Celebrate women – International Women’s Day

Thank you to all the women, who have influenced me, stood by my side or angered me.

Thank you, mama, you have tried to support me as best as you can. Even though you’re a victim of patriarchy and you can’t escape it for yourself, you have rebelled for me and I see and appreciate it. Yes, we disagree in a lot of things and you drive me insane a lot of times. But I know where the grief comes from and it only lights up my passion to fight harder against patriarchy.

Thank you, my dear friend back in Germany! You’ve been an inspiration with how you handle things in life and the best listener in the world. I know when I have an issue, I can always reach out to you and it means a lot that you’re there.

And you, my daughter, changed my life completely. I love how silly you are, how curious and how you can already connect to people, how you seek their attention. You have a voice and it shows, even though your mouth doesn’t quite yet form words. But I can tell, that you want to be heard and want to be part of. I hope this spark is only going to fire up and rise higher. I’ll try to do what I can to make sure of it.

Thank you, Simone de Beauvoir. Your wise words accompanied me through my youth. When I needed answers and support, I could always find guidance in your books. My favourite was and is Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter. You described how you’ve moved away from religion and freed yourself from a very religious mother, helped in paving my own way. You didn’t only give me the idea of emancipation, you also taught me to choose the meaning I’d like to assign to my life. Reading your and your boyfriend’s works influenced me in a lot of ways. Life has no meaning, life is absurd. But we are free to choose the meaning and live by our own values. And we should stay true to ourselves and the values we cherish, because that means taking responsibility for one’s actions.

Thank you, Mona Eltahawy. You’re a recent discovery. Your book Headscarves and Hymensresonates with me on so many levels. Your courage in fighting Arab misogynists loudly and proudly has empowered me and shown to me that you can defy them. I love your energy, your determinism and your active and live support on social media. Frankly, this means a lot. So many times, have I visited your twitter and felt energised and inspired by your greatness. You’re truly a feminist GIANT.

Thank you, Zainab Salbi. You represent the more spiritual and calmer notes, that I crave to connect to. I love your honesty and authenticity. I gobbled up your books Between two Worlds and Freedom is an Inside Job. We share the first name, and we share origin as well. I admire how you’ve grown and how you articulate your growth. I admire how you share it and how you propagate change. You’re forceful, but you’re not a bully. You’re anything but really. You’re peaceful and this soothes my core. Your serenity seems so high up, but never inaccessible!