LONDON: “Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has motivated, inspired and empowered me to stand up as British Muslim woman,” Naz Shah, the Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, delivered these moving words as she stood up at the dispatch box to close a debate to mark International Women’s Day in the House of Commons.
She termed the occasion an honour for her, because women and the issue of women’s inequality have shaped her whole life. Naz Shah told the house that the only man who has inspired her to stand up as a British Muslim woman is the one who was honoured by US Supreme Court in 1935 as one of the greatest law givers of the world and that man is Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessing be upon him.
The MP from Bradford West said: “He (Prophet Muhammed) came to the world at a time when the most basic right to life of women was being denied, and in a matter of years he transformed a society that degraded, chastised and murdered women to one that empowered them with not only a right to life, but property rights, marital rights, inheritance rights, voting rights and democratic rights, and the rights of honour and of dignity and liberty”.
She told the fellow MPs that modern women like Mary Wollstonecraft, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks and Benazir Bhutto, as well as Oprah Winfrey who stood up for change and fought for equality in the society have not only inspired, motivated and enlightened the generations of women but they are inspiration for men too.
Naz Shah also shared that time of her life with fellow lawmakers that how her life was defined by black bin liners used to carry stuff while she was moving from one home to another with her teenage brother and sister, raising them in the absence of her mother, that is how her real journey to politics started.
“I was the daughter of a victim of domestic abuse who served 14 years in prison, and she went to prison because she could no longer handle the abuse and killed the partner who abused her.”
“When I talk about my story, I share with people a slide with literally two black bin liners, whether in relation to my forced marriage, having to live in poverty or having experienced homelessness”, she added.
Referring to this year’s theme for International Women’s Day, “Equal for Equal”, She added that having two female prime ministers, women representation in cabinet and over 50 per cent of Labour Party’s members of Parliament being female is a huge achievement but the fight must go own with women showing solidarity with women, including from Black, Asians and ethnic minorities (BAME) background.
Naz Shah criticised the attitude towards women of colour whether it be Princess Meghan Merkel or Nadia Hussain, winner of “The Great British Back Off” or any other ordinary female of colour which has been targeted by hate mongers just because the way they look.
With reference to the Women and Equalities Committee’s report published in 2015 which highlighted the triple whammy faced by women of colour and of Muslim beliefs, Naz Shah told the house that nothing has significantly changed since then.
“The reality is that little has changed in that triple penalty of misogyny, xenophobia and Islamophobia faced by these women in their daily lives.”
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Boris Johnson over his derogatory remarks about hijab wearing women in an article in 2018, she said: “Some women now feel their hijab should be removed for their personal safety, and others who choose to wear other garments have had the most powerful man in this country legitimise hate towards them by referring to their personal choices as making them look like letterboxes and bank robbers”.
As this year marks the 50th anniversary of Equal Pay Act 1970, Naz shah told the house that her party (Labour) if comes to power, will legislate to close the gender pay gab and make gender pay equality state’s responsibility. Currently women are earning 23 per cent less than men for the same work.
To protect the workplace rights of women, Naz Shah stated that her party will keep on campaigning for the rights of working women for flexible working hours, working from home and the introduction of a menopause workplace policy to break the stigma associated with the menopause.
She criticised the Tory government’s austerity measures which, she said, have affected mostly women. Eighty-five per cent of the burden of 10 years of austerity and cuts has disproportionately fallen on the shoulders of women.
She welcomed the Domestic Abuse Bill put forward by the Government, but added that more is needed to be done for the protection of women. She called out the fellow females to stand shoulder to shoulder with her to face misogynists, xenophobes and Islamophobes who will be lurking and waiting to attack another woman of colour for speaking out.
She concluded her speech with these remarks, “My standing here today to make a closing statement on International Women’s Day tells us—this is the message that it really brings home to me—that for my sisters and my daughters, and for women in this country and beyond, there is hope”.