PHOTO: HUFFINGTON POST
In the same vein, a group of Muslim women who call themselves The Hijabi Chronicles have stepped up to the challenge, one rhyme at a time.
The group is the first of its kind to launch an event at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, California where they aim to convey the message that Muslim women belong in hip-hop.
PHOTO: TWITTER
The group's founder, Alia Sharrief, explained in a video how the genre has traditionally been male-dominated but that Muslim women belonged in hip-hop despite it being frowned upon in more conservative corners of the Muslim community.
"We’re knowledgeable, we have rhymes, we have soul and we have something to say," Sharrief said.
She and other artists associated with the collective make it a point to address current issues in their rhymes, particularly related to matters of race and gender.
Meet the women behind the Hijabi Chronicles.https://t.co/mhSJJ793WY
— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 15, 2015
"I rhyme about helping people, protesting, speaking up for humanity, having dignity, and self-respect," Sharrief wrote last year in a feature on Muslimah Montage, an online platform for Muslim women.
PHOTO: TWITTER
Born and raised in Sacramento, Sharrief released her debut album Mental Cycles and Mood Swings in 2012. Work on her second album, Back on my Deen is under way and its first single "Who ready" was released earlier this year.
Many took to social media to support the women.
https://twitter.com/farhatkibachi/status/597098657645596672
I was front & center for #thehijabichronicles variety show today in #Berkeley @AliaSharrief @LaPenaCultural #hiphop pic.twitter.com/ZCsisnayQf
— strawbehry0186 (she/her) (@strawbehry0186) May 9, 2015
Check out @aliasharrief in this week's East Bay Express!!!! "The Hijabi Chronicles" http://t.co/1gJD5hcHNV @THChronicles
— RasCeylon (@RasCeylon) May 7, 2015
This article originally appeared on Huffington Post
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