Its 10am on a splendid Tuesday morning and I am
running off the pressed DLR with closest companion Sitara in tow its the bicentenary of International Women's Day and we would prefer
not to be late! Ladies for Women International have composed a
worldwide fight called 'Join Women on the Bridge' where ladies over
the world are meeting up on 40 scaffolds to make a stand. We need to
arrive at the Southbank to show solidarity for ladies in war-torn
nations over the world, and to bring issues to light about the issues
that keep on influencing ladies. As I meet the ever helpful group from
Maslaha who have banded together with Women for Women International
and my kindred activists from Young Muslim Voices there is a genuine
buzz circulating everywhere and Borough Market appears to have woken
up with fervor and foresight.
We have wore Maslaha's trademark orange
and are wearing whatever orange clothing we could discover and are
prepared to begin the walk! Notices are continuously made, shirts
being made and petitions marked, Polaroids clicking endlessly like
paparazzi, I get an embrace from a more peculiar this is a group
meeting up like no other! Walking over the Embankment whilst droning
engaging trademarks we feel elated when passers by empower us and
toot their horns in backing, whilst we talk with similarly invested
individuals to examine how we can accomplice up to roll out
progressing improvement as we might be the dynamic change producers
of today. As I walk over the extension, I
consider Emily Pankhurst and the suffragettes and the amount strength
they needed to remained up as a minority to roll out improvements for
eras to come, I felt that I am so fortunate to have the capacity to
be here and make a stand for ladies over the world without
trepidation of oppression.
As we all let go off the white peace
inflatable practically ceremonially and watch them drift into the
reasonable blue sky I think about my astonishing mother who is the
strongest living lady I know and I think about Sitara's mother and I
make supplication to God that she is viewing us from the sky above.
They say Feminism has put some distance
between ladies today and it is a "Western" idea that not
all ladies can identify with however as I look around me we are
astonished to see such a large number of diverse ladies and men of
all ages and foundations meeting up for the message of disparity.
We
hold up our striking standard "Muslim Women for Muslim Women"
I feel a feeling of pride as spectators take photographs and look
interestedly at us 'multi various' part holding it and walking along
unfalteringly. When we have completed the walk there
are talks to originate from some mind boggling ladies and we listen
eagerly and cheer frantically to the Afghani ladies, to the
descendent of the Pankhursts and a lot of people more. I am humbled
by the work done by these different associations during the time to
push ladies' strengthening and I feel profoundly propelled to get
more involved. It is a miserable actuality that numerous ladies
around the globe from Congo to Afganistan have been quieted and have
no voice to impart their torment however today's stance demonstrates
the force of individuals to activate change.
As Sitara and I leave
the Southbank we jealously take a gander at the recently made 'ladies
rock' shirt with a rock drawn on it and regret over our absence of
symbolization aptitudes and I wonder about the benevolence of the
individuals we have met and the lengths they go to for others.
