by Soorma Bhopali __ “What are you?” “What is your race?” These are questions that are thrown at me frequently, the latter of which was only asked recently at a small family get-together. I was stunned to be asked such a personal question in front of people I had just met that day. As a…
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by Mahina Shareef __ In 2000, my parents migrated to Singapore from a conservative rural town in India with three young kids in tow. While the Indian Muslim community here has a long history, I want to explore my experience as a first-generation immigrant in relation to the Malay community. The presence of the Malay…
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by ‘Afifah Shameemah __ “They call us crows; black, ugly, noisy. ‘The crows have descended’, they’ll joke among themselves.” – M. A. A friend, M, reached out to me to share her experiences as an Indian Muslim woman in Singapore through an insightful yet disheartening email. Much like her, many other South Asian Muslims have…
Read MoreThe Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (‘TAFEP’) is currently investigating an incident in which a hijab-wearing woman (‘hijabi’) working as a promoter at Tangs was asked to remove her hijab. Tangs had initially taken the position that this was a case of miscommunication regarding the company’s dress code and grooming standards to…
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by E __ [CW: This post describes the aftermath of rape, its emotional impact of rape & experience of intense victim-blaming.] What is Hope, you ask? Hope is Love personified. Hope is Kindness acted out. Hope is a Friend, and a Lover, who offers compassion unconditionally. Hope is everywhere if we simply allow it to…
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by Hannah __ In November 2017, I was diagnosed with HIV. When I was first diagnosed, I couldn’t believe that I was positive. My mind went blank. All I could think of was that I was going to die and that it was the end of my life. From what I knew then of HIV,…
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