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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly

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Speaker 1: conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small

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Speaker 1: decisions we can make to become the best possible versions

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Speaker 1: of ourselves. I'm your host, doctor Joy hard and Bradford,

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Speaker 1: a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or

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Speaker 1: to find a therapist in your area, visit our website

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Speaker 1: at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. While I hope you

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Speaker 1: love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is

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Speaker 1: not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with

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Speaker 1: a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks so much

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Speaker 1: for joining me for Session three eighty three of the

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Speaker 1: Therapy for Black Girls Podcast. We'll get right into our

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Speaker 1: conversation after a word from our sponsors.

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Speaker 2: Hi. I'm Kadija b and I'm of the Therapy for

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Speaker 2: Black Girl's podcast. I'm in session today unpacking my experience

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Speaker 2: as a black Muslim woman.

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Speaker 1: I'm excited to share the first in a series of

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Speaker 1: conversations that we've recorded with black women of several religious backgrounds. Today,

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Speaker 1: we'll be exploring the experiences of black women in the

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Speaker 1: Islamic faith. Joining me to share her experience as a

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Speaker 1: black woman Muslim is founder of the platform Every Black

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Speaker 1: Muslim Girl Kadija B. In our conversation, Kadija and I

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Speaker 1: discuss what it means to be a black Muslim woman,

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Speaker 1: address the concerns around women's agency under the Islamic faith,

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Speaker 1: and explore what Islam teaches about mental health and well being.

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Speaker 1: If something resonates with you while enjoying our conversation, please

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Speaker 1: share with us on social media using the hashtag TVG

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Speaker 1: in session or join us sober in the Sister Circle

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Speaker 1: to talk more about the episode. You can join us

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Speaker 1: at community do Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. Here's our conversation.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining us today, Kenesia, the.

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Speaker 2: Pleasure is mine. Absolutely feel honored to be here, So

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Speaker 2: thank you for having us.

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Speaker 1: Oh, thank you so much. So can you talk to

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Speaker 1: me about your journey through discovering Islam. Were you raised

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Speaker 1: in the faith or is it something you discovered later?

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Speaker 2: So I was raised in the faith, born bred Muslim,

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Speaker 2: grew up in a Muslim community, but I would say

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Speaker 2: that I definitely discovered the religion in my early twenties.

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Speaker 2: Is when I fell in love with the religion again

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Speaker 2: and really understood what it means to be a Muslim

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Speaker 2: and then what that essentially looks like as a black

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Speaker 2: Muslim woman.

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Speaker 1: You're also the founder of Every Black Muslim Girl. Can

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Speaker 1: you tell me what inspired you to create the platform?

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Speaker 2: So funnily enough, I used to hate telling this story,

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Speaker 2: but now I tell it with so much story because

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Speaker 2: I find it really funny. So growing up, I was

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Speaker 2: always referred to as the Black Muslim Girl. So it

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Speaker 2: would be do you know, teach the Black Muslim Girl,

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Speaker 2: or it would be oh, the Black Muslim Girl, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I know her. And I didn't really see it as

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Speaker 2: a thing until my late teenage years when I went

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Speaker 2: into college in a different area that I grew up from.

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Speaker 2: So I'm originally from London. I went to college in

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Speaker 2: East London and I just constantly got questions on how

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Speaker 2: I was black and Muslim. To a lot of people,

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Speaker 2: it just didn't make sense, especially because I'm a visible

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Speaker 2: Muslim woman. So it was like, oh, how are you

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Speaker 2: black and Muslim and African? Like, how does that work?

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Speaker 2: And the platform initially started as the Black Muslim Girl

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Speaker 2: because that was what I was referred to, and then

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Speaker 2: more recently we decided to change it over to Every

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Speaker 2: Black Muslim Girl because it was more inclusive, and in

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Speaker 2: that small name change from the black to every Black

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Speaker 2: Muslim girl, We've seen a crazy amount of growth. It's

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Speaker 2: like all of a sudden, people are like, oh, there's

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Speaker 2: a platform for Black Muslim women. So that's the story

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Speaker 2: behind it. I was just always referred to as Kadida

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Speaker 2: the Black Muslim Girl.

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Speaker 1: And did you start it as a way to share

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Speaker 1: your experiences and find community or something else?

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Speaker 2: So it's initially it started as a blog. Growing up,

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Speaker 2: I had this really weird relationship with social media per

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Speaker 2: se where I didn't like being perceived and I didn't

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Speaker 2: want people to know my name. So I thought, Okay,

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Speaker 2: I want to have a blog, but I don't want

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Speaker 2: my actual name on the Internet. Let's just call it

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Speaker 2: the Black Muslim Girl. And then from there it grew

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Speaker 2: into a platform and I realized that, oh, there isn't

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Speaker 2: actually a space for Black Muslim women. I struggled with

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Speaker 2: finding Black Muslim women to make friends with other than

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Speaker 2: my family members. I had no other Black Muslim women

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Speaker 2: around me, and that's when I realized that there's a

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Speaker 2: lack of community when it comes to Black Muslim women.

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Speaker 2: It's either wearing black spaces and we're too Muslim, or

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Speaker 2: wearing Muslim spaces and we're too black. So it was

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Speaker 2: birth to almost serve the purpose of the intersection that

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Speaker 2: we live with on a daily basis.

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Speaker 1: And you mentioned that you grew up in the faith,

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Speaker 1: but that you reconnected with it later in life. Can

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Speaker 1: you talk to me about that reconnection?

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Speaker 2: Ah, that is honestly the best thing that's ever happened

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Speaker 2: to me. Wow, getting goosebumps thinking about it. So my

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Speaker 2: dad has always been very no matter where you go

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Speaker 2: in life, go with God, and he's always planted the

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Speaker 2: seed of having faith in a lot in our hearts.

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Speaker 2: And I think growing up in the West, there's so

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Speaker 2: much going on. You're going to school, there's different thoughts

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Speaker 2: and opinions and all of this kind of stuff. And

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Speaker 2: I think, like I said, it wasn't until I was

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Speaker 2: in my early twenties that I've made the conscious decision

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Speaker 2: to go back and understand who Ala is. And I

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Speaker 2: think I took a different route. So I wanted to

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Speaker 2: understand the Lord that I was serving. Okay, you are

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Speaker 2: my Lord? Who are you? And when I truly learned

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Speaker 2: who he was and how magnificent he is. It made

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Speaker 2: me fall in love with the religion all over again

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Speaker 2: because it was like, oh, now I actually understand this

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Speaker 2: thing that I'm doing, and I'm not doing it because

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Speaker 2: it's something that's been passed on from parents and you're

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Speaker 2: born into Islam, so you're naturally just the Muslims. Okay,

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Speaker 2: I was given Islam. But now I understand it, I

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Speaker 2: can fully welcome it into my life because I know

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Speaker 2: the Lord that I'm serving. I understand the Lord that

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Speaker 2: I'm serving, and I'm not serving from a point of

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Speaker 2: this is just what I know, this is just what

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Speaker 2: I've been given. Hither I'm serving from a place of

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Speaker 2: I'm choosing to serve you now. And I think that

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Speaker 2: definitely changed a lot for me. Changed my life, changed

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Speaker 2: how I view things, changed, my mindset changed the smallest

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Speaker 2: things like how I do business, the decisions that I

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Speaker 2: make in my life. It all very much comes from

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Speaker 2: a God conscious place and really rooting myself in faith.

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Speaker 1: And when you did reconnect it and you mentioned it

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Speaker 1: sounds like everything shifted, like how you do business, and

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Speaker 1: I would imagine there's some relationships you had probably also changed.

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Speaker 1: Can you talk about the relationships and how they shifted

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Speaker 1: with your change.

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Speaker 2: Definitely for the better. So I married, and I remember

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Speaker 2: when it came to the time for me, like making

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Speaker 2: the conscious decision of wanting to be married. That was

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Speaker 2: definitely something that I know came from God. I always

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Speaker 2: say that it's a God engineered love, which I feel

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Speaker 2: like in my earlier years, when I didn't have that

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Speaker 2: type of solid relationship with him, I probably wouldn't have

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Speaker 2: made the decisions that I made when I was making

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Speaker 2: the decision to get married, if that makes sense. I

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Speaker 2: think it shifted even with friendships, the way that I'm

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Speaker 2: dealing with friendships, the type of friends that I have around.

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Speaker 2: I very much took a grace approach to all of

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Speaker 2: the relationships that shifted. It wasn't oh, I'm on this

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Speaker 2: journey now I can't be your friend anymore. You have

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Speaker 2: to go, or we can't talk anymore. It was just

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Speaker 2: very much, Okay, we're no longer in alignment. I'm growing differently,

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Speaker 2: and I don't think I actually had conversations with people.

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Speaker 2: I think naturally we just grew apart and we knew

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Speaker 2: what it is. For a lot of my friends that

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Speaker 2: I've grown apart from A still very much hold a

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Speaker 2: lot of love for them. But I think that's what

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Speaker 2: happened with relationships. There was just like a lack of alignment,

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Speaker 2: and with time it just fizzled out because I was

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Speaker 2: very conscious with who I had around me, what I

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Speaker 2: have around me, who's talking to me, who am I

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Speaker 2: talking to? So yeah, that's how it all went.

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Speaker 1: And for those who may be less familiar with Islam,

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Speaker 1: can you talk about some of the fundamental teachings and

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Speaker 1: values that are a part of Islam?

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Speaker 2: I would definitely say my favorite ones. And it's a

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Speaker 2: value that I almost call it like a life value, right,

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Speaker 2: It is to deal with things with love. Islam teaches

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Speaker 2: us to deal with things from a place of love

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Speaker 2: rather than from a place of harshness, which obviously isn't

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Speaker 2: always what you see. But it just goes back to

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Speaker 2: that one of my favorite quotes, which is Islam is

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Speaker 2: perfect and the last paneta Alah tells us in the

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Speaker 2: Qur'an that I have perfected this faith for you. So

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Speaker 2: Islam is perfect, but Muslims aren't necessarily perfect. We're humans.

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Speaker 2: We fall short. And when you go and study the

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Speaker 2: life of the prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, you

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Speaker 2: see how he teaches us to deal with people with situations,

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Speaker 2: whether we're in the wrong or right, with love and

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Speaker 2: with grace and with so much fairness. And I think

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Speaker 2: that's one of my favorite fundamental values when it comes

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Speaker 2: to Islam. How are we dealing with people, How are

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Speaker 2: we speaking with people? Even like animals. There's so much

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Speaker 2: care that's taken to animals, and I think that just

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Speaker 2: comes from a level of God consciousness and understanding that

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Speaker 2: this is a creation of God. Whether you're forward it

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Speaker 2: against it, this is His creation, and you honor it

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Speaker 2: in that way. So it really silly joke. But in

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Speaker 2: our house we don't kill insects, right, Like, we have

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Speaker 2: this rule where we don't kill insects, and it's literally

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Speaker 2: because it's oh, this is something that God has created.

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Speaker 2: Who am I to now come and kill this thing?

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Speaker 2: So we'll usher it out. And I always say when

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Speaker 2: people look at me and like what are you doing,

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Speaker 2: I'm like no, because on the day that I do

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Speaker 2: meet my Lord, I pray that this insect can interject

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Speaker 2: for me and say, oh, Lord, like she showed me mercy,

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Speaker 2: and the same mercy that I want to receive from

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Speaker 2: my Lord is the same mercy that we should try

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Speaker 2: and give to others. So that's definitely something that I

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Speaker 2: know comes from what Islam has taught me, and not

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Speaker 2: myself because it was myself or I'll be kidding them,

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Speaker 2: they'll be gone. So yeah.

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Speaker 1: So there are a couple of terms that I feel

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Speaker 1: like are definitely indigenous to Islam, but that I feel

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Speaker 1: like I hear this in part culture or other people reference,

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Speaker 1: and I wonder if you could define some of these

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Speaker 1: for us so that we know what it is people

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Speaker 1: are talking about. So the first one is haram.

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Speaker 2: Okay, So haram basically means prohibited. It's something that we

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Speaker 2: have been prohibited to do. We shouldn't be doing it,

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Speaker 2: eating it, taking part in it. To put in a

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Speaker 2: simplest form, that's what it is.

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Speaker 1: Got it? Okay? What about Ramadan?

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Speaker 2: So Ramadan is one of the biggest months in the

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Speaker 2: Islamic calendar. It's where we fast for thirty days. It's

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Speaker 2: where for thirty days our whole life changes. Ramadan comes

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Speaker 2: and everything is like wow, this is life, and then

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Speaker 2: it goes and it's like, wow, I really need Ramadan.

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Speaker 2: I like to call Ramadan the spiritual cleans. That's what

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Speaker 2: it comes and does it gives you a nice spiritual cleanse.

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Speaker 2: The things that you think matter no longer matter. You're

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Speaker 2: connecting with your Lord on a deeper level, You're connecting

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Speaker 2: with people on a deeper level. It's a spiritual cleans

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Speaker 2: But essentially, it's a month in the Islamic calendar.

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Speaker 1: And is it the same month every year? A win?

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Speaker 2: Is it? No? So fun? Fact? Right, it actually goes

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Speaker 2: up by ten days every year. So in twenty thirty,

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Speaker 2: don't quote me, but I'm sure it's twenty thirty, Ramadan

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Speaker 2: and Christmas and Eed are going to be on the

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Speaker 2: same day because by then it would be Christmas. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: so it goes up every year by ten days, ten days,

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Speaker 2: ten days, and then it just continues, continues, continues, continues,

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Speaker 2: gan it And what about id Ed is our festival.

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Speaker 2: It's where we celebrate with our family and friends. So

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Speaker 2: we do have to eat. We have the baby d

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Speaker 2: which is the one that comes after Ramadan, straight after Ramadan,

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Speaker 2: and that's just to celebrate that the thirty days has

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Speaker 2: been completed, be fasted, let's get together have some fun.

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Speaker 2: Then we have the big Ed that won lasts three

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Speaker 2: days long either lead hair, and that's to mark the

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Speaker 2: Islamic calendars come to an end, so we're starting again,

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Speaker 2: and there's a lot of sentiments around this ed as well.

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Speaker 2: Just before we have something called the day of Arafat

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Speaker 2: where a lot of Muslims are going to be fasting

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Speaker 2: the first ten days of the Hidja, which is an

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Speaker 2: Islamic month. There's a lot of fasting that's happening. It's

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Speaker 2: basically like a mini Ramadan. Again, a lot of people

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Speaker 2: are trying to get their good deeds up. So that's

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Speaker 2: what EAT is. It's our celebration where we come together,

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Speaker 2: good vibes, good food, have.

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Speaker 1: Some fun exactly what about in Challah?

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Speaker 2: In cha Allah, this is a funny one. Actually, in

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Speaker 2: Challah literally means by God's grace. It simply just means

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Speaker 2: by God's grace. And as Muslims we are taught there's

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Speaker 2: a verse in the Quran that says, and do not

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Speaker 2: say you're going to do X, Y and Z tomorrow

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Speaker 2: without saying in Challah, like, you don't have the power

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Speaker 2: to be so certain that that thing is going to

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Speaker 2: happen tomorrow. So bring God into it and let them

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Speaker 2: know that by God's grace, because it is by his grace,

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Speaker 2: You'll be doing X, Y, and Z tomorrow. And that's

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Speaker 2: simply what in Challah means. You do find something funny

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Speaker 2: with Lim sometimes sometimes want to be naughty and they

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Speaker 2: use in Challah as a way to tell you, yeah,

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Speaker 2: it's not happening, will be see tomorrow. Yeah, in Challah

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Speaker 2: it's not. But yeah, that's what in Charlotte means by

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Speaker 2: God's grace.

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Speaker 1: By the way, it reminds me of us saying my

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Speaker 1: grandmother head, which was if God says the same, So

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Speaker 1: it sounds.

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Speaker 2: Like literally what about alhamdu la la beautiful one that

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Speaker 2: literally simply put it, it means all praises due to God,

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Speaker 2: that ham did it lay say it in the good

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Speaker 2: in the bad. The longer form is at ham de

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Speaker 2: laire equally hand and that means all praises due to

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Speaker 2: God in the good and the bad. It's one of

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Speaker 2: my favorites. Saying it brings a lot of peace to

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Speaker 2: your heart when you say it. It brings a lot

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Speaker 2: of tranquility as well. Handed it lare when you just

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Speaker 2: remember that, well, yeah, all praises due to God, Like

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Speaker 2: I'm not worthy of being praised tears, So that's what

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Speaker 2: I handed it lair means.

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Speaker 1: And what about our salama? Liacom So that's the one

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Speaker 1: I feel like we've heard most of an outside of

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Speaker 1: even Islam connections, So what does that actually mean?

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Speaker 2: Salam alekum. It's a beautiful saying and it's actually like

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Speaker 2: a really beautiful way to greet people, and it means

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Speaker 2: peace be onto you. And then the response, which is

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Speaker 2: why kalmuslam means peace be onto you too to classen

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Speaker 2: greed and that's how we signals that, like yeah, I

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Speaker 2: got it. I remember I was in America last year

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Speaker 2: October and one thing I've always said, right my UK

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Speaker 2: people know this as well. One thing about America. You're

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Speaker 2: going to go to America and their sisters are going

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Speaker 2: to give their salams. They don't play. The sisters don't

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Speaker 2: play when it comes to the salams. They are going

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Speaker 2: to give you their salarms. In the UK not so much.

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Speaker 2: You don't really hear it as much as you do

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Speaker 2: in America, which I absolutely love. It's just like oh wow,

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Speaker 2: people actually say something like whether they know you or not,

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Speaker 2: and you get a response like someem. I remember the

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Speaker 2: time I was in America. I went to Philly and

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Speaker 2: I was just in the airport and the amount of

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Speaker 2: salams that I got, I couldn't believe it. I literally

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Speaker 2: messaged my friend like, am I in Saudi Arabia, like, Oh,

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Speaker 2: what's happening? Because I don't get this many salams of

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Speaker 2: the UK. So but yeah, that's what it means.

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Speaker 1: Get it, Okay? Can you talk about the practice of

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Speaker 1: wearing a hi job? Oh?

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Speaker 2: My beautiful hey job. The other day I realized that

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Speaker 2: I'm going to be selling in my twenty fifth year

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Speaker 2: anniversary of wearing the hijab next year. So I've worn

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Speaker 2: the hijab my whole life. And essentially the teacher behind

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Speaker 2: it is that a last Paneta Alah tells the women

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Speaker 2: in Sorda and Lissa, the chapter in the Quran that

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Speaker 2: speaks to the women. He tells us, draw your veils

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Speaker 2: to cover your chesteria and your bosom. Right, So the

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Speaker 2: teacher behind it is that your beauty isn't for everyone.

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Speaker 2: That's for the people at home, for your loved ones.

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Speaker 2: Dress modestly, cover yourself up. And that is the basic

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Speaker 2: teaching of why we wear a hijab. Now, there's different

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Speaker 2: levels of hijab. This is like the very simple basic

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Speaker 2: level one hijab that I got on right now. You

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Speaker 2: obviously see some sisters that will wear a remar or

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Speaker 2: a jellabia is from top to bottom like all in one.

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Speaker 2: That's like a level above because they're just covering everything.

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Speaker 2: Then you get some sisters that wear the in a

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Speaker 2: pub which covers their face the veil. But yeah, there's

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Speaker 2: different levels to hijab. And one thing I do want

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Speaker 2: to say which people really tend to speak on, is

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Speaker 2: that hijab is not just for women. His jab is

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Speaker 2: actually prescribed both for men and women, but it just

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Speaker 2: shows up differently for the men. But so the men

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Speaker 2: also have a hijab that is prescribed upon them as well,

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Speaker 2: and a modesty that they have to carry as well.

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Speaker 2: But that's basically the teaching behind it.

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Speaker 1: So have you worn a hi job kind of all

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Speaker 1: throughout life as long as you were old? Like did

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Speaker 1: your parents dress you in one? Even before you were

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Speaker 1: deciding your own clothing. Because I've seen tiktoks and like

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Speaker 1: other social media videos where people have now decided to

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Speaker 1: wear the hijab, and it feels like it's a very

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Speaker 1: emotional experience for the family. So it is something that

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Speaker 1: you can, like you are not a practicing Muslim just

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Speaker 1: because you don't wear a h job one.

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Speaker 2: Hundred percent hand Laa. I am surrounded by a lot

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Speaker 2: of Muslim women, a lot of Muslim women, women that

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Speaker 2: wear the hijab and women that don't wear the hijab.

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Speaker 2: And in my time, I've seen women that don't wear

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Speaker 2: the hijab that their relationship with our law beautiful, right,

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Speaker 2: And I've seen women that do wear hijab and their

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Speaker 2: relationship with our law isn't as strong. So your level

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Speaker 2: of spirituality is not judged by your hijab, and it

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Speaker 2: should never be because the last panata Allah tells us

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Speaker 2: that he looks like what's in our hearts. Obviously, yes,

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Speaker 2: you want to try your best to do what is

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Speaker 2: most pleasing to him. But then at the same time,

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Speaker 2: I think I've learned to personally deal with this situation

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Speaker 2: from a place of grace and understanding that some people

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Speaker 2: just struggle with it. That's the struggle that Allah has

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Speaker 2: given them, Like that's their test, right, some people find

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Speaker 2: it so much easier to do, but then they struggle

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Speaker 2: with praying five times a day, right, But as long

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Speaker 2: as there's that grace and that understanding that okay, Inshallah.

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Speaker 2: By God's grace, she will get there one day. So yeah,

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Speaker 2: I've won it. My whole life. We start nursery in

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Speaker 2: this country, so nursery is kindergarten. I believe someone were

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Speaker 2: like three years old. So I've had the hir job

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Speaker 2: on from them and there's been no going back. I

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Speaker 2: don't know my life without my hair job. I can't

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Speaker 2: imagine a life without my hit job. So yeah, Dr Joe,

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Speaker 2: I'll be inviting you to my twenty fifth celebration because

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Speaker 2: five years straight. I'st movement.

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Speaker 1: It isn't something that you wear publicly, like just when

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Speaker 1: you are outside of your house or like if you

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Speaker 1: are having like let's say an e celebration with your

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Speaker 1: family at home, would you have your hir job on

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Speaker 1: or no.

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Speaker 2: So the ruling off hit jab is that when you

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Speaker 2: are around men who are not your maham, and maham

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Speaker 2: is men within your your family, the men that essentially

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Speaker 2: protect you. Right you becovered, you wear your hirjab when

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Speaker 2: you are around you're mad him. So that's my brothers,

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Speaker 2: my husband, my father. I don't have to wear my

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Speaker 2: headge app but outside, yeah, I wear it on a

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Speaker 2: daily basis different colors. I was telling the ladies the

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Speaker 2: other day that you have to just think of it

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Speaker 2: as a bust down weeds, like you can do it

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Speaker 2: right now. I feel like I've even got a middle

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Speaker 2: part and going on. You can do a little. You

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Speaker 2: could play around with it and make it work. And

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Speaker 2: I think that's what helped me, playing around with it,

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Speaker 2: playing around with the fabric, and just falling in love

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Speaker 2: with it all over again. I think that's what's helped

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Speaker 2: me keep it on for so long.

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Speaker 1: So you've mentioned that as a part of Ramadan, and

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Speaker 1: even before that, people do a period of fasting. Can

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Speaker 1: you talk about the importance of fast thing in Islam.

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Speaker 2: One of the main importances of fasting is it teaches

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Speaker 2: you discipline, because when you're fasting, there's a level of

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Speaker 2: God consciousness that you have that you don't have when

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Speaker 2: you're not fasting. Because you know that you're fasting, there's

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Speaker 2: things that you would probably want to do on a

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Speaker 2: normal day and you're like, I can't do that. I'm fasting.

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Speaker 2: Whether it's like the smallest thing of getting angry or

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Speaker 2: speaking harshly, like you remind yourself, let me swallow that

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Speaker 2: back in and fasting, So, yeah, it teaches you discipline.

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Speaker 2: A lot of people like to say, oh, yeah, we

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Speaker 2: fast because it teaches us about how the poor feel,

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Speaker 2: and that's not the main reason as to why we fast.

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Speaker 2: And there's so much more to fast and than just

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Speaker 2: that element of It teaches you discipline and it brings

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Speaker 2: a level of God consciousness to you that you wouldn't

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Speaker 2: have on a normal day.

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Speaker 1: And so is the process about definitely not like eating?

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Speaker 1: But are there other things that you're also adding to

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Speaker 1: your schedule in addition to the fast thing? Can you

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Speaker 1: talk about that?

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Speaker 2: It goes beyond not just eating. The funny thing is

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Speaker 2: the not eating part is the easiest part. It is

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Speaker 2: the easiest part because the moment you start fasting, it's

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Speaker 2: like a mirror is placed in front of you and

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Speaker 2: you actually get to see all of your bad habits.

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Speaker 2: You get to see all of the things that you're

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Speaker 2: doing that you shouldn't be doing, and fast in reminds you, oh,

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Speaker 2: I shouldn't be doing that, so I'm not going to

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Speaker 2: do it. The not eating part is literally light work.

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Speaker 2: It is the easiest part of it. It's the desires

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Speaker 2: that's where it gets hard. Then given into the desires

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Speaker 2: that you know you shouldn't be given into and restraining

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Speaker 2: yourself from those desires. That is what fasten does. It

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Speaker 2: teaches you how to not give into those desires that

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Speaker 2: you should not be given into. Whatever that desire looks

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Speaker 2: like to you.

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Speaker 1: Got it? And what would you say could be the

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Speaker 1: benefit for even non Muslims for fasting?

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Speaker 2: Personally? I think discipline. If you want to get disciplined

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Speaker 2: in your life, fast fast. I try to fast outside

433
00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,480
Speaker 2: of Ramadan as well, so I've made fast in a

434
00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:52,640
Speaker 2: habit regardless of whether it's Ramadan or not. I try

435
00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:54,439
Speaker 2: my best to fast, and the main reason why I

436
00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:57,679
Speaker 2: do it is because it disciplined me. When I know

437
00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:01,080
Speaker 2: I'm fasting, I'm on my a game. I'm being careful

438
00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:03,040
Speaker 2: of what I'm saying, I'm being careful of what I'm

439
00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:06,080
Speaker 2: listening to, and being really careful of how I'm using

440
00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:08,480
Speaker 2: my time, what am I dedicating my time to? Am

441
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:11,399
Speaker 2: I wasting my time or not? Other than that, the

442
00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:14,600
Speaker 2: multiple of various health benefits that it comes with in

443
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,159
Speaker 2: terms of just giving your body that time to just

444
00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:20,800
Speaker 2: regulate and cleanse, and other than that, I think from

445
00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:25,000
Speaker 2: a mental and a productivity perspective, fasting is the best

446
00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:27,119
Speaker 2: thing that anybody can do for themselves. The amount of

447
00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:32,880
Speaker 2: discipline that you get from fasting is crazy, Like I

448
00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,119
Speaker 2: know that when I'm going on a bit of a dip,

449
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:37,240
Speaker 2: it's like, Okay, we need to get back into fasting,

450
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:39,800
Speaker 2: Like get on your zoom, get on your A game.

451
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:44,359
Speaker 2: You need to be fasting. So sometimes I do the

452
00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:47,439
Speaker 2: Fast of that, which is the Fast of David. So

453
00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:49,359
Speaker 2: it's one day on, one day off, one day on,

454
00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:52,680
Speaker 2: one day off, and again. It just it brings even

455
00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:55,480
Speaker 2: a level of self consciousness as well, because you're able

456
00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,280
Speaker 2: to see where you fall sure and how you're dealing

457
00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:02,440
Speaker 2: even with yourself. So yeah, definitely recommend fast into every

458
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:04,280
Speaker 2: and anyone that can do it.

459
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,360
Speaker 1: What would you say are some of the biggest misconceptions

460
00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:08,560
Speaker 1: about being a Muslim?

461
00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:12,920
Speaker 2: Oh? I think one that Islam isn't a religion of peace.

462
00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:16,200
Speaker 2: I feel like a lot of people don't understand the religion. Unfortunately,

463
00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:19,240
Speaker 2: they don't understand the religion, and because they don't understand

464
00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:23,159
Speaker 2: the religion, they don't understand us as Muslims. One of

465
00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:27,959
Speaker 2: the biggest misconceptions of being a black Muslim woman is

466
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:33,160
Speaker 2: always that we were never born into the religion. It's

467
00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,840
Speaker 2: always that we converted. So the question is always, so,

468
00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,840
Speaker 2: when did you convert into Islam? Straight off of the back,

469
00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:41,680
Speaker 2: like if you're having a conversation with a non black

470
00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:44,800
Speaker 2: Muslim person, it's straight Also when did you come to Islam?

471
00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:48,240
Speaker 2: And the answer is always when did you come into Islam?

472
00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:51,160
Speaker 2: When did you come into Islam? You know, I'd say

473
00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:55,040
Speaker 2: that as well. And then I think it would be

474
00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:57,719
Speaker 2: that we don't live normal lives. I think a lot

475
00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,120
Speaker 2: of people think we're like we're it's like, we do

476
00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:04,200
Speaker 2: normal things, we live normal lives like you. It's not

477
00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:09,080
Speaker 2: all that different. I mean, there's obviously things that we

478
00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:11,880
Speaker 2: don't do because it's prohibited. It's hard. We live life

479
00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:15,639
Speaker 2: a certain way, but that doesn't make me any less

480
00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:19,400
Speaker 2: of a woman. I'm still very much intact on what's

481
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:21,840
Speaker 2: going on. So I think that's what I would say.

482
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,920
Speaker 1: The third one is m hm, and can you talk

483
00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,800
Speaker 1: more about the misconception about Islam not being a religion

484
00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:29,640
Speaker 1: of peace? What's the confusion there.

485
00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:33,360
Speaker 2: I think there's a lot of stereotypes when it comes

486
00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:36,720
Speaker 2: to being Muslims, and it's oh, okay, he's a Muslim,

487
00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:40,200
Speaker 2: he's got a bed on. We know exactly who he is,

488
00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:43,199
Speaker 2: we know exactly what he's up to, we know what

489
00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:47,280
Speaker 2: he's going to do, which is literally the furthest thing

490
00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,400
Speaker 2: from the truth. It's literally the furthest thing from who

491
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,840
Speaker 2: we are as a oumah with auma means nations. It's

492
00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:56,840
Speaker 2: the furthest thing from who we are. It's the furthest

493
00:26:56,840 --> 00:26:59,960
Speaker 2: thing from our truth. It's the furthest thing from our

494
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,639
Speaker 2: are teaching. And that's why when you ask me about

495
00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:08,440
Speaker 2: the foundations, I mentioned love, because that's who we are.

496
00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:11,119
Speaker 2: We are taught to deal with people with love. We

497
00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,239
Speaker 2: are taught to deal with people with justice. We are

498
00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:16,359
Speaker 2: taught to deal with people with grace and with peace.

499
00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:20,639
Speaker 2: But the narrative that you see on social media, on

500
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,959
Speaker 2: the news is the furthest thing from the truth. And

501
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,480
Speaker 2: I think that's where the misunderstanding comes from, because, like

502
00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:31,120
Speaker 2: I said, people don't understand this Lam. People don't take

503
00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:34,280
Speaker 2: their time to understand this Lam. And because they don't

504
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:37,720
Speaker 2: understand the religion, they don't understand us as Muslims, and

505
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:41,719
Speaker 2: that chickles down in many forms. That was like an

506
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,240
Speaker 2: extreme form, but a less extreme form is oh, I

507
00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:49,399
Speaker 2: can't eat that because it's not Hellad and not having

508
00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:53,200
Speaker 2: it in them to cater to Muslims. Very quick story.

509
00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:57,560
Speaker 2: The other day, I was actually end of term. Colleagues

510
00:27:57,600 --> 00:27:59,879
Speaker 2: wanted to go out. They wanted to go to a pub.

511
00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:04,399
Speaker 2: Now I ain't gone to no pub. Okay, whether or

512
00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:06,760
Speaker 2: not I'm drinking, I'm not going to the pub. It's

513
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,080
Speaker 2: just not a place that I would want to be

514
00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:12,000
Speaker 2: as a Muslim woman, as a visible Muslim woman, And

515
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:15,120
Speaker 2: a lot of them just didn't understand that. It was like, oh,

516
00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:17,800
Speaker 2: but you're not drinking. I don't want to go to

517
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:21,959
Speaker 2: the pub. And I was almost made to seem like

518
00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:25,520
Speaker 2: I was. I got called a party pooper. I was

519
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:29,359
Speaker 2: being gas lit, and it was like, why can't you

520
00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:31,720
Speaker 2: just take my no for no, I don't want to

521
00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:33,040
Speaker 2: go to the pub? Is I don't want to go

522
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:35,720
Speaker 2: to the pub. But then upon reflection, I just realized this,

523
00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,880
Speaker 2: because you don't understand my lifestyle as a Muslim. You

524
00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,600
Speaker 2: don't understand Islam, So me saying I don't want to

525
00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:43,000
Speaker 2: go to the pub is a big deal for you.

526
00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:44,880
Speaker 2: But if you just took the time to understand why

527
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,120
Speaker 2: I don't want to go to the pub, you wouldn't

528
00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:50,320
Speaker 2: be arguing with me. Furthermore, regardless of whether you understand

529
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:52,800
Speaker 2: or you shouldn't be arguing with me, but I recognize

530
00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:54,480
Speaker 2: that it comes from a place of ignorance.

531
00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:58,719
Speaker 1: Yeah, more from our conversation after the break, but first,

532
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,320
Speaker 1: a quick snippet of what's coming next week on TVG.

533
00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,440
Speaker 3: It's good for you to know what it's like to

534
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:07,800
Speaker 3: be high in business, and it's good for you to

535
00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:10,080
Speaker 3: know what it's like to be low. I'm a deep

536
00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:14,840
Speaker 3: believer in experience, because that's really our best teacher. This

537
00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:19,200
Speaker 3: work that I personally do is very much my life's work.

538
00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:23,880
Speaker 3: The humans that we serve I take it very seriously.

539
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:27,920
Speaker 3: I take it very personal. I am very devoted to them.

540
00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:31,280
Speaker 3: And so when you're in a place of scrutiny where

541
00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,160
Speaker 3: you've got millions of people saying that you're trying to

542
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:34,520
Speaker 3: do the.

543
00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:36,120
Speaker 2: Opposite, that's hard.

544
00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,120
Speaker 3: But I also am grateful that it happened, because it

545
00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:40,240
Speaker 3: only makes you stronger.

546
00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,240
Speaker 1: So for people who are interested in learning more, Let's

547
00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,800
Speaker 1: say somebody is enjoying our conversation and thinking of exploring, like,

548
00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,520
Speaker 1: do I want to convert to Islam? What would be

549
00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:03,120
Speaker 1: some resources you would point in people to to learn more.

550
00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:07,280
Speaker 2: Definitely start with understanding who a art is. There's no

551
00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:13,480
Speaker 2: Islam about our understand who he is. Jaquine Institute, which

552
00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:17,960
Speaker 2: was founded I believe by doctor oh Marcelo Martin, beautiful platform.

553
00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:22,520
Speaker 2: Whether you're in the beginning stages, whether you're heavily into it,

554
00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:24,800
Speaker 2: whether you're in the middle, there's something there for you.

555
00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:28,600
Speaker 2: You can find them on YouTube. His lectures are beautiful

556
00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,960
Speaker 2: and I recommend them for the everyday Muslim like people

557
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,320
Speaker 2: that are just really trying to connect or people that

558
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:38,160
Speaker 2: just want to understand Islam. Yaquin Institute do an amazing

559
00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:42,920
Speaker 2: job at that. We also have doctor Abdullah Adoro who

560
00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,720
Speaker 2: is a revert and his journey to Islam is absolutely beautiful.

561
00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:49,080
Speaker 2: So there's people that you can see some of your

562
00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:51,400
Speaker 2: journey in as well, if that's what you're looking for

563
00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:54,400
Speaker 2: shamelessly going to plug every black Muslim girl. We do

564
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,440
Speaker 2: a lot for our sisters that are interested in Islam

565
00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:02,320
Speaker 2: and new reverts. We have mini community just for them

566
00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,640
Speaker 2: where they can questions without feeling like they're asking like

567
00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:08,480
Speaker 2: word questions or wrong questions and all of that kind

568
00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:10,920
Speaker 2: of stuff. And then I would definitely say pick up

569
00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:14,760
Speaker 2: the English Qoran, the Oxford English Quran to be precise,

570
00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:18,560
Speaker 2: that one has been translated but with modern day English,

571
00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:24,160
Speaker 2: so it's very very easy to understand, and that Quran

572
00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:28,160
Speaker 2: has changed my life as a born into Islam woman.

573
00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:32,040
Speaker 2: But don't feel the pressure to read and understand. I

574
00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:35,840
Speaker 2: always tell people read and let his words settle into

575
00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:38,520
Speaker 2: your heart. Whatever it is, let his words settle into

576
00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:40,440
Speaker 2: your heart and take it from there.

577
00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:42,520
Speaker 1: So you mentioned that a part of the reason why

578
00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:45,880
Speaker 1: you started Every Black Muslim Girl is because you always

579
00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:48,120
Speaker 1: felt like there were spaces for Muslims, but not like

580
00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:50,280
Speaker 1: you were too black. So can you talk a little

581
00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:53,760
Speaker 1: bit about some of the discrimination maybe you've experienced at

582
00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:56,200
Speaker 1: the hands of non black Muslims and how you've dealt

583
00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:56,400
Speaker 1: with that.

584
00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:00,760
Speaker 2: So, Yeah, like I said earlier, it's always when was

585
00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,200
Speaker 2: you born into Islam? And then you tell them that

586
00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:05,760
Speaker 2: you're not born into Islam and it's oh, so where

587
00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:09,320
Speaker 2: are you from? Or the one that I now find

588
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,960
Speaker 2: like absolutely hilarious, and for the past I don't know

589
00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:15,440
Speaker 2: seven years, I literally flip it back on them is

590
00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:19,600
Speaker 2: are you Muslim? I always get non black Muslims that

591
00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:22,640
Speaker 2: ask me, am I Muslim? And it is the most

592
00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,880
Speaker 2: irritating question you can ever ask, kidija, because I have

593
00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:30,720
Speaker 2: a hijob on my head, and before I used to say, oh, yeah,

594
00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:34,120
Speaker 2: I am Muslim, and then when I realized that, no, actually,

595
00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:37,400
Speaker 2: you clearly don't see me as a Muslim because of

596
00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:40,200
Speaker 2: the color of my skin. That's why you're asking me

597
00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:43,959
Speaker 2: this question with so much joy. I always ask them

598
00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:48,480
Speaker 2: if their mum is Muslim, and they always are startled. Also, ah, sister,

599
00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:52,840
Speaker 2: are you Muslim? Are you Muslim? Is your Mumuslim? And

600
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:56,240
Speaker 2: it's like, yeah, she is, Okay, so then why are

601
00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:59,840
Speaker 2: you asking me that silly question? And after some time

602
00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:02,400
Speaker 2: it can become really irritating. It can become really really

603
00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:06,240
Speaker 2: irritating because you realize that, Okay, you see my skin first,

604
00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:08,720
Speaker 2: that's what you see first. As a visible Muslim woman,

605
00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:11,040
Speaker 2: you don't even see the hijab. As a Muslim, I

606
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,400
Speaker 2: would expect you to see my hijab first, but you

607
00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:15,920
Speaker 2: don't see that first. You see my skin color first.

608
00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:20,800
Speaker 2: And it's just things like that, the underestimating the amount

609
00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:23,840
Speaker 2: of knowledge that you have in the religion. It's a

610
00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:29,960
Speaker 2: lot of just microagression, not understanding that there's certain things

611
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:35,000
Speaker 2: within my culture as a West African Muslim that is

612
00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:37,720
Speaker 2: not her arm. But because it doesn't fit your narrative

613
00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:39,840
Speaker 2: of what Islam looks like, you're quick to tell me

614
00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:42,840
Speaker 2: that it's hard arm, but it's just not your culture

615
00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,080
Speaker 2: and that's okay. And I think that's why EBMG as

616
00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:50,520
Speaker 2: a platform is so important. And every single day I

617
00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:53,240
Speaker 2: realize how important it is. I've been doing it now

618
00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,840
Speaker 2: this is going to be my seventh year or my

619
00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:58,840
Speaker 2: sixth year. I can't actually remember I've been doing I

620
00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:00,480
Speaker 2: started when I was really younger as well. I think

621
00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:03,440
Speaker 2: I was only twenty twenty one when I started. But

622
00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:07,000
Speaker 2: every day I just realized that, wow, Kidjia, you can't

623
00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:10,439
Speaker 2: give up on this space because it's very much needed. Yeah.

624
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:15,080
Speaker 2: So that is what we get, the tedious questions, the microaggression,

625
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:19,160
Speaker 2: the racism, the even when it comes to reading Quran

626
00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:21,239
Speaker 2: and being able to read the Quran the way that

627
00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:24,040
Speaker 2: we're taught to read the Quran, you get people that

628
00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:26,520
Speaker 2: will make comments like, oh my gosh, don't judge a

629
00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:29,839
Speaker 2: book by his front cover? What does that mean? What

630
00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:32,120
Speaker 2: does that mean? Okay, so this front cover is black,

631
00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:34,600
Speaker 2: does that mean I can't fee the Quran? Get it together?

632
00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:37,320
Speaker 2: So yeah, It's just things like that that can definitely

633
00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:39,839
Speaker 2: have an effect on one's identity the way that one

634
00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:42,480
Speaker 2: views themselves in the faith as well. And that is

635
00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:46,160
Speaker 2: why again spaces like EBMG are so important because it's like,

636
00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:48,120
Speaker 2: you can come here as a black Muslim woman, this

637
00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:49,000
Speaker 2: is your safe space.

638
00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:52,879
Speaker 1: Can you talk more? You mentioned something about there are

639
00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:56,719
Speaker 1: certain things because you are a West African Muslim that

640
00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:00,000
Speaker 1: are different about the ways maybe other Muslims might practice.

641
00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:00,840
Speaker 1: You say more about that.

642
00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:06,200
Speaker 2: So a big one actually, which is really funny, is outfits,

643
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:08,880
Speaker 2: so modesty, the way that we dress. A lot of

644
00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:11,920
Speaker 2: people tend to I don't know if you've seen it,

645
00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:14,000
Speaker 2: but a lot of Muslim women wear something called an

646
00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:17,760
Speaker 2: abaya and it's like a long dressed like flowy sleeves.

647
00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:22,360
Speaker 2: It's very very elegant. However, and a baya is not

648
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:28,160
Speaker 2: Islamic attire, and a baya is actually Arab traditional wear.

649
00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:31,480
Speaker 2: So when you go to the Middle East, ninety percent

650
00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:34,120
Speaker 2: of the women you will find there will be in

651
00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:37,960
Speaker 2: a baya because that is their traditional where. However, with

652
00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:40,080
Speaker 2: time is transcended and a lot of people think that,

653
00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:42,319
Speaker 2: oh I'm a Mudlim woman, I must wear an a

654
00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:45,080
Speaker 2: bayer the word a baya is not actually in the

655
00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:47,560
Speaker 2: coron at all. Okay, So when Allah tells us to

656
00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:50,799
Speaker 2: cover ourselves, he doesn't actually say cover yourself in a bayer.

657
00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:54,200
Speaker 2: He says, cover yourself in a jellabia. Draw your cloak

658
00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:58,400
Speaker 2: across your body. Now, when we move towards West Africa,

659
00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:02,239
Speaker 2: we don't have a bay in West Africa. Now we do,

660
00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:05,360
Speaker 2: but it's not our traditional wear. It's not our traditional

661
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:09,000
Speaker 2: modest wear. My mother's, our aunties and grandma's and the

662
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,640
Speaker 2: movement that came many many years before us. They wear

663
00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:17,440
Speaker 2: something called a booble right, and it's literally this big dress,

664
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:22,240
Speaker 2: flowy free, elegant, royal, and it comes in different colors,

665
00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:25,960
Speaker 2: it comes with different patterns. And you'll get people that

666
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:29,200
Speaker 2: would say, oh no, but that doesn't fit the requirements

667
00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:31,880
Speaker 2: of Islam. Why doesn't it fit the requirements of his

668
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:37,480
Speaker 2: lab because modest, it's covering me. You cannot see my shape,

669
00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:39,840
Speaker 2: which is part of our modesty, like you don't just

670
00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:43,400
Speaker 2: where your figure is being seen. Why is it not allowed?

671
00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:45,880
Speaker 2: Why can I not wear it? And again it just

672
00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:49,680
Speaker 2: goes to that the misconception, the ignorance and the lack

673
00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:53,160
Speaker 2: of understanding of what it means to be a West

674
00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:58,759
Speaker 2: African Muslim per se. So yeah, it's literally small things

675
00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,000
Speaker 2: like that. That's some people be like, oh, but that's

676
00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:04,560
Speaker 2: not part of Islam. Neither is there a bio if

677
00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:05,400
Speaker 2: you do your research.

678
00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:17,839
Speaker 1: But hey, more from our conversation after the break. So

679
00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:21,040
Speaker 1: some of the criticism I've seen most often is around

680
00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:23,120
Speaker 1: and again I think this is a lack of people

681
00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:27,279
Speaker 1: understanding what Islam teaches. You mentioned the comment that one

682
00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:30,200
Speaker 1: of the purposes of the hijab is to cover yourself

683
00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:32,319
Speaker 1: when you are not in the presence of men who

684
00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:35,439
Speaker 1: can protect you. And I think other people would say, well,

685
00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:37,480
Speaker 1: what are the men doing so that they are not

686
00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,560
Speaker 1: like looking at you in ways that are not appropriate.

687
00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:43,839
Speaker 1: So I think there's a question around women's agency and

688
00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:46,480
Speaker 1: you know, like, okay, you're having to cover this and

689
00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:49,080
Speaker 1: what decisions can you make? Can you shed some light

690
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,560
Speaker 1: on them for us, for people to maybe understand better.

691
00:37:52,239 --> 00:37:55,360
Speaker 2: So I think one of the biggest misconceptions when it

692
00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:58,760
Speaker 2: comes to Islam is that Muslim women are oppressed. Now,

693
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,680
Speaker 2: I had to tell everybody that is going to listen

694
00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:05,919
Speaker 2: to this that that is the furthest thing from the truth, right.

695
00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:09,040
Speaker 2: The beauty of Islam is that the women have a

696
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:10,919
Speaker 2: role to play and the men have a role to play.

697
00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:15,200
Speaker 2: And Allah has created those roles as he see fits.

698
00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:18,319
Speaker 2: There's some things that we don't just question. Submit now,

699
00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:22,320
Speaker 2: we listen and we obey. Now to a lot of people,

700
00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,279
Speaker 2: like you said, that comes across as all women can't

701
00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:27,880
Speaker 2: do this and women can't do that. But I think

702
00:38:28,719 --> 00:38:30,719
Speaker 2: and I don't know why that is a lot of

703
00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:33,920
Speaker 2: light is shown in that direction, but it's never shown

704
00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:36,399
Speaker 2: in the direction of the things that men also aren't

705
00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,040
Speaker 2: allowed to do or the way that men are taught

706
00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:43,799
Speaker 2: to operate around women. Right we serve Aladdin, that is

707
00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:46,520
Speaker 2: one of our law's name, the just. He is very

708
00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:50,319
Speaker 2: fair in what he has prescribed to us. And if

709
00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:53,120
Speaker 2: our last panta Alah has told us well as a woman,

710
00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:55,080
Speaker 2: I don't want you do in X, Y and Z,

711
00:38:55,560 --> 00:38:58,360
Speaker 2: we believe and we know that it is for the better.

712
00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:01,080
Speaker 2: There is nothing that a last anata alert has told

713
00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:05,520
Speaker 2: us that goes against our safety or our protection or

714
00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:08,000
Speaker 2: the way that he wants us to live. Whatever it

715
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,880
Speaker 2: is that he's told us is for the best now, rightly, so,

716
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:13,919
Speaker 2: there's a lot of people that don't see it that way,

717
00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:16,360
Speaker 2: Like you said, women's agency, they can't make decisions for

718
00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:18,160
Speaker 2: themselves and all of that kind of stuff. But like

719
00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:20,840
Speaker 2: I said, women in Islam have a lot of rights,

720
00:39:21,239 --> 00:39:25,600
Speaker 2: a lot of rights. Women are placed above men in Islam.

721
00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:28,200
Speaker 2: The mother is placed above the men, or are placed

722
00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:32,240
Speaker 2: above the father three times in Islam. That the rights

723
00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:36,040
Speaker 2: that a man has upon a woman is you don't

724
00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:39,960
Speaker 2: get it anywhere else, right, So I feel like people

725
00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:42,920
Speaker 2: pick and choose when they want to be fine with

726
00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:45,400
Speaker 2: women in Islam because the women, I say, oh, but

727
00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:49,520
Speaker 2: as a Muslim woman, my man's money is my money

728
00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:53,400
Speaker 2: and my money is my money. Everyone is like, oh, okay,

729
00:39:53,440 --> 00:39:56,600
Speaker 2: that sounds good, now, okay, right, So I feel like

730
00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,479
Speaker 2: people literally pick and choose when the narrative suit to them.

731
00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:05,080
Speaker 2: But as Muslim women, we understand that the laws and

732
00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:07,439
Speaker 2: the things that a lust pantala has put in place

733
00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:11,640
Speaker 2: for us is for our own benefit, and we understand

734
00:40:11,719 --> 00:40:13,799
Speaker 2: that we appreciate it and we love it. And the

735
00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:16,160
Speaker 2: same goes for Muslim men. There's things that are put

736
00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:18,200
Speaker 2: in place for them as well. So to answer the

737
00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:21,560
Speaker 2: question of oh, what's being done to the men, Like

738
00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:24,359
Speaker 2: why can't the men stop looking at you? Muslim Men

739
00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:28,320
Speaker 2: are taught to lower their gates. That is a fundamental

740
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:32,080
Speaker 2: part of being a Muslim Man, being a Muslim in general.

741
00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:34,600
Speaker 2: But muslim Men are taught to lower their gays and

742
00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:40,160
Speaker 2: lowering their gaze means when you're walking, you're not walking aimlessly,

743
00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:43,399
Speaker 2: you're not walking without purpose, You're not being a tennis ball,

744
00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:47,120
Speaker 2: and your eyes are literally everywhere you're walking, and you

745
00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:50,200
Speaker 2: have higher to you. You're given higher which means modesty

746
00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:52,480
Speaker 2: for the lack of a better words, You're showing that

747
00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:55,320
Speaker 2: respect to those around. You're not just staring at people.

748
00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:58,759
Speaker 2: So there's definitely things that are put in place for

749
00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:00,799
Speaker 2: the men as well. Like I said, I feel like

750
00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:03,359
Speaker 2: when it comes to this topic, people can choose what

751
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:05,080
Speaker 2: suits the narrative that they're trying to run with.

752
00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:07,319
Speaker 1: So you talked a little bit about this, but it

753
00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:11,279
Speaker 1: definitely is I think like growing anti Muslim sentiment, and

754
00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:14,040
Speaker 1: you mentioned like it can chip away your self esteem

755
00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:16,560
Speaker 1: and really have some impacts on your mental health. Can

756
00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:19,920
Speaker 1: you talk about suggestions for people about like how to

757
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,200
Speaker 1: navigate some of this anti Muslim sentiment.

758
00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:29,439
Speaker 2: I think the first thing would be to understand and

759
00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:32,880
Speaker 2: to know that you are very much here and you

760
00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:35,000
Speaker 2: are very much a part of this religion because a

761
00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:37,719
Speaker 2: Lot has chosen you to be And that is the

762
00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:41,520
Speaker 2: most important thing that goes further than anything anybody has

763
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:44,920
Speaker 2: to say. You are here because He's chosen you to

764
00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:47,920
Speaker 2: be here. And the second thing, which I think is

765
00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:51,439
Speaker 2: really important, is understanding that you are worthy of being here,

766
00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:54,760
Speaker 2: regardless of what that looks like to anybody. You're worthy

767
00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:57,440
Speaker 2: of being here. You're worthy of calling yourself a Muslim

768
00:41:57,440 --> 00:42:00,400
Speaker 2: because a Lot has chosen you to be amongst the

769
00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:03,440
Speaker 2: people that call themselves a Muslim. So when you look

770
00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:06,040
Speaker 2: at it from that perspective, oh, oh my gosh, my

771
00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:08,720
Speaker 2: Lord has chosen me. This is what he has chosen

772
00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:11,880
Speaker 2: for me. You don't give into what everybody else has

773
00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:13,799
Speaker 2: to say, because it's like we're on the same plain

774
00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:16,640
Speaker 2: level field me. Whether you think it or not, we

775
00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:18,960
Speaker 2: are because a Lot doesn't tell me that, Oh, on

776
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:20,840
Speaker 2: the day of judgment, I'm going to put the Blacks

777
00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:22,759
Speaker 2: here and the Arabs there and the agents there, and

778
00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:24,839
Speaker 2: that's how I'm going to judge you. He doesn't say that.

779
00:42:25,160 --> 00:42:27,960
Speaker 2: What he actually does say in the Quran is I

780
00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:30,839
Speaker 2: created you in different tribes so that you may get

781
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:33,680
Speaker 2: to know one another. So there's a beauty in the

782
00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:37,160
Speaker 2: way that He's created us differently. So I think understanding

783
00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:39,360
Speaker 2: that you're very much worthy of being in this space,

784
00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:42,080
Speaker 2: you've been chosen to be in this space will definitely

785
00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:45,080
Speaker 2: help you get through that and going back and learning

786
00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:48,799
Speaker 2: Islam again, so you're not actually adopting Islam from a

787
00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:52,920
Speaker 2: Middle Eastern perspective. You're not adopting Islam from Arab culture,

788
00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:54,840
Speaker 2: which I think a lot of people struggle with. A

789
00:42:54,840 --> 00:42:57,279
Speaker 2: lot of people don't know the difference between what is

790
00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:01,040
Speaker 2: Arab culture and what is Islam. And I think when

791
00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:04,360
Speaker 2: you go and learn Islam, you let go of arid

792
00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:06,120
Speaker 2: culture because it's not your culture. You don't need to

793
00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:09,080
Speaker 2: be holding onto it respectfully. And I think when you

794
00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:11,960
Speaker 2: do that, you're able to build confidence in yourself. So

795
00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:14,640
Speaker 2: when you are talking to people, you know exactly what

796
00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:17,719
Speaker 2: you're saying because this is your religion too, and sometimes

797
00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:19,840
Speaker 2: you know more than them. So those will be the

798
00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:20,920
Speaker 2: three things that I would.

799
00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:23,759
Speaker 1: Say thank you for there. So what kinds of things

800
00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:28,279
Speaker 1: would you suggest to non Muslim support systems to support

801
00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:32,279
Speaker 1: practicing Muslims around, like celebrating your holidays and like just

802
00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:34,640
Speaker 1: general support. What kinds of things would you suggest?

803
00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:38,000
Speaker 2: So I don't like quiet allies. If you're going to

804
00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:41,600
Speaker 2: be an ally, I need you to speak up. Yeah,

805
00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:44,400
Speaker 2: speak up when you see an injustice. Don't be afraid.

806
00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:48,640
Speaker 2: You've actually got the voice, so use it. We don't

807
00:43:48,680 --> 00:43:51,680
Speaker 2: always have that voice, So where you can be the voice,

808
00:43:52,239 --> 00:43:55,200
Speaker 2: please feel free to use it. And then another thing

809
00:43:55,360 --> 00:43:59,080
Speaker 2: support for me, I think would be understanding. I think

810
00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:02,040
Speaker 2: that's the biggest form of support. Understanding someone. So just

811
00:44:02,080 --> 00:44:04,640
Speaker 2: taking the time out to understand your Muslim colleagues. Oh okay,

812
00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:06,839
Speaker 2: so this Ramadan? What does that look like for you?

813
00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:09,759
Speaker 2: What does that mean? And how can we tailor the

814
00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:11,600
Speaker 2: day to match your needs and all of that kind

815
00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:14,759
Speaker 2: of stuff. I think understanding I think you can't support

816
00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:17,840
Speaker 2: someone without understanding them. In order for you to support,

817
00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:20,560
Speaker 2: you need to understand. So just taking the time out

818
00:44:20,560 --> 00:44:24,040
Speaker 2: to understand them and even asking them a question like, okay,

819
00:44:24,120 --> 00:44:25,680
Speaker 2: so can you tell me a little bit more about

820
00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:28,719
Speaker 2: your beliefs? And a lot of Muslims are open to

821
00:44:29,040 --> 00:44:31,760
Speaker 2: answering questions. I've got a work colleague that literally asked

822
00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:34,719
Speaker 2: me a new question every single day. So why do

823
00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:36,880
Speaker 2: you where they hit are? Do you want a home,

824
00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:40,319
Speaker 2: So what do you eat? And I love it because

825
00:44:40,360 --> 00:44:42,520
Speaker 2: I know that it's not coming from a place of ignorance,

826
00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:44,640
Speaker 2: it's just coming from a place of cure understanding. She

827
00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:47,239
Speaker 2: just wants to understand. So, yeah, take the interest in

828
00:44:47,280 --> 00:44:49,000
Speaker 2: just understanding your colleagues.

829
00:44:48,640 --> 00:44:51,000
Speaker 1: And what would you say, Islam's teaching have taught you

830
00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:52,640
Speaker 1: about what it means to be well.

831
00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:55,480
Speaker 2: I think one of the main things that's taught me

832
00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:59,839
Speaker 2: about what it means to be well is that ser

833
00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:05,480
Speaker 2: myself is an act of ibada, and ibada means worship.

834
00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:08,319
Speaker 2: So serving myself is an act of serving the Lord,

835
00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:12,040
Speaker 2: that is an act of serving God. Looking after myself

836
00:45:12,239 --> 00:45:15,160
Speaker 2: is an act of serving God because I'm looking after

837
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:18,799
Speaker 2: what he has given me and taking care of what

838
00:45:18,920 --> 00:45:20,560
Speaker 2: he has given me. I think that's one of the

839
00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:23,880
Speaker 2: biggest things that it's taught me, that self care is

840
00:45:24,080 --> 00:45:29,160
Speaker 2: actually a form of worship. Taking the time to reregulate,

841
00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:32,800
Speaker 2: get yourself back together again, breathe, whether it's journaling, whatever

842
00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:35,400
Speaker 2: it is that you do, is a form of worship

843
00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:39,600
Speaker 2: because you are essentially looking after what he's given you.

844
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:42,640
Speaker 2: You're showing him that appreciation of Oh, thank you, You've

845
00:45:42,680 --> 00:45:45,120
Speaker 2: given me this thing I'm going to take care of

846
00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:46,400
Speaker 2: it to the best of my ability.

847
00:45:46,960 --> 00:45:50,160
Speaker 1: That's beautiful, Thank you for that. I'm curious, Kadiji. Is

848
00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:53,839
Speaker 1: there the same tension sometimes? I think in like Christian spaces,

849
00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:57,879
Speaker 1: there's this tension between like spirituality and mental health, like, oh,

850
00:45:58,120 --> 00:46:00,719
Speaker 1: you can't talk with the therapist because you know you

851
00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:03,600
Speaker 1: can pray. Is there there the same tension in Islam?

852
00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:08,200
Speaker 2: Yes, we do have people that have that thought of, oh, well,

853
00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:11,000
Speaker 2: how can you be depressed when you have a lot

854
00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:15,920
Speaker 2: And again, a lot of these things just come from

855
00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:19,200
Speaker 2: the lack of understanding when you go when you learn

856
00:46:19,239 --> 00:46:22,319
Speaker 2: the religion, you see that, Oh okay, so depression is

857
00:46:22,320 --> 00:46:24,160
Speaker 2: a thing. The prophet Mohammed son Allah, and it was

858
00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:27,080
Speaker 2: still am piece upon him. He went through a phase

859
00:46:27,160 --> 00:46:30,080
Speaker 2: of where he was depressed and Allah sent him down

860
00:46:30,160 --> 00:46:33,200
Speaker 2: a specific sour like I haven't forgotten you. I'm still here.

861
00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:35,759
Speaker 2: I'm still very much here. So I think, yes, that

862
00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:39,239
Speaker 2: tension is there, and I think as of recent people

863
00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:42,480
Speaker 2: are starting to see that, oh okay, I can actually

864
00:46:42,560 --> 00:46:45,920
Speaker 2: be a person of faith and I can be depressed

865
00:46:45,960 --> 00:46:49,879
Speaker 2: and I can struggle with mental health. That doesn't mean

866
00:46:49,880 --> 00:46:51,600
Speaker 2: that I'm no longer a person of faith, and it

867
00:46:51,680 --> 00:46:54,520
Speaker 2: also doesn't mean that I don't trust a laugh. That's

868
00:46:54,560 --> 00:46:56,239
Speaker 2: something that I like to speak a lot. So I've

869
00:46:56,239 --> 00:46:57,920
Speaker 2: got a newsletter and it's one of the things that

870
00:46:57,920 --> 00:46:59,319
Speaker 2: I like to speak a lot about to the women

871
00:46:59,360 --> 00:47:02,280
Speaker 2: on there is that mental wellness and your mental health

872
00:47:02,880 --> 00:47:06,120
Speaker 2: isn't judged by your level of faith, and your level

873
00:47:06,160 --> 00:47:08,560
Speaker 2: of faith isn't judged by your mental health and your

874
00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:12,120
Speaker 2: mental illness both can exist. And I've been through my

875
00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:18,640
Speaker 2: own journey of dealing with severe depression and still having

876
00:47:18,680 --> 00:47:23,280
Speaker 2: so much faith, and it was being able to say, Okay, Kadija,

877
00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:27,640
Speaker 2: this is what this is. This is what you're going through,

878
00:47:28,280 --> 00:47:31,000
Speaker 2: but you still have faith. You're not questioning your faith.

879
00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:34,560
Speaker 2: You're just in a space right now where you need

880
00:47:34,560 --> 00:47:36,920
Speaker 2: to deal with yourself a little bit more differently. And

881
00:47:36,960 --> 00:47:40,160
Speaker 2: I think again that's where grace comes in. So yeah,

882
00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:42,319
Speaker 2: there is that tension of all about how can you

883
00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:44,799
Speaker 2: be depressed in And I think it's because people don't

884
00:47:44,840 --> 00:47:48,160
Speaker 2: actually understand what depression is. They just think that pression means, oh,

885
00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:50,879
Speaker 2: I'm sad, right, So it's like, okay, but how can

886
00:47:50,920 --> 00:47:52,600
Speaker 2: you be sad if you trust God? Because if you

887
00:47:52,600 --> 00:47:54,640
Speaker 2: trust God, then you won't be sad. But if he

888
00:47:54,760 --> 00:48:00,879
Speaker 2: actually understood what these mental health conditions are, then you'll

889
00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:02,759
Speaker 2: be able to show more grace to it because you

890
00:48:02,719 --> 00:48:05,680
Speaker 2: will understand that. Oh Okay, like I said, depression has

891
00:48:05,800 --> 00:48:08,920
Speaker 2: nothing to do with my love and of faith in God.

892
00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:12,000
Speaker 2: I can very much trust Him with everything I have

893
00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:15,640
Speaker 2: and still be depressed. I can very much trust God

894
00:48:15,680 --> 00:48:18,799
Speaker 2: and still have bipolar. I can very much trust God

895
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:22,279
Speaker 2: and still struggle with mental That literally has nothing to

896
00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:25,520
Speaker 2: do with my live and of faith. But I again,

897
00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:29,200
Speaker 2: I just think it boils down to lack of understanding.

898
00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,200
Speaker 1: Well, thank you so much for that, Kadiza. Where can

899
00:48:32,239 --> 00:48:35,000
Speaker 1: people stay connected with you and everything that's happening at

900
00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:36,360
Speaker 1: Every Black Muslim girl.

901
00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:39,560
Speaker 2: First and foremost, you can stay connected with my baby,

902
00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:43,359
Speaker 2: Every Black Muslim girl that's my firstborn, absolutely love her.

903
00:48:43,560 --> 00:48:47,720
Speaker 2: We have an amazing community in America. Must I say

904
00:48:48,239 --> 00:48:51,040
Speaker 2: my UK guys, they know that I am for the Americans.

905
00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:55,279
Speaker 2: I am for the Americans. You are my people. Yeah,

906
00:48:55,360 --> 00:48:57,240
Speaker 2: you can stay tuned with us and every black Muslim

907
00:48:57,280 --> 00:48:59,719
Speaker 2: girl were coming out to New York soon and shut

908
00:48:59,760 --> 00:49:02,759
Speaker 2: a lie, So yeah, feel free to come along and

909
00:49:02,800 --> 00:49:05,680
Speaker 2: see what we're doing. You can find me at It's

910
00:49:05,719 --> 00:49:09,239
Speaker 2: kadijb on Instagram. So yeah, I'd love to speak with

911
00:49:09,280 --> 00:49:09,760
Speaker 2: you guys.

912
00:49:10,120 --> 00:49:11,680
Speaker 1: We'll be sure to include all of that in this

913
00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:13,680
Speaker 1: show notes. Thank you so much for spending some time

914
00:49:13,719 --> 00:49:15,200
Speaker 1: with us today. I appreciate it.

915
00:49:15,560 --> 00:49:18,319
Speaker 2: Oh, the pleasure of mine has actually been a beautiful

916
00:49:18,560 --> 00:49:20,960
Speaker 2: conversation and like I said, it's an honor to be here.

917
00:49:21,040 --> 00:49:23,719
Speaker 2: So so thank you so much. Ernie. Yeah, a big

918
00:49:23,880 --> 00:49:25,400
Speaker 2: good onto you for the work that you're doing for

919
00:49:25,440 --> 00:49:29,040
Speaker 2: black women. It's amazing, it's important, it's needed, and we

920
00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:30,600
Speaker 2: see Feelia and we love you.

921
00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:33,200
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

922
00:49:33,640 --> 00:49:34,280
Speaker 2: You're welcome.

923
00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:39,080
Speaker 1: I'm so glad Kadija was able to join me for

924
00:49:39,120 --> 00:49:42,040
Speaker 1: this conversation. To learn more about her and her work,

925
00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:44,160
Speaker 1: be sure to visit the show notes at Therapy for

926
00:49:44,239 --> 00:49:47,440
Speaker 1: Black Girls dot Com slash Session three eighty three, and

927
00:49:47,520 --> 00:49:49,440
Speaker 1: don't forget to text this episode to two of your

928
00:49:49,440 --> 00:49:51,359
Speaker 1: girls right now and tell them to check it out.

929
00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:54,880
Speaker 1: If you're looking for a therapist in your area, visit

930
00:49:54,920 --> 00:49:58,840
Speaker 1: our therapist directory at Therapy for Blackgirls dot Com slash directory.

931
00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:01,760
Speaker 1: And if you want to continue digging into this topic

932
00:50:01,960 --> 00:50:04,600
Speaker 1: or just be in community with other sisters. Come on

933
00:50:04,719 --> 00:50:07,160
Speaker 1: over and join us in the Sister Circle. It's our

934
00:50:07,200 --> 00:50:09,680
Speaker 1: cozy corner of the Internet, designed just for black women.

935
00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:12,960
Speaker 1: You can join us at Community dot Therapy for blackgirls

936
00:50:12,960 --> 00:50:16,800
Speaker 1: dot com. This episode was produced by Elise Ellis and

937
00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:21,520
Speaker 1: Zaria Taylor. Editing was done by Dennison Bradford. Thank y'all

938
00:50:21,520 --> 00:50:23,879
Speaker 1: so much for joining me again this week. I look

939
00:50:23,920 --> 00:50:27,000
Speaker 1: forward to continuing this conversation with you all real soon.

940
00:50:27,719 --> 00:50:28,399
Speaker 1: Take good care,