Raheel
Raza Hopes To Be The Muslim Extremists Hate Most
by Abigail R. Esman
Special to IPT News
February 6, 2017
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 Just a month into
2017 and America's hot-button issues are already clear: women, radical
Islam, and the civil rights of Muslims in the West. The Trump presidential
campaign, fraught as it was with controversy over his comments about women,
sexual harassment, immigration and Muslims, has been followed, in his
presidency, by protests, political debates, executive orders, and above
all, confusion.
Sorting out that confusion requires profound understanding of the
issues. And the irony here is that few people understand them better than
do Muslim women – particularly the Muslim women who stand up against
radical Islam and who denounce the abuse and oppression of women in Muslim
countries. They, best of all, know what it means to be the victim of sharia
laws that deny them even the most basic of human rights. They, best of all,
recognize the portions of the Quran that can be – and are – manipulated by
extremists to suit their needs. They, too, best recognize those areas of
their faith that must be modernized, that need to be reformed, to suit
modern understanding of basic human rights, human dignity, democracy, and
justice.
Yet these are the people who also are most virulently attacked. Muslim
fundamentalists accuse them of not being "really" Muslim. They
are called apostates, and their lives and families threatened. Some non-Muslims
accuse them of lying, of being part of an underground "stealth
jihad" conspiracy aimed at Islamizing the West. Their work takes
selflessness, determination, and extraordinary courage.
Among those leading that fight is writer-activist Raheel Raza, a
Pakistani-born Canadian and author of Their Jihad, Not My Jihad: A Muslim Canadian Woman
Speaks Out. As a human rights leader, she has spoken out loudly
against gender inequality in Muslim families, called for a ban on the hijab
and burqa in Canada, and condemned groups that support the introduction of
sharia law in the West. In 2012, she founded Muslims Facing
Tomorrow, an organization with a core mission "to reclaim Islam
for, as the word itself means, securing Peace for all people, and to oppose
extremism, fanaticism and violence in the name of religion" while
supporting Enlightenment ideals of free speech and democracy.
Most notably, she participated in Paula Kwestin's award-winning
documentary "Honor
Diaries." Described as a "movement to expose women's rights
in the Middle East," the film exposes hard truths about honor violence
and the oppression of women in the Muslim world. In a discussion with other
female Muslim leaders in the film, Raza minced no words: "We need systematic
change in the Muslim world."
The Investigative Project interviewed Raza about her views, her courage,
her work, and her vision for both Muslims and the West in the years ahead.
(This transcript was edited lightly for style and clarity.)
Abigail R. Esman What made you first feel you needed to speak out
as a Muslim woman on the issues you now champion?
Raheel Raza: While I was growing up in Pakistan, I lived in a
culture that considered women should be seen and not heard. There was also
an honor based environment where everything was about "what others
will say." I rebelled against this and gender discrimination at a
young age (for which I was always in trouble). I left Pakistan when I was
very young to embrace the West for its values of gender equality, freedom
of expression and a liberal democracy. I found my voice and have never
stopped speaking out for those who do not have a voice.
ARE: What was the initial response like? Did it cause you to
doubt what you were doing?
RR: The initial response was more against my gender, i.e. how can
a Muslim woman speak out? Not against the content because deep down people
know that I am speaking from within my faith and also addressing a
compelling issue that affects Muslim majority society in a deep way. I
never doubted what I am doing because the intention is to reform the way
Muslims interpret and implement the faith.
ARE: When and why did you create Muslims Facing Tomorrow? Do you
feel you are meeting your objectives?
RR: We launched Muslims Facing Tomorrow in 2012 with an intent
and vision to be an alternate narrative to the voices of extremists. We are
about ideas, as it is a violent ideology that we have to defeat We are
slowly but surely meeting our objectives because the world is hearing our
voice to understand that there are Muslims who are the largest victims of
radical Jihad and that we are concerned citizens who are speaking out.
ARE: Have you faced threats from radical Muslims for your work?
If so, how have you handled them?
RR: Yes, of course – how else would I know that they are
listening? I am the proud recipient of a fatwa, death threat and hostile
emails. I am also listed as number six on the website of the world's most
hated Muslims, and I plan to become number one.
ARE: "Honor Diaries" was an extremely important project
– but a controversial and difficult one. What made you want to get
involved?
RR: I have always been committed to women's rights and have
worked on this my entire adult life. Three years ago I was approached by
the producer of "Honor Diaries" about the idea of having 'voices
from within' – Muslim women speaking on the issue. I agreed, with one
condition: that this would not be scripted because for too long we (Muslim
women) have been scripted, so they agreed, and [the] rest is history.
ARE: Do you feel the film has been successful in influencing
change?
RR: "Honor Diaries" has been very successful in
implementing and influencing change because it is more than a film. It's a
movement which has picked up traction globally. In Canada we sent copies of
the film to each Member of Parliament and as a result, we have Bill S-7,
which is a bill about zero tolerance for barbaric cultural practices.
Similarly in [the] UK, a law was passed making female genital mutilation
and forced/underage marriage a criminal offence. I gave testimony in the
Swedish Parliament about Honor Based Violence and also addressed the UK
House of Lords as a result of which there is a bill which is being tabled.
We screened "Honor Diaries" at the United Nations Human Rights Council
in Geneva, so overall it has won awards and was the first documentary to
openly address these issues.
Now of course there are many others, which gives us hope. "Honor
Diaries" also empowered the victims of honor-based violence to speak
out because they felt the solidarity, so we have activists on the ground
all over the globe who are working on these critical issues.
The movement has now become even more important because it has led to a
yearly event called CWFF -- the Censored Women's Film Festival -- in which
Honor Diaries hosts films by not-yet-known film makers on taboo topics that
have had pushback.
ARE: More recently, many of your fellow modern Muslim activists
[such as and Shireen Qudosi and Asra Nomani] supported Donald Trump for
president. You, I gather, did not. What would you say to them?
RR: In a way I do support Mr. Trump, although he is brash with
his words. However when I look at eight years of the Obama administration,
nothing was done to defeat a radical jihadist ideology. In fact Mr. Obama
could not even articulate the words! So the radicals felt empowered and
grew in numbers and action as we have seen with the slew of terrorist
attacks last year. Mr. Trump (for all his faults) has addressed the issue
head on and has also put out feelers to say that he will dialogue and sit
with reform minded Muslims around the table to find solutions. This has yet
to happen but I am hopeful that change will come to this global threat.
ARE: You had at one time called for a stop on immigration to Canada from
countries with high terror rates. Now President Trump has issued his
executive order in the U.S. against specific countries, but also not
including other, obvious sponsors of terrorism like Saudi Arabia. What are
your thoughts on this move?
RR: President Trump is implementing his election promises so no
surprise here. I had suggested a temporary moratorium in Canada from
countries that fund and promote terrorism because the safety and security
of my country is paramount to the future of my children and grand children.
On not including some countries, I can't comment on the inner workings
of the U.S. political system as I am not American but we should wait and
watch where this goes.
ARE: Still, the work you do is not easy, and often misunderstood.
What keeps you going?
RR: Activism is never easy – you go against the flow and the
status quo. It's doubly challenging if you happen to be a woman. I do this
work for the future of the next generation. This is for a better world for
my children and grandchildren. In a way I am very spiritual and I believe
that each one of us is answerable to the creator about what we did when the
world was burning. I can sleep at night knowing I am doing my part. The
backlash against me is a very small drop in the ocean of work that has to
be done, so I continue despite the challenges.
Abigail R. Esman, the author, most recently, of Radical State: How Jihad Is Winning Over Democracy in
the West (Praeger, 2010), is a freelance writer based in New
York and the Netherlands.
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