CONFIDENCE AND MUSLIMAH TOGETHER?

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

One of my good friends suggested this topic as a blog idea and I think is very important to address. 

One of the stereotypes that surround Muslim girls is that they should be very meek and quiet.

What does this say about muslims as a whole? (Note that i'm saying MUSLIMS not ISLAM. They are two separate things).

It says that many Muslims have some sort of culture behind them, be it Asian, Arab, African, Western etc. What we fail to do is distinguish the teachings of our religion from the what is drilled into us via culture. 

Many parents expect their daughters to be quiet and un-opinionated, they expect them to do what is told, even if it means removing their hijab or dressing a particular way to please others. 

However, Islam teaches Muslim girls to be modest, in control, to be educated and to be strong. 

Being confident does not mean raising your voice and shouting, it does not mean to be loud and obnoxious, it does not mean to expose your body and walk down the street. 

No,

Confidence means to be relied on, to be a source of assurance, to be a woman who can hold her own, to stand for what she believes in, to become teachers to the generations to come, to not be swayed. 

Sometimes, we know our parents want the best for us, but how we interpret how they want us to be can change. 

For example, if we are required to be quiet, we can be as sometimes it is better to listen than to constantly talk, but at the same time, we need to learn! We need to teach! We need to defend what is right! 

Everything bottles down to how you interpret it.

We need to be confident, we are confident.