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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Assalamualaikum and welcome back to another episode of Sayyidati, where we discuss the achievements of some incredible Muslim women throughout history. Today I want to talk about a female leader who is alive and well and still working hard in her late 60s to make a difference in the world. Hawwa Aden Muhammad was born in Somalia but moved to Canada later in her life after the civil war in Somalia erupted. She lost her mother as a child and as a result was left to take care of a lot of domestic responsibilities as a young girl. Her schooling was often disrupted but when she was about 14 years old she finally had the opportunity to attend school regularly. And because of the many gaps in the education she underwent beforehand, she was able to truly appreciate the opportunity for gaining knowledge. At the age of 8 years old, Hawwa received an FGM procedure. Now for those of you who are not familiar with FGM, it refers to female genital mutilation, a cultural practice that normalized the cutting or removal of female genitalia. Controversy of this procedure aside, it's pretty obvious from the description alone that this widespread practice is not only dangerous but wrong. When Hawwa's older sister underwent the procedure at the age of 7, she passed away following infections. One of the most unfortunate issues of this procedure is that it is often invoked and legitimized as necessary in the name of Islam. Hawwa however knew that as she got older, FGM had no place in Islam. And her own experiences personally and that of her late sisters allowed her to recognize the countless disastrous side effects of this procedure. She eventually took it upon herself to make a difference in this affair and she dedicated herself to both the protection of women's rights and to put an end to FGM in Somalia. Ada Lichter goes into great detail depicting the life of Hawwa. She mentions that despite that Hawwa fled to Canada after the civil war, she returned to Somalia to start the Juba Women's Development Center in Kismayo, a port town devastated by war and teeming
with thousands of refugees, mainly women and children. Later in her life in 1999, she established a girls' school since most girls in Somalia couldn't afford to go to school. As a result of all of her efforts, Hawwa and her colleagues at times were accused of being traitors to Somali culture and to Islam and at other times were threatened physically. But that didn't stop her and she started the school for 120 girls. She said that in the beginning we had no facilities and the girls had to sit on the floor, but eventually they received funding from various NGOs. Today the school is attended by hundreds of girls and even offers a part-time program in the afternoon for those who can't attend full-time. Hawwa has also built a hostel and an orphanage for refugee schoolgirls. At these educational spaces, apart from receiving a general education, girls learn about the dangers and mythology of FGM, as well as human rights, women's rights, leadership, and how they can contribute to peace and rebuilding in Somalia. Among the handful of awards Hawwa has received is the Amnesty International Janetta Sagan Award in 2005, the prize recognized for outstanding achievements in defending the rights of women and children, often at considerable risk. The $10,000 prize that she received with this reward was donated to complete a women's and girls' hospital. This is only part of the story of Hawwa Mohamed's achievements. Here's the life of a girl who lost her mother at a young age and endured much hardship as a result. But despite her trials, she pushed herself forward and took advantage of the education she had to make a difference in her society. Hawwa recognized what was wrong and what was inappropriately attributed to Islam, and she refused to sit still as she watched a practice continue throughout her community that promoted harm in the name of her religion. She pushed and pushed, despite the accusations and threats hurled at her, until she managed to directly educate hundreds of girls who will all eventually pay it forward for their own generation one day, Inshallah. Be the Hawwa of your community. Be wary of
the injustices happening in your own community and don't stay silent. Raise your voice against immoral practices and then physically contribute to any project you can that will help alleviate that issue. If it's a societal problem that's bigger than you, remember Hawwa and the entire culture she had to stand up against when it came to one practice that was harmful. And gather those around you, your classmates and colleagues, community members and siblings, and encourage them to join you in your cause to make a difference. I hope you were inspired by Hawwa's story, and I hope that it's a reminder of our individual responsibility in fighting injustice in our communities. May Allah continue to grant Hawwa strength and resilience in her efforts, and may we be inspired to contribute to our society through her footsteps. Ameen. Jazakum Allah Khayran. Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
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