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To a WomanTo a woman who was never allowed to be a woman. By Bassam Al-Baghdady.
Today I want to honour a woman
Who had her first kick in her mummy's tummy
Who at 3 could no longer play with boys
Who at 5 had to learn to kneel before men
Who at 6 had to choose between veil and school
Whose father, who loved her, would have cut her throat if he found her playing with the boy next door
Who had to defend what others had decided for her and say 'I chose this myself'
She who today walks between her contemporaries dressed in black rags from another time and place
Who can't wear shorts when her father or brothers are home
Who can't pray when she's menstruating
Who can't touch the 'holy book' when she's 'unclean'
She who at times starts feeling 'dirty'
She who must not shower naked in her own home
She who must not have a friend from another religion
She who must lean forward to not make her breasts prominent but who must also lean backward and tense her thighs to not make her buttocks prominent
She has no memories of romance
She has not tasted her first kiss
They never let her be a child
They never let her be an adolescent either
Or a woman
She was raped on her wedding night
So we honour you because you stand your ground
Despite all the hatred
Despite all the violence
Despite everyone ignoring you
You've fought well
You've helped your daughter to a better future, a better life than you could have, when everyone forgot you
Happy Women's Day, my friend
Bassam Al-Baghdady is a poet who translated 'The God Delusion' into arabic. He can be found at his own website (in Swedish).
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