00:00Muslim women are sick of being asked whether or not we wear this in the shower, if we have
00:05an opinion on things, and whether or not our husbands, brothers, fathers, boyfriends oppress us.
00:12I'm Amani, the founder and editor-in-chief of MuslimGirl.com. I first launched MuslimGirl.com
00:18because I was sick of always being talked about but never seeing Muslim women that looked like
00:23me be the ones doing the talking. So in typical millennial fashion, I was pissed off and I went
00:29online. MuslimGirl.com is the biggest website for English-speaking Muslim women. It's a project
00:35that I launched out of my bedroom when I was in high school and it's grown to become a movement
00:40for women's empowerment. I think that by simply creating a space where Muslim women and girls can
00:46be themselves, we naturally rebranded the image of Muslim women in the media and we were able to
00:52really elevate the different narratives that make up who we really are. Even with as far as we've come
00:57over the past few years, Muslim women, Muslims and a lot of minorities are still treated like an other.
01:04Even for those of us that literally built this country and have been here for generations,
01:08we're still treated like we don't belong here. And it's really important for us to really shift the
01:13way that we view minorities in America and recognize that actually the minorities are becoming the majority,
01:19very sure enough. And because of that, it's undeniable that we belong here and we need to shift that
01:26perception. We're in a moment right now where diversity is trending. Because of that, we're seeing
01:32more Muslim women in visible public spaces than probably ever before. There have been so many branded
01:38campaigns that feature Muslim women or women of color, for example, because they know for a fact that
01:44they'll go viral. But are those women included in the conversations about the products that are being
01:49marketed to them and how they're being marketed to them? Just as much as it's important for you to see
01:54us, it's also important for you to hear us. For example, it's so badass that we finally elected our
02:01first Muslim congresswoman. But I think it's really telling that those two Muslim congresswomen have been
02:08followed by a lot of criticism and have been put under a spotlight for every word and every move
02:14that they make. There's a huge double standard that we place on women of color and how they act
02:19and carry themselves in public spaces. Even though Muslim women and other women of color are really
02:25gaining visibility right now, it's crucial for us to be mindful of including them in the conversation.
02:31I think the best way to have more Muslim girls included in society and other girls of color
02:37is simply to pass the mic. Allow them the chance to speak and be heard. A lot of times people
02:44like
02:44to say that Muslimgirl.com is a voice for the voiceless, but we always say that everybody has a voice.
02:51It's just that some of them are more systematically silenced than others. So our role and the best thing
02:57we can do, not only as agents of change in society, but also as allies, is simply to empower those
03:04individuals to be able to find those voices and to allow them to speak up. For young Muslim women and
03:10girls out there that might be struggling in this moment that we're in, I would say that my worst fear
03:18over the past few years was that we'll be facing a reality similar to the one that I grew up
03:23in because
03:24it was rough. And unfortunately with the current status of things, it seems like that's the moment
03:31that we're living in right now. But the difference this time is that you have us and we've been
03:36there and we've been through that and we got your back. So don't ever feel like you're alone.
03:42This March 27th is our third annual Muslim Women's Day campaign. It's a campaign that we launched as
03:49our response to hate with love. On this day, you can visit some of your favorite media destinations
03:56online and find that they will be flooding the internet with content centering Muslim women for
04:02the day. The easiest way for you to take part in Muslim Women's Day is simply by sharing, retweeting,
04:08and elevating the content that you see on your news feeds that's telling Muslim women stories.
04:12And use the hashtag Muslim Women's Day to remind Muslim women that you love them.
04:16If you want to hear from so many more voices like mine, many far more interesting,
04:22then be sure to check out muslimgirl.com. And remember, Muslim women talk back.
