misconceptions until they eventually wore on me. That I was from the lows and in the gallows bathed with ignorance. But with commitment, consistency, integrity and  courage installed in me by my ancestors, I pulled through all of these.

To re-imagine my own misconceptions and perceptions about others, in my first travel to the United States, I travelled as a cautious optimist because I had seen on the media how African women and women in hijab will face disrespect and stereotype and discrimination. So, I was excited about my travel but at the same time, I was worried about what to expect. But then, I decided to open my heart to the experience. And guess what? I was greeted with love, friendship and so much love.

This is a photo of me and my first host family. They are an amazing people. So, what's the point I am drawing at here? Our conscious efforts and unconscious efforts towards people who are different from us contribute to how they see and feel about themselves. Now, there is enough empirical evidence to prove to us that every single human being wants to feel loved, respected and validated. 

So, if there is one thing that I want you to remember today, in my talk, it is to re-imagine your own narrative and stereotype that you have held about people that are different from you.

So, who is the African Muslim woman?

She is just another woman. She is a woman who is breaking barriers. Who is building bridges so she can promote global citizenship. She is a woman who just wants to be seen for the woman in her. Who wants to be loved just like any other woman. She is courageous, resilient. She is defying her fears and she just wants to be broken away from the shackles of misconceptions that has held her for decades over centuries. She wants to be seen for the woman in her.

So, I invite you and I invite you and I invite you that you look through a different lens to re-imagine who the African Muslim woman is. Thank you.

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Published on Mar 4, 2020
Asmau Ayub is a passionate leader from Ghana who travels to speak about mental health, religious tolerance, gender stereotyping, and promoting inclusiveness as a tool for global citizenship. As the Executive Director of the Rayuwa Foundation, she holds a degree in Psychology, Masters in Counseling Psychology and multiple training certificates in child protection, human rights, and youth development. Asmau is keen on engaging young minds on rewriting narratives about global misconceptions on African culture, unlearning toxic conditioning and reimagining openness on global perspectives. Her talk focuses on reimagining the African Muslim woman.
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You may check out the video on YouTube. Title: LOOKING THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS

https://youtu.be/vHLN9fc0SHA

Transcribed by;

Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu-Morla

www.mmahajia.blogspot.com

www.strivingbeautifulsoul.blogspot.com

www.letterstomydotas.blogspot.com

www.beforehermarriage.blogspot.com

www.rubabawords.blogspot.com