When you exist in the centre of a debate, as a topic, a hypothesis - otherised and stigmatised - you become the prop in a proposition. Randa Abdel-Fattah More Quotes by Randa Abdel-Fattah More Quotes From Randa Abdel-Fattah Sometimes it's easy to lose faith in people. And sometimes one act of kindness is all it takes to give you hope again. Randa Abdel-Fattah hope faith inspirational Belief means nothing without actions Randa Abdel-Fattah belief action mean The hijab, or sikh turban, or Jewish skullcap are all explicit symbols, but they do not represent a threat or affront to others, and have no bearing on the competence, skills and intelligence of a person. Randa Abdel-Fattah turbans hijab skills What’s the good of being true to your religion on the outside, if you don’t change what’s on the inside,were it really counts ? Randa Abdel-Fattah dont-change being-true ifs But persistent name calling? that prolongs hurt. It stretches out. Each nasty word stretches the rubber band further away until finally, one day, it snaps back at you with maximum impact Randa Abdel-Fattah impact hurt names To the Muslim woman, the hijab provides a sense of empowerment. It is a personal decision to dress modestly according to the command of a genderless Creator; to assert pride in self, and embrace one's faith openly, with independence and courageous conviction. Randa Abdel-Fattah pride decision self Everything is relative. If you want to understand a problem you look at its cause. You don’t look at its manifestation. Randa Abdel-Fattah causes want looks For me, religious festivals and celebrations have become an important way to teach my children about how we can transform living with diversity from the superficial 'I eat ethnic food', to something dignified, mutually respectful and worthwhile. Randa Abdel-Fattah diversity religious children We are, at almost every point of our day, immersed in cultural diversity: faces, clothes, smells, attitudes, values, traditions, behaviours, beliefs, rituals. Randa Abdel-Fattah smell clothes attitude Religious celebrations, and the good will, high spirits and generosity that mark them, are wonderful occasions for understanding the potential of 'everyday multiculturalism', and how people from diverse faiths can connect and show they care, rather than go down parallel, sometimes hostile, roads. Randa Abdel-Fattah generosity religious people With my human rights advocacy, that's always been through my writing. I've always tried to write articles and contribute to journals and a lot of online journals - about human rights, especially Palestinian human rights. I find the time to do things to do things I'm passionate about, because I find enjoyment in them. I just have to juggle. Randa Abdel-Fattah passionate rights writing Once upon a time, a fisherman went out to sea. He caught many fish and threw them all into a large bucket on his boat. The fish were not yet dead, so the man decided to ease their suffering by killing them swiftly. While he worked, the cold air made his eyes water. One of the wounded fish saw this and said to the other: "What a kind heart this fisherman has- see how he cries for us." The other fish replied: "Ignore his tears and watch what he is doing with his hands. Randa Abdel-Fattah eye heart men That’s when this warm feeling buzzes through you and you smile to yourself, knowing God’s watching you, knowing that He knows you’re trying to be strong to please Him. Randa Abdel-Fattah strong knowing feelings It's like one of those scenes from a feel-good Hollywood movie. Where everybody is happy and nobody's hair fizzes in the wind. Where it doesn't rain, your shoes stay comfortable all day, and everybody's jokes are funny. Randa Abdel-Fattah rain hair wind I wasn't rebellious. Other friends had far stricter parents and where there wasn't a relationship of respect and communication, they were usually the opposite; kids go to the other extreme. Randa Abdel-Fattah communication opposites kids I've always loved writing, and the impulse for me is storytelling. I don't sit down and think: 'What political message can I sell?' I love the creativity of it. Randa Abdel-Fattah creativity writing thinking If I like a book, I tend to read the author's entire collection. But I choose mainly through personal recommendations, general word of mouth and book reviews. Randa Abdel-Fattah recommendations mouths book It is time Australian Muslims stop being treated as negotiable citizens in their own country. It is time people stop 'tolerating' us, presuming some right to decide if we have a place in our own home. Randa Abdel-Fattah home country people Most Muslim women know it is fear and curiosity that cause people to stare. They know it is ignorance and stereotypes that cause people to suppose that a piece of material covering the hair strips a woman of the ability to speak English, pursue a career, work a remote control. Randa Abdel-Fattah speak-english ignorance hair My family are observant Muslims, but I've come to the faith through an intellectual conviction, and that's something that they've taught me. It's never been forced upon me. They've given me a very strong identity as an Australian Muslim. Randa Abdel-Fattah strong intellectual identity
