Sisterhood and Solidarity

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.