rise up

long story short, there’s legislation in the process of being passed that would

ban girls under 18 from wearing any form of religious head covering in public, and although it’s obviously aimed at muslim women, it would also affect other faith groups that practice similar forms of modest dress

ban islamic swimwear in schools and public (there is already a modest swimwear ban in place at public beaches, this just extends it)

ban mothers wearing hijab from entering schools or participating in school field trips or extra curriculars

ban the slaughter of halal poultry - the cheapest and most easily accessible form of meat protein for the muslim community

extend school hijab bans to universities

prevent muslim women from choosing healthcare providers based on gender (which many muslim women prefer to do, since many exams require removal of clothing, etc)

ban muslim parents from homeschooling

force halal markets to sell pork and alcohol or face closure

more information is coming out daily, and there are a few corrections and updates to note:

the modest swimwear ban, though it was overturned in 2016 for public beaches, will still affect public pools and schools

the halal ban is not technically a “ban”, but it is still expected to severely impact the industry in a way that could produce similar effects and make halal poultry less affordable and accessible to the communities that rely on it as an affordable staple.

the notion to extend the hijab ban to universities is not yet in effect or being introduced, but many fear it will be the next step

How can you help?

Here are some info posts on how to help. Sources will also be linked at the bottom:

Sources and tips:

source for the insta timeline

how you can help

how to be a better ally to muslim women

how to educate yourself and be an ally + organizations to reach out to

why you should not wear hijab in solidarity

A few tips; talk to muslim women instead of for them - learn about why some women choose to wear it while also learning about why some women choose not to - learn about what hijab means for women and men - don’t limit your support to a few posts, be active - educate yourself about how colonialism, racism, and orientalism plays into this

the hashtags #CantBanUs and #HandsOffMyHijab are trending, but they were created by and for muslim women. spread their stories and give them platform, but don’t occupy their space

Information is constantly changing, so if any fellow Muslims out there have some additional links, updated info, or tips, please feel free to add on

when you are young they assume you know nothing

but if you listen to early unreleased songs and selections of her work throughout the years, she’s proven she’s great at putting fictional storylines or other people’s stories to song. the emotions are real – they’re hers. but the details of the events are not ripped from the pages of her diary this time. 

me: [removes blanket]

I tried to recreate this feeling I had while lying in the sun yesterday.

All of a sudden it’s possible for elderly people to have designated, assisted shopping hours.

All of a sudden the internet is a utility.

All of a sudden we realize that we can live without watching LeBron James bounce a ball for a few weeks, but minimum wage retail and food service and grocery workers are indispensable to the function of our society.

All of a sudden UBI is being seriously considered

All of a sudden data caps and roaming charges vanish

All of a sudden gas prices plummet

i don’t force my phone to hit zero before i plug it in, or else it takes ages for it to even turn back on, and ages longer to get it to a level where I’m comfy taking it out of the house. similarly, pushing yourself to use up the last dregs of energy is gonna slow you down for way longer than you need.