When Women Stop Asking for Permission There is something deeply unsettling to some people about a woman who is simply happy on her own terms. Not because she is doing anything wrong but because she is no longer asking for permission. She dresses how...
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Laga bilaabo marka gabadha Soomaaliyeed dhalato waxaa loo arkaa culays iyo ceeb mustaqbalkaa. Haddii reerku wiil filayeen waxaad dareemaysaa niyad jab, iyagoo ku celcelinaya "Ilaahay baa bixiya carruurta, wiil iyo gabadh mid khayr leh Ilaahay baa og...
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From the moment a Somali girl is born the disappointment can be felt in the air. If the family hoped for a boy silence falls when they hear the word girl. Her existence is seen as a burden. It is a reminder of future shame. It is a source of worry r...
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It’s Not Religion. It’s Control. It’s Not Religion. It’s Fear Fear of Women. Somali men often claim that they are upholding religion, but in truth, many are only upholding their own insecurities. What they present to the world as religious convictio...
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There’s something I’ve been noticing for years something that never sat right with me but it’s only recently that I found the words for it. In our Somali community, I’ve observed a pattern that repeats itself over and over again. In religious spaces...
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Don’t Ask Me: When You Are Getting Married People keep asking me, “When are you getting married?” Again and again. And I’m tired. Exhausted, really. Sometimes it makes me so angry I don’t even want to answer my phone. I don’t want to see a...
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