Back in 2009, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, founder of MuslimGirl.com, was done being misrepresented in the media. She’d noticed that plenty of people were talking about Muslims on television and in other media—but none of the people talking looked like her. This led to “a horrible misunderstanding of who we are,” Al-Khatahtbeh said at Her Conference on July 23. There was only one thing to do. Al-Khatahtbeh started MuslimGirl.com, and has been maintaining a space for Muslim women’s voices to be heard ever since.
Here are four ways to be a better ally to Muslim women, from Al-Khatahtbeh’s keynote speech at Her Conference.
1. Don’t generalize.
“The first step toward demonizing a population is to generalize them,” Al-Khatahtbeh said, speaking of the way stereotypes about Muslim women—that they’re silent, sexualized and victimized, for example—have become pervasive. Generalizing is dangerous, and it makes no sense. As Al-Khatahtbeh said, think of trying to tell the same story about all Christian women. It would be ridiculous! Remember that no population is a monolith, and that every individual Muslim woman is unique in her experience of the world.
2. Check your own people.
When one Her Conference attendee talked about realizing she'd been Islamophobic in the past, Al-Khatahtbeh pointed out that being a better ally can start right at home. Whether it’s explaining to a friend why their offensive joke isn’t funny, or starting conversations with racist family members, teaching our loved ones is a powerful way to slowly but surely change the world.
3. Don’t speak on behalf of others.
If you’re passionate about ending oppression and bigotry, you might want to speak up on behalf of Muslims whenever you see prejudice against them. But this kind of thinking isn’t helpful—because you’re stopping Muslims who actually experience Islamophobia from using their own voices and telling their own stories. “If we want to do justice to our womanhood, it’s important for us to elevate and empower the narratives of those women who are underrepresented, who are facing adversity,” Al-Khatahtbeh said. “For some women, when we tell our stories, it’s not just a hobby, it’s not just a passion. For some of us, we do so as a means of survival.”
4. Instead, pass the mic!
Rather than use your voice to talk about Muslims, use your resources to give Muslim women a platform to speak for themselves. People need to hear from Muslims—as Al-Khatahtbeh explained, polls show many Americans haven’t even met a Muslim, yet we elected a president largely off his views on Muslims. Help share more Muslim stories with the world. “It’s those stories, those human experiences, that bring us together – that remind us of each other’s humanity,” Al-Khatahtbeh said.