(Upscaled cos of her crappy phone.)
The rules are: she should be Muslim and preferably Bengali too if possible.
Don’t tell your cousins till they’re living away from home.
Sitting in the SU listening to my white mates complain about creeps on a night out. It’s grim, obviously. But it made me realise something: Muslim girls honestly see the worst of men, just in a totally different way.
We get harassed by randoms at a nightclub. We get grown men sliding into our DMs.
I got my first marriage proposals from 13. My parents are quite progressive and shut them down before a meeting ever happened even though my grandparents were disappointed, but the Insta requests still roll in. It’s basically a loophole for older guys to talk to young women and girls. If a white guy did that to a Year 8, it’d be a police matter.
Everyone knows someone dealing with coercive control or dodging honour abuse. Even being yourself is a massive risk. When I was questioning my sexuality, my parents tried to be supportive but warned me I’d be dead to my aunties, basically.
I always think of Quran 30:21 about God placing "affection and mercy" between us, or Quran 4:135 telling us to stand firm in justice "even against yourselves or parents."
Do we see progress? Do we ask for it?
The best times I’ve had at uni have been objectively miserable freezing wet moments on goat tracks with them - and no alcohol required if you don’t want!