#DearSister: Muslim women are using this Twitter hashtag to highlight prejudice on social media

A group of Muslim women have been using the hashtag #DearSister on Twitter to highlight real-life examples of prejudice they receive on social media from some members of their own community.

#DearSister

A #DearSister tweet. Source: Twitter

The hashtag campaign, started by Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian-American journalist and speaker on Muslim issues and global feminism, is trending on Twitter while gaining popularity around the world.

Seeking to make their voices heard to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, women are using the hashtag #DearSister to share stories about the difficulties they face in their fight for equality while also trying to satisfy conservative values held by some within their community.

Many participating in the Twitter movement have used the #DearSister tag to expose prejudiced comments received about the fact that they are seen as offering nothing more than the capability to cook and clean.
Other tweet examples shared through the online campaign using #DearSister referred to 'traditional' female values, citing that a woman's sole focus should be to raise children.
The notion that a woman's voice and opinion is invalid was the also source of anguish for other Muslim women participating in the #DearSister twitter movement.
Other female Muslim Twitter users responded to backlash they received from conservative factions on social media with responses using the hashtag #DearBrother.
Eltahawy praised those for sharing their stories, highlighting what a unified effort of solidarity could do to help foculise the issues faced by many Muslim women today.

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Published 6 March 2017 12:44pm
Updated 6 March 2017 3:30pm
By Sam Carroll


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