Talking about the self, it is important to clarify the role of media in portraying the stereotypical image of Muslims. The issue further goes beyond the Muslims living in abroad, as the media destroyed the chance for multiculturalism. It has fashioned an exclusion that led to an appalling and disturbing society. It has taught us that we exist on opposite sides of the field. The truth is that the exclusion did not exist at all. We do not believe in gender equality but rather an equity. Furthermore, we do not need to separate religion from respective traditions and cultures.
Media has managed to manipulate not just the manner in which others perceive Muslim women, but also how the Muslim women perceive themselves. Muslim women living in non-Muslim settings, face many challenges in their everyday life. We tried to setup a guide on how they can appropriate their sacred space, convene in them and personalize Islam through their daily practices. A self-representation is a technique to represent ourselves to others, within a particular culture. It has also been noted that generally our self-representation results from a continuous internal monologue between how we see ourselves vs. how others sees us. But it can rather turn into a deliberate effort when certain aspect of our identity became politicized. This, sadly, has been done by media already. Muslim women living abroad have been engaged for years in a particular effort of ethical self-fashioning. They often found it hard to balance between female piety in accordance to Islam and living an emancipated life according to their country’s standards.
We believe that Muslim women should never forget that they are the ambassadors of Islam. Their individual efforts can change the dominant image of Islam built on the essentialist perceptions. In an experimental article it has been proven that stereotypes and prejudices incline to lessen when members of groups keep on having durable contacts with each other in their everyday lives, i.e. as friends or colleagues. Muslim women are quiite familiar with the principles of universal modernity and values of individualism and professionalism. They not only adopt parts of these values but also reflect them in their everyday lives.
We should also check out the fact that Muslim women have access to higher education, they can easily engage in social and political debates and can play an active role in spreading and improving understandings of Islam.
