We've Been Waiting for You by Doha
Hello readers,
My name is Doha and if you don't know me, I'm the Digital Strategy Director at Muslim Women For. I am also one of the three co-founders of this organization. I've been organizing for over 10 years and this year has been the first year I've felt truly certain about our future. Allow me to explain why.
I've been part of Muslim Women For since the very beginning. The idea behind this organization started with a sacred friendship amongst Muslim women and our attempt to move the conversations on how to better the community into action.
I could have never dreamed up the Muslim Women For that exists today. We've weathered many storms and navigated countless difficulties. None of us knew how to start a non-profit or how to get a website started, but we knew what our community was missing. Growing up, I never felt like I belonged anywhere but amongst the friendship of Muslim women—my voice mattered. We began validating each other's experiences: Yes, that was messed up. No, you shouldn't have to feel that way amongst other Muslims. Yes, our community deserves to have their voices heard in every decision. Our belonging is not negotiable. Our Muslim leaders deserve a space to learn what it means to be a leader, to challenge ideas, build community, and learn from one another.
I believe in our ability to work together, to lead, to meet conflict with grace and curiosity. I believe we have responsibilities to each other. I believe that giving creates an opportunity for a deeper relationship with us and our organization. Giving restores the balance that privilege creates. From the beginning, our compass has been the most marginalized in our community that we have a duty to protect and inform. We've trained countless of these folks to be organizers and advocates in their own lives.
What Muslim Women For does is not new. We invite people to talk to their neighbors and check up on them. In 2017, we worked to combat discrimination against Muslims in Trump's first presidency by hosting listening sessions on the Muslim Ban. We've held leadership development trainings to teach people what we've learned in hopes they use advocacy skills regardless of what path they choose to take. We work in coalitions to show others that Muslims foster unity and recognize the equal and inherent value of all individuals. We teach people what their rights are at the polls, at their businesses, and at school. When we don't know the answer, we look for it. Over the years, hundreds of people have gone with us to the State Assembly or to the Governor's Mansion because those spaces belong to you. We've shared our stories and heard the stories of others at protests, fundraising dinners, at coffee shops, and over Zoom calls. I've witnessed people from different walks of life break bread or share a cup of coffee with each other and really see themselves in each other.
Much of my work the last decade has been connecting someone who needs help with someone who can help. That isn't possible without trust on both sides. Trust that we've worked for nearly a decade to build.
The uncomfortable truth is that our work isn't viewed as essential until it is. Across the country, charitable giving to social benefit organizations amounts to less than 11% of giving. We're grateful to have 15 monthly donors that give us a total of $133.03. Most of these donors give us less than $20 per month. If we had an additional 15 people that gave us $20 a month, we could double the amount of money that we use to support others. This year our team has developed so many brilliant ideas on mutual aid efforts, immigration, and legal support that we want to provide to the community. We can't do any of these activities without consistency in our community's investment in us. At a time when funders are cautious to give to organizations that stand on the right side of truth and history, we are asking our community to be bold in their support of us.
My ask today is simple—pledge $20 a month toward Muslim Women For. If that's too much, pledge $5 a month.
This organization has never faltered on its values nor its original purpose. We refuse to let fear stop us from our mission because our faith commands us to speak boldly, act courageously, and defend our neighbors from harm.
When you give to us, you become part of this work, this legacy, and this movement. Please join us, we've been waiting for you.
