Dear fellow listeners,
This is a thank you note to all of you who offered your time and attention to Main Bhi Muslim’s episodes and its conversations this year. My hope with these episodes is always to expand the boundaries of Indian Muslimness and discover the layers of experiences, histories and realities that define it. This year, I was able to unfold a fraction of it through my conversations with three individuals who come from different walks of life and as Indian Muslim women bring their own understanding within the scope of research, reportage and scholarship, they are undertaking.
Author and researcher, Dr Tahera Sheikh shed light over the personality of 19th century educational reformer, Fatima Sheikh. We discussed the challenges that Fatima Sheikh underwent to fight caste-based prejudices and social injustices of her times and how today’s social and educational landscape can learn from her thinking, reforms and dedication towards making Indian society more accessible and equitable for everyone.
Journalist and researcher, Sameera Khan shared her work and research on how women access and negotiate safety in public spaces. This conversation occurred in light of Karnataka state’s hijab-ban in certain educational institutions, ultimately prohibiting young women’s entry into those places. Her years of work on women’s access to public spaces offered a unique perspective to understand how this hijab-ban was not simply a matter of policing women’s clothing or upholding a school’s uniform code, rather a failure to acknowledge Muslim women’s choices.
JNU Assistant Professor and scholar, Dr Ghazala Jamil brought a refreshing take on Muslim feminism in India, helping bring a clearer understanding on the trials and tribulations of Muslim women in making their mark within the larger feminist discourse in the country since independence. Her perspective brought nuances that are often missing in mainstream feminist discussions in India and also within the Muslim community.
Main Bhi Muslim also earned itself a beautiful mention in multi-hyphenate artist, Seema Hari’s list of South Asian Muslim artists.
In the new year, MBM is preparing for more episodes that push the envelope about Indian Muslim experiences and will continue to tackle bigger questions. I am excited to share those conversations that offer a balm to the times we live in.
If you would want to listen more about certain topics / ideas that require a deeper understanding, you can drop an email at mainbhimuslim@gmail.com and I’ll get to them in due time. Thank you, truly and deeply, for your support and attention.
With lots of love and prayer in heart, I wish for a peaceful, exciting and joyous new year for all of us. Stay tuned and see you in 2023.
Love,
Mariyam