During my visit to Bibi Zainab’s (RA) shrine in Damascus several years ago, I could not help but notice the presence of women of diverse ethnicities, ages and nationalities. We were all different but united in our reverence for Bibi Zainab (RA). In our own ways and languages, we recounted her experiences, recited elegies and called for her intercession. Some of us prayed on our tasbeehs while others read from prayer books, unable to control their tears.
While Bibi Zainab (RA) is a salient figure for Muslim women worldwide and has given life to myriad devotional practices, her life and narratives also offer searing commentary on political oppression and the gendered nature of violence, which are a lesson for us all.
Click here to read more at the source
Shenila Khoja-Moolji
is a Postdoctoral Scholar at University of Pennsylvania. She writes at New York Times, Huffpost, Washington Post…on International Development; Gender Studies; Youth Studies, and does Fieldwork in Pakistan and USA. Dr. Khoja-Moolji teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the fields of gender and sexuality studies, and education. @SKhojaMoolji
Ismailimail 