My Mother was Abused by my Father, but Everyone Around Allowed it to Happen

By Ayla Suraya __ (Content Warning for Partner Violence and descriptions of abuse) My mother’s experience of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or domestic violence has definitely had an impact on me. Growing up, my mother would share problems that she should have confided in her spouse or a therapist and my parents’ marriage was the…

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“No Mother Would Leave Her Own Children Unless It Was past Every Point of Desperation.”

by Sue _ (content warning: partner violence & marital rape) When people think of domestic abuse, they usually think of its most explicit manifestations. It’s physical. It’s loud. There’s glass breaking, slaps landing, and eyes turning blue from a bruise. It is, in a word, dramatic. The kind we see in TV dramas, movies, and…

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‘Siapa nak jaga mak?’ A Narrative on The Mental Health Toll of Caregiving

by Raudah Abdul Rashid __ ‘Siapa nak jaga mak?’ When Mak fell down again at night and had to be rushed to the hospital. I stayed overnight to take care of Mak and to make sure she was comfortable. No one asked me to. It was implied that I, as the only daughter should take care…

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For Love or Duty

by A Lady Marriage has never been on the books for me. My parents thought it unnecessary, hindering, and dooming. They firmly believe that humanity is fast approaching qiyamah (Day of Resurrection), and the time where true believers will no longer exist on the face of this Earth. No one qualifies to be our partners,…

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Till Death Do Them Part?

by Nur Hafiza _ I want to introduce the concept of divorce to my grandmother. I suppose she had a happy, lovely marriage at the beginning. She left her family to be with him. Despite being more educated than he, she stayed at home to care for their four children while he worked endless hours…

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Marriage Is Beautiful, but Only If It Is Done Right

Marriage Is Beautiful, but Only If It Is Done Rightby Qis Hakim _ It’s mystifying how Muslim men have succeeded in governing one-sided marital laws for so many generations. Women have conformed to this norm as a way life they have been brought up in. I respect their choices, and I’m in no way complying.…

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