Reading “From my sisters' lips” by Na'ima B. Robert, brought to mind a line from a poet from the sub-continent, which paraphrased, says “the veil has fallen on men's eyes”. This is so strikingly true about those in the West who have prejudiced views about Muslim women, especially those who wear the veil, and those who have accepted Islam. Gema Mart?n-Mu?oz, Professor of the Sociology of the Arab and Islamic World at the Autonoma University of Madrid, says: “What the Western media (wants to portray) is that the veiled woman carries no responsibilities and has no professional affiliations.” She says the reality is not only difficult for the West to accept, but is irritating, in so far as it fiercely contradicts long-held Western views. “The superficial interpretation that associates veiled women with submission and the unveiled with liberation dominates the media presentation,” she adds. That women, after suffering discrimination and marginalization, should voluntarily opt to adopt Islamic doctrine and even demand to wear the veil is difficult for the West to accept and, therefore, the media hide such examples, or simply take no interest in them. They do not wish to see in any other light women who, in the eyes of European and Western societies in general, are ‘victims of Islamic macho violence or Islamic fundamentalism'. They are not inclined to see them as victims of Western incomprehension. Mart?n-Mu?oz says that a study on cultural stereotypes of Islam and the Arab world, showed that there is an “agreed cultural paradigm” which favors, even determines, the analysis of subjects from those regions. “It perpetuates negative, mutually divisive perspectives on what are seen in a rather Manichean way as ‘Islam and the West'. Far from increasing our knowledge of the ‘Other' more often than not this treatment leads to distorted conclusions, which strengthen feelings of rejection and incomprehension,” she said. Western assumptions may be further challenged by a 1994 study of Algerian women indicating shared perspectives between women wearing the veil and those not doing so; 91 percent of the former and 96 percent of the latter wanted to pursue a profession when they finished their studies. Of each group, 44 percent said that women can do any job, including wage labor; 96 percent of those wearing the veil and 75 percent without believed that there were such things as “women's jobs”; 49 percent with the veil and 66 percent without believed that both sexes should receive an equal education; and 71 percent of the former and 96 percent of the latter said it should be the same education. In the light of the prevailing situation, “From my sisters' lips” is a valuable, very readable and rich addition on the subject of Western biases. Moreover, it comprehensively presents bold, frank and enlightening views of those who are subject and victims of the unfounded prejudices. All the stories presented in the book are true. Saying that “ … for so long, we have been defined by others, in words that are not our own,” the author not only takes the readers into the hearts of her “sisters in Islam” but her own as well “to find out who we really are – not what the stereotypes say, or what the media says – what we say”. As she says,”… the new breed of Muslim women does not fit neatly into any pigeon holes – their stories are far more varied and interesting than the stereotypes”. Many Westerners view the women's turning to Islam as a last resort; they feel there must be certain factors, such as an unhappy childhood, that triggered it. The stories of the sisters, whose names have been changed, do not support this. Their backgrounds did not fit any particular mould. They did not come from broken homes, had abusive mothers or fathers. Their experiences dispelled the myth that Islam was a last-ditch attempt to escape from unhappy backgrounds. “There is no way of fitting them into one stereotypical category – these were not ignorant, unsophisticated women incapable of making informed decisions,” writes Robert. “I know that, in my case, this could not have been further from the truth, having enjoyed a happy and fulfilling childhood and adolescence in Zimbabwe.” Born in Leeds, England, Robert, daughter of a white South African father of Scottish descent and a black South African mother of Zulu descent, she grew up in Zimbabwe. Many converts to Islam are seekers of meaning, seekers of the truth. Despite all the good things in their lives, the fun, friends, money, education, they were missing something and wanted to fill that ‘void' searching for answers to questions such as ‘why do we exist?' “In every case, there was one moment of clarity, a moment of lucid thought that led to questions and those questions, in a myriad different ways – from spiritual yearning, to life-changing experiences – led to answers, the answers of Islam,” writes Robert. One thing that many of the sisters have in common is the role of questioning, reading and study in their decision to embrace Islam. As the author says, stories of Western women accepting Islam are compelling because they go against many people's preconceptions – that the Western way of life and belief systems are far superior to anything that Islam, or any other belief system, has to offer. According to her, the stories remind her of their value -- they show the universal appeal of Islam. “The sheer diversity of the backgrounds and life experiences that characterize the sisters in this book show that Islam can speak to anyone,” she says, and adds, “And, most unexpectedly, Islam was able to reach out to each of them, to settle in their hearts and speak to every one of them in a personal way, giving them the answers they were looking for and changing their lives forever.” She explains that the powerful beliefs that unite all Muslims – male, female, black, white, rich and poor – were what brought these sisters, from all their divergent paths together. “There was an inescapable fact, an undeniable truth, which made submission to Allah too powerful to resist,” she says, and adds, “It is this belief in the Islamic creed that must be understood.” Says Robert, “We have spoken candidly about many aspects of our lives, trusting that you will listen without prejudice.” The book is also Robert's journey to Islam, which began with a trip to Egypt during her first year at university to attend a music festival there as a Zimbabwean representative. She left Egypt shaken. “My encounter with the Islamic faith had affected me to the core,” she writes. It raised many questions about her; long-held assumptions and expectations about her future ambitions. She sensed that she was reaching a turning point in her life; the time had come for her to make a decision and to arrive at that, she went to “Muslim Africa, to Guinea”. She says, “There was no way I could have turned away from Islam and been at peace with myself. For me it was quite simply the truth. And so I accepted it.”
