Okay, how to start this..
Have you ever sat down in a room full of people and you’re (of course) physically present but mentally you’re totally somewhere else? And I mean like, your mind is so far away from the current moment in time and then you quickly have to act like you know what everyone was talking about the whole time. You end up saying “No, Im okay” to Aunty Shakila when she asks what you think of her son. It happens to everyone, right? This is exactly how I got to this point right here (well, minus Shakila aunty and her beloved beta). Point being, tapping into my love of creative writing was something that simply sat in my mind rent free.. until now.
But here we are, the first step into what could be my rise to superlative fame, OR just my thoughts given to the world without any response and I just keep going waiting for someone to give me a patronising thumbs up. The latter seems so much more realistic if you personally knew me *sigh*. Either way, Alhamdulilah! I brought myself this far being the introverted soul that I am so *cue the singular clap*.
So the REAL reason I decided to bring my voice to the web?
Well, soon I want to be what you define as your “downtime” at the end of a fake-smiling, multiple coffee-drinking, overtime-working, kids-crying or roti-making day. I want to be your BEST read at the end of however your day may have looked.
But for now, call me Zara. You’ve caught me at a very transitional time in my life. As a young British Pakistani Muslim new-hijabi student (whew!), there’s always something new and there’s ALWAYS a topic needing to be brought to the surface. So let’s talk culture, let’s embrace religion, let’s speak on how to conquer getting by emotionally, mentally and financially and let’s slide the volume up on the *chai-sipping* subjects and at the same time, increase the impact. “Anonymously Zara” is here to not only create, but keep the spotlight on women who find themselves trapped ‘behind the scenes’ yet have SO much to say. Because at the end of the day, a world of young Muslims struggling to bring the conversations to the table is simply another generation silenced by fear and judgement.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS SPACE COMPARED TO ANYWHERE ELSE?
Anonymously, Zara understands the complexities surrounding being a Muslim Woman speaking on a variety of topics relevant to us without escaping the boundaries
So now, let your mind take a walk with mine and help me turn those unspoken thoughts into the loudest thing to EVER hit this space.
Anonymously,
Zara
