When we often try to open up conversations about racism and sexism within the Ummah, members of the privileged groups in question (i.e. men in conversations about sexism, and Arab/South-East Asian/White Muslims in conversations about racism usually anti-blackness) often try to shut down the much-needed discussion or derail by saying things such as “But Islam already provides women equal rights” or “The first man who did the call to prayer was Bilal (rA) who was a black man.”

This is not productive or helpful, instead it’s just very counter-productive. How are we going to counter racism or misogyny if conversations about them are constantly derailed and shut down? These are important conversations we should be having every day. We should be reassessing our own privilege and checking ourselves as to how we treat our own Muslim siblings as well.

Yes, Islam does provide women with rights! That doesn’t automatically mean that those rights will be enforced (as they should be). Rights don’t enforce them. We need to enforce them, whether it’s through our own behaviour or legislation. More importantly, we need to protect women.

Secondly, I know we have to tread carefully as to avoid having our narratives co-opted by Islamophobes. However, if a Muslim woman criticises certain components of Islam and/or an Islamic society, it is their right to do so. Silencing tactics are again counterproductive to solving the issue at hand. Legitimate areas of critique do exist, and it is necessary that they do. We need to deconstruct misogyny within Muslim spaces, so we can dismantle patriarchy within Muslim spaces.

Another thing. The bodies of Muslim women are theirs, and theirs only. This means that men have no right to pass judgement. It is a woman’s choice whether she wears hijab or not. Doesn’t make her more or less religious. Same thing applies to clothing. How much skin someone shows shouldn’t be any of your concern either. The principle of “lower your gaze” applies to men too. That being said, women are not fitnah.

Onto race. Do not be surprised when a black Muslim person says they are black before they are Muslim. The overwhelming bullshit behind “We are all one Ummah” as a silencing tactic on criticisms on racism is unacceptable.

Yes, there is a hadith by the prophet Muhammad (SAW) saying ‘an Arab is not superior to a non-Arab’, but this does not mean that racism in Islam itself does not exist. You cannot expect to dismiss call outs on anti-blackness or other forms of racism by saying “Islam and Muslims are colour blind.”

Don’t forget that there are “Islamic” counries out there who benefi and profit off the marginalisation and cheap labour of people they deem “ethnically inferior.”

(As an Arab, I speak from a fairly privileged position on race, please correct me anywhere I may have crossed the line, or anything I may have said wrong.)