storiesfromtheden:

yousanas:

magnoliadean:

i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again, misogyny is a human trait and not a religious trait (according to your ask christianity is misogynistic too and yet you’re only in my inbox telling me that islam is misogynistic, welp i wonder why), and if that’s what you think there’s not much i can do to change your ignorance bye

what’s so ironic about this ask is that instead of seeing all those nasty little islamophobic stereotypes happening, we keep seeing skam break all of those stereotypes within each episode. like the fact that elias apologized when he called sana ‘slave woman’ and how the squad called out his behavior right away. the way the elias worries and is protective over sana and just wants what’s best for her. the way sana’s mother trusts her and respects her decisions. the way the balloon squad is openly affectionate with each other. the way elias acknowledges that he has male privilege. the way yousef loves and works with kids and likes to cook. the way sana doesn’t like to cook and plays sports and isn’t demure or submissive. 

sana and the the balloon squad aren’t perfect, but they’re only human, and i’m so sick and tired of people using islam as an excuse for when people make mistakes in this season.

okay, honestly? this is pissing me off. islam isn’t misogynistic. i should know. culture’s are misogynistic. people are misogynistic. not a faith. especially, not islam. and furthermore, sana represents a huge percentage of muslim girls. we’re not demure, afraid, submissive. we’re loud, we wear bold lipstick, go to the mosque on friday’s, crush on our brother’s friends, not know who to talk to about it, hurt quietly, have a great group of friends, have beliefs, attitudes, wants, needs. 

and islam never tries to take that away from us. 

i don’t like elias much, but he’s not misogynistic. he teases her the way all brothers do, and he watches out for her. society is fucked up, and no one wants muslim girls to have their space. islam does. but sometimes muslims don’t understand islam right, and they try to take it away from us, and sana knows this. THAT’S why sana makes the choices she does, she knows her rights, she knows her limitations, she knows what she can do, cannot do, should do, should not do, and she consciously chooses her choices. 

yousef, on the other hand, is pretty much a novelty in tv representations of muslim boys, but he exists in real life. i mean, truly, i have yet to meet my own, but my friend just got married -he likes cooking, she doesn’t. that doesn’t make her irreligious, because islam acknowledges that a woman’s job isn’t cooking, but if she does, then good for her. sana’s mom teases her about what she’s gonna be like when she’s married because of cultural/societal gender roles, not islamic gender roles. 

honestly, are all of you telling me that your dads cook and that your moms never step foot into the kitchen? isn’t a pretty standard gender perception -east and west- that women cook, men earn? why does that make islam misogynistic? when we all do it?  

(and as @yousanas just pointed out: look at those boys. they are so affectionate. so loving. they acknowledge their privilege. elias and yousef are looking out for sana, yousef is cheering her on, elias is being an older brother and worrying. how can you tell me that that’s misogynistic?)

sana’s family, by the way, does not look to me to be super religious, either. they’re practicing, but trust me when i tell you that her family is pretty much relaxed, compared to a lot of other muslim families. other moms would flip their shit if elias didn’t go to the mosque, but her mom’s all, “he’s ditzy. you’re not.” not in a “he doesn’t need to go, you do” way, because islamically, it’s men who are REQUIRED to go to the mosque, women don’t have to. sana’s mom says it in a “you’ve always chosen this, so we’re more focused, aren’t we?”

and she doesn’t accuse sana of not wanting to be at the mosque. she gently pokes the subject. she questions, she wonders. as a parent should. she’s not misogynistic, either. she says, “inshallah, your husband will cook.” not “how dare you? don’t you know your place?” 

sana is liberated. she is freed. not “behind” her veil, but in it. islam is not misogynistic. cultures are. society is. sana knows what she wants and what she does not want to do. she’s gonna stick to that. 

there’s a lot of nuance needed when you’re trying to understand islam and muslims. there’s misinterpretation. there’s things that are lost in translation. there’s cultural relativism. ask someone who’s been living this their whole lives, islam is more liberating than you will ever believe. muslims are diverse, complex, confused humans sometimes. we all make mistakes. 

so, please, ask questions. don’t point fingers.