The Arranged Fairytale Wedding

by Begum__ What is the first thing that pops to your mind when you think of your wedding (if you do want to get married, of course)? Your significant other? Applying for BTO? The expenses? Strangely for me, none of those things come to my mind. What it actually reminds me is the scary process…

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Confusing Rigidities in a Multi-Racial, Multi-Religious Nation

by Rukhshana Maufiqah __ As an Indian Muslim, Tamil-speaking 20-year-old, I have come to learn over the years that the locals here tend to mix race, religion and language together. They have this mindset that the Malays will speak Malay and that they are Muslims; Indians speak Tamil and that they are Hindus; Chinese speak…

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Baha(r)sa

Baharwaali ladkidoes not need to know where she stands from where she sits in a classlearning a language in a tongue that isn’t hers although the only place where she belongsis Malay words in karangan with double ticksfor Peribahasaand her favourite topic of death and its testwhich gets her the highest marks among the rest…

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Pride and Prejudice: Anecdotes from South Asian Women in Singapore

Gathered by ‘Afifah Shameemah __ These pieces are collections of candid responses from South Asian Muslim Women. These pieces were written to share some of the experiences of ladies in the community and to hopefully inspire some type of change. These pieces were written by South Asian women, for South Asian women.  This is for…

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Who Are You?

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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Fitting In

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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