If you haven’t heard of Salma El-Wardany before, or if she might have been under your radar for a while, we’re here to tell you all about her! Born in Egypt to an Egyptian father and an Irish mother, Salma was raised in England by her Irish mother and her Pakistani stepfather. She grew up to become a writer, a public speaker, a BBC presenter, a business owner, and a poet. You’d think that’s it, but there’s more. Salma is also an activist, a devout Muslim, and a fierce feminist. Salma El-Wardany regularly talks and writes about liberating women, Islam, sexual liberation, feminism, and patriarchy. She’s a woman with multiple identities who has defied female stereotypes, making her own business from scratch, fights back against those who criticize how she practices Islam, and much much more.
On International Women’s Day
Her latest Instagram post was about International Women’s Day. In the post’s caption, she directs her message to men about how this specific day is not a time to express love for the women in their lives, be it their mother, wife, sister or daughter. In the post, she makes fun of how some men posted on social media quoting strong female figures, showing that they ‘understand women,’ and are part of the women’s fight.
Salma goes on to say that instead, men should be fighting for women’s rights. Adding that this can be done by advocating for equal pay, helping to stop harassment, tackle misogyny, sexism, and break stereotypical female roles. She makes fun of how the bar for men is so low, and should try to raise the bar by helping with the feminist movement. El-Wardany asks men to reflect on what they have done before in order to help the women in their lives and empower them. The activist then asks men what they have done that serves more than just the mediocre efforts, especially to help women during the ongoing pandemic.
