Well, readers, I’m feeling an interesting combination of exhausted and giddy at the moment after my graduation today, which doesn’t lend itself well to my usual snarky media critique. I won’t even try. Instead, I’m going to point you in the direction of this article (mentioned recently on MMW’s Twitter feed), so that you can feel all happy and warm and fuzzy, too.
Half the reason for this is because the picture accompanying the story is just so darn cute (masha’Allah):
Aicha Ech Channa. Photo via Thomas Whisenand, for the Opus Project
But it’s also a cool story about a Moroccan woman, Aicha Ech Channa, who has recently been given an award for her work with unwed mothers:
She is the first Muslim to win the Opus award. The annual humanitarian award from the Minnetonka-based Opus Prize Foundation goes to unsung heroes for their faith-based acts of compassion.
[...]
Ech Channa, 68, is the founder and president of the Association for Women’s Solidarity. In the 1980s, she was working for the Moroccan Ministry of Social Affairs, where unwed mothers came seeking help, even though little help was available. Under Islamic law, the women were considered prostitutes, and many had their babies taken away over their objections.
Considering that unacceptable, Ech Channa launched her program in 1985. It offers women legal counseling, job training and medical and psychological support with a goal of making them self-sufficient so they can raise their children.
Having done some volunteer work with a community of young mothers, I appreciate projects that offer a combination of forms of support that these women might need. I also think it’s cool that although the article makes repeated (excessive) mention of the people who oppose Ech Channa’s project on religious grounds, it’s also clear that she herself is “committed to her faith,” and motivated by it to do the work she’s doing, believing that “Every human being has a flame [of love] inside them that must be fanned.”
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Tags: Aicha Ech Channa, Opus Project
She sounds so amazing, but I feel exasperated knowing that many people strongly oppose her helping un-married pregnant females. WTF is wrong with people?
It’s fine if you don’t feel up to the “usual snarky comments” on the media, I am absolutely on form!
here’s my take on a recent story:
http://wp.me/pgDoP-bL
@thenewcomer
I made the mistake of your reading article…are you serious? Since you clearly know nothing about Islam and the things you mention are oppressive tradtions found in other religions and cultures too you really need to get a grip.
I am also sick of hearing about the niqab…so why don’t you complain to the media who jump on it and ride it for all its worth to ‘otherise’ and demonise all Muslims despite the fact is it a small minority that even wear it.
It is typical to relate the actions and decisions of Muslim women in one country to that of Muslim women in Saudi or Iran…and its pointless. If anything, women wearing hijab or niqab here is more of an argument to stop the state from legislating what women wear…its a sign that women can and do choose the hijab….the point on control of women’s dress is control over their bodies and their productive and reproductive labour…it is not about submission. A person submits to Allah, not to a state or a man. Why don’t you stop blathering on with your ignorant assumptions….just because you have had a certain experience doesn’t mean you know anything about someone’s spirituality or adherence to their religion.
FYI- putting religion when referring to Islam in inverted commas just makes you look a bigot…don’t tell me you’ll start the Islam is Islamism nonsense too?