Episode 46: Why The Group Chat Is A Holy Space
See Something Say Something
Ahmed Ali Akbar
4.8 • 550 Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2018
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hajj is supposed to be one of the most spiritual, moving moments in a practicing Muslim's life. But like all communities, Muslims are having a #MeToo moment, as women have started to share their experiences with sexual harassment and abuse in Mecca and American mosques. First, Ahmed talks to his sister Zainab Akbar, Supervising Attorney with Brooklyn Defenders Services, about their experiences in the pilgrimage nearly a decade ago. Later, SSSS braintrust pals Sara Yasin and Tabir Akhter share their respective relationships to mosques and why the group chat is a holy space.
You can follow Tabir @tabir and Sara @sarayasin on Twitter. Subscribe to Sara Yasin's newsletter at tinyletter.com/pleasekillme.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey everyone, I'm Amadol Yuckper, and this is He Something Say Something. |
| 0:05.3 | Whoop, whoop! |
| 0:05.8 | I couldn't help it. I couldn't help it. You know I'm your number one hype girl. |
| 0:12.5 | This week we're talking about mosques and me too, something very serious, but I brought on my sister, |
| 0:18.8 | who obviously had very different experiences in moths growing up, |
| 0:22.5 | and I wanted to share some stories about that. |
| 0:38.7 | So we're going to bring on our friends, Sarah Yassine and Tabor-Octur from the See-something |
| 0:43.5 | Say-Ssomething Brain Trust to share some stories about being a Muslim woman growing up in a mosque. |
| 0:49.1 | But first, let's talk to my sister, Zana Bakpur, about our different experiences at lunch. |
| 0:57.7 | So, Let's talk to my sister, Zana Buckper, about our different experiences at Hunch. So you've probably come across the Me Too movement and the general trend towards |
| 1:02.1 | calling out sexual harassment and abuse in work environments. |
| 1:05.6 | But of course, it happens everywhere. |
| 1:07.4 | And over the past month, there's also been a couple of folks calling out sexual assault and harassment during the Hajj and Umra, which are the pilgrimages to Makkah. |
| 1:16.8 | Um, notably there was this viral Facebook post by a Pakistani woman who was sharing her experiences |
| 1:23.0 | where she was groped during her towaf. And of course, it was extremely traumatizing. |
| 1:33.8 | Hudge is supposed to be the most spiritual moment in your life, and a complete stranger just totally ruined it for her by touching her repeatedly. |
| 1:38.2 | And Mona Altahawi, the Egyptian American activist, followed up this post with her story of also being grew up during |
| 1:45.3 | Hudge and made the hashtag Mosque Me Too. |
| 1:48.0 | So I went on Hodge about a decade ago. |
| 1:51.2 | I was 18 or 19 and went with my sisters and my father and my mother and had a very different |
| 1:58.0 | experience than the women in my family. |
| 2:01.4 | So I've invited on my sister, Zana of Akbar. |
... |
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