When was Reach Out established? What made you decide to be a keep the group 'girls only'?
Reach Out was an idea that started way back around April this year but we officially established our membership and projects only last month. We're not sexist fiends or anything but the girl’s only meet ups are for a couple of reasons:
In Islamic culture you'll find that men and women don't mingle as much as in other cultures...and one of Reach Out's main target audiences is the conservative Muslim community. 2. An exclusive girls club is just fun you know?
It's a different atmosphere altogether than when it's both boys and girls. 3. One of our target goals is women’s rights advocacy and portraying Muslim women and women in general as powerful creators of change. It was tough making us a girls club because we don't want to offend the guys! We still appreciate and encourage support and contributions from them too.
What are the objectives of your group?
In a phrase, peace and change initiated by the youth.
One part of this is related to the Muslim community – there are many misconceptions about Islam and Muslim women in particular and we want to correct them; these misconceptions are caused by ignorance and predominantly by some rigid traditions of conservative Muslim communities that come from culture and have no basis in Islam itself (like the many Muslim women are prevented from pursuing higher studies – Islam says every human being should study from cradle to grave and contribute to the world as much as they can.
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| Being different doesn't mean we're backward, we just have different interests. The misconception can be overcome if we educate the public about who we are as Muslim women and show them what we're about. |
We also provide a space where anyone who wants to explore Islam or self enlightenment can do so. The other part, a big part, is getting the Sri Lankan youth interested in reaching out to other communities and in projects that will actively work towards developing society and the environment. We do this via casual discussions with beanbags and cupcakes and through creative use of media.
What can you tell us about the new documentary you’re working on?
It’s going to be about social oppression against women in Sri Lanka – from divorcees who are treated less than humanely to the woman on the bus who is made to 'expect' sexual harassment because it's 'only natural in a bus.' We'll be working with the youth group Beyond Borders on this project.
What, in your opinion, are the biggest challenges facing Muslim women today? Do you have ideas about how they should be overcome?
One huge challenge is narrow minded people in the Muslim community itself – as in any conservative religious environment, there are extremists. Another is criticism from people who don't understand Islam. People judge from the media and from what they see in some homes and just 'assume' that practising Muslim women are 'oppressed' – because we cover our heads and wear long clothes, or because many of us prefer marriage to boyfriends, because our culture is so different. Being different doesn't mean we're backward, we just have different interests. The misconception can be overcome if we educate the public about who we are as Muslim women and show them what we're about.
What would you say are the most common misconceptions about Islam that you have come across?
The most common are 'Islam is a terrorist religion' and 'Muslim women are oppressed,' both media-story induced. Yes, there are Muslim women who are oppressed – who are forced into doing things – but Islam is against forcing and oppression, so that's a culture problem and any sane intelligent practising Muslim stands against it. There are people who call themselves
Muslims who kill innocent people – it says in the Qur'aan "if you kill one man, it is as though you have killed the whole of mankind." People must understand that the very basis of Islam is peace and love. It condemns terrorism and
How often do you meet? Is everyone welcome?
We meet every Sunday in Dehiwala at 1p.m. Absolutely anyone is welcome, regardless of beliefs or culture – as long as they have an open mind and a passion for change. We implore young people to join – because the youth are who will take over Sri Lanka in the future, might as well start the training right?
For any more info about Reach Out call 0773 786505 or email reachout.lk@live.com or \ visit our Facebook page.
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