Hasnaa Mokhtar
- Prose
- Sep 7, 2023
- 1 min read
Prose / Everyday Activism
I put together these 16 segmented pieces because more often than not public forms of activism are deemed a priority thus celebrated while small acts of everyday feminist activism remain invisible thus irrelevant. To challenge this notion, I share different moments, reflections, experiences, and inspirations from my everyday activism against gender-based violence that took place this year. As simple as these acts might seem, my belief is that they are crucial to the larger movement of feminist activism. Hasnaa Mokhtar is a PhD Candidate at Clark University
"Everyday Activism"
Day #1
She wasn’t always Muslim. She converted to Islam because it filled her heart with light, she said. Until the day she married a Muslim man. He convinced her that she was worthless while he hugged and caressed her. He whispered in her ears that nobody will ever want to be with her and that his honesty stemmed from his unquestionable love for her. He forced her to seek professional help because he was concerned about her wellbeing. She was adamant on fixing herself to fulfill her Islamic obligation toward him. Up until we both met as contributing writers to a Muslim women’s publication.
She privately messaged me one afternoon on Slack. “Hasnaa, can I share something with you,” she typed. I said of course. She asked me if he sincerely loved her, and if he did then why did he bruise her. She wondered if Allah heard her prayers and if He did why wasn’t her husband treating her better. I listened, I validated, and I apologized. I was consistently present and held space unconditionally. She broke her silence this year after safely planning her escape. She shared her story publicly. It took her a few years to see the unseen and build the courage to leave.
Day #2
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