by Alexandra Juma
What images come to mind when you picture a Muslim woman? Is she veiled, passive, or silenced? Perhaps she appears armed or grieving amid chaos? For many, Muslim women are almost exclusively viewed through the lenses of violence and victimhood. These depictions, amplified through media and political discourse, flatten complex lives into distorted images of oppression. What gets lost are the subtle, powerful ways Muslim women resist through faith itself, drawing from religious practice, communal bonds, and the quiet power of spiritual presence.
Images hold the power to offer a sharp juxtaposition to these dominant portrayals. An image from the Muslim Women Connect website captures three Muslim women of different ethnic backgrounds standing side by side in quiet solidarity, their eyes closed in a shared moment of deep breath and tranquility. The expansive, muted sky behind them mirrors their calm and serene presence. The image offers a counter-narrative to the often tense and conflict-ridden contexts in which Muslim women are typically depicted (muslimwomenconnect.com).
Muslim Women Connect is a UK-based organization run by Muslim women for Muslim women. Through mentorship, community events, and written advocacy, they support women in navigating the personal and structural barriers that hinder their success. Their values-justice, balance, self-reflection, and faith-center Islam as a living tradition that nurtures growth and resilience. Their work confronts the realities Muslim women face in professional and public life while maintaining a balance between their religious and worldly pursuits.
The research and writing by volunteers at Muslim Women Connect act as a form of group mindfulness and resist the notion that empowerment must always be loud or visible. As Marnia Lazreg argues, silence can be a form of resistance (2019). In Western feminist frameworks, silence is often misunderstood as submission. This organization encourages us to understand silence as a deliberate strategy of self-preservation, control over one’s narrative, and refusal to perform for an audience that misunderstands them. In this sense, the organization emphasizes Islamic teachings and religious practices that may be misunderstood or misrepresented in the West to reclaim autonomy and counter the narrative that faith is a source of subjugation.
Faith plays a central role in this form of resistance. In the wake of rising Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crimes, Muslim women may feel pressured-either implicitly or explicitly-to shrink their visibility and downplay their religiosity (muslimwomenconnect.com). Islam is frequently depicted as a monolithic and regressive force, especially when practiced by women. As Lazreg observes, the West often treats Islam as an all-encompassing force, dictating the lives of Muslim women and reducing their complex social realities to simplistic tales of victimhood (2019). This framing is not only inaccurate; it is deeply harmful. It decontextualizes practices such as veiling or prayer, turning them into symbols of oppression rather than sources of strength, identity, and connection.
The effects of framing religion as harmful to the autonomy of Muslim women in their personal and professional lives is highlighted by Muslim Women Connect’s website. When their faith is framed as a source of oppression, this narrative leads to stigmatization, affecting their mental health and complicating their ability to integrate into communities or mobilize in the workplace. This negative portrayal creates an environment in which Muslim women feel compelled to minimize or conceal their religiosity, even in spaces where their faith should serve as a foundation of support (muslimwomenconnect.com).
Muslim Women Connect challenges these misrepresentations by cultivating a space where women can draw strength from their faith. Instead of yielding to the pressure to suppress their beliefs, Muslim women are encouraged to use their faith as a guiding force, helping them make decisions consistent with their values (“Navigating Mental Health in the workplace”).
In a society that portrays Islam and Islamic practices as obstacles preventing Muslim women from pursuing their aspirations, Muslim Women Connect counters the narrative that faith is a means of female disempowerment. Through regular prayer, reflection on the Qur’an, and participation in community events, this collective aids Muslim women in remaining grounded in their religious beliefs as a form of resistance. This approach transforms faith from a restriction to a powerful tool that uplifts and supports them in their personal and professional endeavors.
Alexandra Juma earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto.
WGS340 WOMEN & REVOLUTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST 