On March 11 Black Muslim women used the hashtags #BombBlackHijabis and #BombBlackMuslimah to flood social media with images of themselves. The movement was an attempt to claim space and visibility in a religious and cultural community that often overlooks them. According to writer Safura Salam at Muslimgirl.net, the need a social movement like this is long overdue:
โIn the conversation about Blackness in Islam and about Women in Islam, the intersection of Black Muslim Womenโs issues are often ignored. While South Asian and Arab women have many struggles in common, the struggle of the Black Muslim woman is unique. Often, speaking about us makes others uncomfortable. They arenโt sure how to relate. They want to sweep us away under the rug of an Islam that is โcolor blindโ.
The intersectionality of race, gender and class that #BombBlackHijabis occupy, present too many challenges to their world view. They donโt yet have the language to articulate the fact that they have internalized the European colonial mentality about color, race, and class. They arenโt ready to admit that they see Black Muslim women as a necessary evil, but not a thing that could be beautiful, honorable, desirable, or strong. After all, you canโt stop people from practicing Islam, can you?โ
Check out some of the images that were posted;
Lovin myself โจ๐๐ #BombBlackHijabis pic.twitter.com/nprbWTi7BA
โ fatima (@fatimatitan1) March 11, 2016
Rocking my #Somalia jersey #BombBlackHijabis #Somali ๐ธ๐ด๐ธ๐ด๐ธ๐ด pic.twitter.com/OctO8UIFOv
โ Amo.โฆ (@Miszamo) March 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/hva_y/status/708377257803251712
https://twitter.com/Califormora/status/708375818037137408
#BombBlackHijabis pic.twitter.com/IAH6yzy2Ut
โ krista coleman (@kristadashaun) March 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/_bellisimo/status/708322143499587584
https://twitter.com/seemaboo/status/708292992000462850
https://twitter.com/afrohijab/status/708415081474818049
https://twitter.com/ubax__/status/708270192825122816
My contributions to this jam. #BombBlackHijabis pic.twitter.com/T0bKbvpHC5
โ Donna Auston (@TinyMuslimah) March 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/Xabiiba_/status/708433155775188993
Itโs a description NOT a directive! #BombBlackHijabis pic.twitter.com/JBWLCDTjnS
โ Yasmine Yasmine (@yasmineyasmine) March 11, 2016
Deen over Dunya. ๐ #BombBlackHijabis pic.twitter.com/uSKbWmG9ML
โ TaweelahDCR๐น (@TaweelahThe19th) March 12, 2016
https://twitter.com/seemaboo/status/708457488409034752
Iโm part of the movement. Hope you sisters join too. Cheers to you, melanated queens. #BombBlackHijabis pic.twitter.com/ZzSQaJGQE2
โ Miss Salam (@safuea2856) March 11, 2016
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC34OXlIQ42/?taken-by=d.noelle1089
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC3aCywmEw-/?tagged=bombblackhijabis
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC1mq49r0โW/?tagged=bombblackhijabis
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC2SlIRNf3h/?tagged=bombblackhijabis
Can you not read? Her tumblr post dismisses your entire ignorant uninformed Islamophobic comment. Your brand of modern feminism sucks anyway
Can you not read? Her tumblr post dismisses your entire ignorant uninformed Islamophobic comment. Your brand of modern feminism has its own numerous problems anyway
Can you not read? Her tumblr post dismisses your entire ignorant uninformed comment. Your brand of modern feminism has its own numerous problems anyway
Beautiful!
Can feminism and any fundamentally sexist religion be spoken about in the same sentence?
http://formyummah.tumblr.com/post/140699985073/its-international-womens-day-a-day-that
So?
LOVE!
One word: slay!!!
โThey donโt yet have the language to articulate the fact that they have internalized the European colonial mentality about color, race, and class.โ Letโs not forget that Arabs started the slave trade before Europeans so the colonial mentality doesnโt come from Europe, they created that themselves. Anyway, all you sisters are looking divine. Much respect to you.