A protest poem, by Farheen, that addresses the freedom to wear hijab and how six girls stood for their rights, exclusively for Different Truths.
We sat in the class together Exchanged notes and learnt from one another To them the world was fine Until their dictates were always getting signed Little did we transgressed In reply, they pointed out how we dressed Earlier, in solitude, we had wept Complained, thought reasons for neglect The sun didn’t betray us Rain was fair without any ruckus Cladded in hijab, we studied for years Suddenly, one day, they showed their immense fears Stopped from wearing hijab — attending classes Sat outsides, lived the meaning of the word — harass We sat adamant, simmering like volcanoes Our-so-called friends didn’t care much though We were six and fought well At such a young age, we experienced hell Protest grew bigger On social media, hatred had umpteen triggers Court orders were not valued Principals ensured classes for us were discontinued Bold that we are, timidity took a backseat We’re brave, determined, we’ll not retreat We’re unafraid, we’ve hope Despite fancy people’s assurance — we’re all one folks Solidarity poured in from foreign lands Alas! Our country’s majority still misunderstands Threaten, hit, and insult us We use all of that to fuel our guts Wearing hijab on our own will Allah’s command is only that we fulfill Who are you to question us? Address other issues and gain trust We love our country and it’s ours Quran and rights empower Remember history mocks the cowards Your ulterior tricks will take you downwards We’ll be the future one day Understand, inequality, bias, and hatred go a long way Allow us to wear hijab was our only plea It’s my love for Allah — that’s how I see Lionhearted — our sisters gave an unflinching fight Who claimed themselves country’s saviours Showed their utterly spineless behaviours Generations to come in the future Will learn about you as abusers Read how bravery looked like in your gutless regime Our right to education was unredeemed We make the country — we live in The baseless accusations that you keep shoving in We’ll get you out sooner Years later, the world will remember what we did For the love of Allah, we stood with grit We didn’t sway, bend or break at all We proved our mettle and didn’t fall Those who didn’t stand beside us now for a second Don’t forget, this time you’re spared Next time, in this regime, you’ll be threatened For being in power, they know how to keep people frightened Stand up once and show empathy Like real humans do; not experimentally Walk in our shoes and walk a mile Living with questions in this country is nothing less than an exile
Visual and Picture design by Anumita Roy and Different Truths
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How those words spoke to me. Commendable! Keep writing and sharing.
Thank you, Jennifer. I’m glad you liked it.