KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – It’s a very hard path Masuma Asad Khan has chosen. To be an outspoken and proudly independent Muslim young woman this day and age is not something Canadian racists, misogynists and Islamophobes feel they can allow.
Time and again Khan has been viciously attacked on social media and elsewhere.
Even the administration of her own school, Dalhousie University, rather than defend her when attacked, has left her exposed.
See also: Shame on Dalhousie University: an open letter in support of Masuma Khan
It’s amazing that none of these attacks managed to silence her.
In this video Halifax activist Masuma Asad Khan, whose name means Innocent Lion Warrior, talks about pursuing a path of activism and challenging stereotypes, and the terrible racism she encounters every step on her way as a result.
We do learn where her activism came from.
“My mother taught us that you always stand up for what’s right, no matter what it costs. You have to be able to put everything on the line for your community. That means your life, how people perceive you, your job, your career, everything,” she says.
Khan’s recently released talk took place at an independent Tedx Dalhousie event.
“You folks need to remember, there are hundreds of thousands of people right now who don’t want me here. That’s hard to reconcile with, as a human being, as someone’s child, as someone’s sister, cousin, partner, whatever I am, as someone’s friend.”
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