Bright Muslim Women capitalizes on social media to promote diversity
University of Guelph fine arts student Sondoce Wasfy has started a new project called Bright Muslim Women to showcase the many contributions Muslim-identifying women have made.
“I am a conceptual sculptor and photographer, originally trained in architecture. I come from an Egyptian-Muslim background,” explained Wasfy in an interview with The Ontarion.
Bright Muslim Women uses several social media platforms under the handle @brightmuslimwomen to post short bios and photos of Muslim women at work; be it in the sciences, in the arts, in business, or in athletics. Many photos are accompanied by captions such as, “I am a Muslim woman. I am self-empowered,” and, “Head cover/face cover does not mean brain cover.”
Given the current political climate of the world, Wasfy felt a need to celebrate muslim women and “counter negative stereotypes, in particular.”
Wasfy spoke candidly about her experiences as a Muslim woman. Most difficult, is “the feeling of being isolated,” the stares and looks she gets while in her gym clothes, or doing an activity which often “feels uncomfortable,” she explained.She isn’t the only one, either.
“There are other Muslim women out there that have similar experiences as mine,” said Wasfy.
To combat these experiences of discomfort and misunderstanding, Wasfy turned to art to educate and honour. Wasfy’s art work “is concerned with themes of diversity and identity, manifesting in interactive performances and video.” She routinely directs and performs in her work, and wishes to “investigate and explore the audience’s reactions.”
Photography, then, became the ideal medium to confront stereotypes.
Wasfy explained that, just as photography has transformed the world, it can also transform the way we see things. Unfortunately, the media and the internet can be used to promote Islamophobic ideas—in particular, the alleged omnipresent “oppression” of women. Bright Muslim Women combats the “stereotypical images of oppressed muslim women.”While the internet propagates harmful images, thankfully, it can also help her accomplish the opposite.
“Social media is my podium to disseminate as many of ‘the real Muslim women’ images as possible to overflow the stereotypical images,” said Wasfy. “I am using photography as my tool to transform people’s vision towards Muslim women. I am using photography to cut-off the stereotypes and communicate to the world the real image of Muslim women—Muslim women in their various fields.”
Many of the women featured on the Bright Muslim Women pages are members of the University of Guelph’s community. Wasfy spoke highly of the community, noting that the University is “occupied by nice people,” but clarifies that some of her friends have faced discrimination. Hateful words, explained Wasfy, “are capable of negatively affecting a person’s emotions and psyche.”
Bright Muslim Women is an attempt to educate and “normalize Muslims’ presence in Guelph.”As for Bright Muslim Women’s next steps, Wasfy plans to continue posting an image every day. She is also currently reaching out to remarkable and successful Muslim women across the world to be involved in her project.
“I am aiming to present this collection of photographs in an art gallery. It is a huge step to take, but I am hoping for the best,” Wasfy concluded.
Photo by Dana Bellamy/The Ontarion.
This is AMAZING! Such a wonderful idea that will enable people to actually KNOW the truth about Muslim women, as opposed to the wrong information delivered by the politics directed media.