by Shafeeqah Ahmad Rosli, AWARE intern

‘Growing up Perempuan’, the follow-up book to ‘Perempuan: Muslim Women Speak Out’, was launched last Friday 31 August, at Wisma Geylang Serai. About 100 people attended the launch and panel discussion, which was moderated by the co-editor of the book Filzah Sumartono. The panel comprised of Rahayu Muhamad, President of PPIS (Singapore Muslim Women’s Association), and Sya Taha, a feminist writer and one of the contributors of the book.

Initially, there were no plans to publish a second book but the overwhelming support for Perempuan made Filzah and the team reconsider. Speaking at the event, co-editor Filzah highlighted the importance and power of validating narratives, saying that this was one of the main motivations to put together a second book.

Sya started the discussion off by recounting an experience when she was only 10 years old. A friend’s parent had asked, “During Hari Raya when Muslims ask for forgiveness, do they really mean it?”. On hindsight, it is outrageous that an adult would ask a child a question on culture and religion. From that experience, Sya realised early on that in spaces where she was a minority, she was solely seen as a representation of her race and religion instead of an individual.

This book explores the tension and conflict in inhabiting multiple identities simultaneously while navigating through life in Singapore. Rahayu said that as she read the book she felt, “angry, a sense of loss, and a sense that reality was speaking to me”. Growing up, she never felt or experienced the gendered social expectations and norms of how a girl should think or behave. Nevertheless, she added that stories are powerful and it is important for these stories to be told, no matter how uncomfortable the issues discussed may be.

During the question and answer segment, one audience member spoke about the importance of addressing the politics of representation and the danger of choosing only one voice to represent a group as it erases different experiences. The audience member pointed out that this is something Growing Up Perempuan does well by showcasing diverse lived experiences.

This anthology of essays aims to show that women in the Muslim community are not homogenous, but that their experiences and existence are rich in diversity and complexity.

Growing up Perempuan is available in all major bookstores and online at www.ethosbooks.com.sg. This book is part of the Gender Equality is our Culture (GEC) project by AWARE.