Our community allows shame to be the tool of the oppressor.

We want to think about how Sam came to Arabs who are bearing their own daughters,

and then we don't really acknowledge how we're bearing our own daughters right now.

It's hard to watch your community be more concerned with an abuser's reputation than your well-being.

Abuse should not be this common.

Part of the reason that accountability is so hard to attain is because we've devalued the role of women to such an extent

that accountability does not seem necessary.

When we experience something

like this and we don't get the accountability that we are deserving of and entitled to, it makes us

that ourselves and it also makes us feel like this behavior is normal. What I've been repeating to

myself repeatedly is my rights come from Allah's upon Allah, and anyone who is denying me those rights

is denying what God gave me. They don't have that power to do that so give yourself permission to

speak your truth because that's what you deserve and that's those that's your right

don't let anyone talk about it your truth advocate for yourself because you have an

amount of God to protect yourself.

In the words of bell hooks, we cannot dismantle a system as long as we engage in the collective denial about its impact on our lives.

You're listening to Unsweet and Unfiltered the

podcast, Episode 24 of Season 3. Protecting the vulnerable and the oppressed is a duty of ours in

Islam, yet we have failed to stand firmly in the face of injustice, specifically abuse and the many

forms that it comes in. In today's episode, special guest, Imman Barre, who is a dear friend of mine, is choosing to

courageously share her story by speaking up about the various accounts of abuse, harm,

and hypersexualized rumors that have been spread about her.

...