When one of us is hurt, we are all hurt.
We are proud to announce the solidarity mission of the Our Choice, Not Yours campaign. This campaign, a partnership between the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom®, Safina Fellowship and altMuslimah, will convene an international solidarity mission consisting of a group of interfaith women coming together and traveling to peacefully protest women’s freedom to wear what they want.
Through our efforts and travel we will be educate the public (you will see the outcome of our mission through PR when we return) on several things: 1) women of faith coming together to communicate it is our choice 2) Jewish and Muslim women coming together to communicate that we are waging peace 3) interfaith women coming together to communicate that we will not allow hate of the other to separate us or stop us from participating in anything. Please support our efforts as we have extensive travel and promotional related costs involved. We are asking you to respect that we cannot share the specifics as we need to protect against a media circus and potential protests that could target us as we travel.
As women of faith we will come together to tell the world that we are not going to take this. We will act with our mouth, arms and feet. We defend freedom of choice for women of any belief. We are tired of male authorities telling women what to wear. These laws target women’s bodies. This is a very dangerous step for all women, driven by hate and ignorance. It is part of a long tradition of colonialism, violence against women, and xenophobia. It puts more and more limits on women of faith. It incites hate by singling out Muslim women and keeping them out of the public sphere. Women’s bodies are being used as a proxy war in the rise of extremism across the political spectrum.
The recent events in France are truly a global women’s issue. No government and no ideology has the right to impose on women’s choices. These laws target a small minority, aiming to further marginalize all Muslims. We will not let history repeat itself by staying silent. We will come together to tell the world we are not going to take this. We will act with our mouth, arms and feet.
We celebrate the French court overturning the “burkini ban” in one city – this is one small step. Yet, we must not become complacent. A ban on any type of clothing takes away freedom. It is hateful to some of us, but impacts all of us. When one of us is hurt, we are all hurt. That is why we are coming together in unity as women of faith to declare our commitment to freedom of choice
Help us take a leap in protecting women’s rights by continuing to raise awareness and unity through the Our Choice, Not Yours campaign and donating to our cause. You may go to the You may go to the altMuslimahdonation page or Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom® donation page . Please make sure to specify Our Choice. Not Yours in the designated area for a special donation so that we may ensure money is allocated to the campaign. Thank you in advance! And, please share our campaign and share your experiences on social media with the hashtag #OurChoiceNotYours.
Thank you for your support,
Sheryl Olitzky – Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom®
Manal Omar – Safina Fellowship
Asma Uddin – altMuslimah
