Leila Ahmed Religion

From a nine year old Leila Ahmed’s perspective, she had been molested by an older boy, not intentionally broken laws of society, as her mother’s reaction accused. Ahmed notes this as one of the defining moment that separated her from her mother, and much of society in whole. This separation and enmity resulting from her mother caused Leila to channel her opposition at the entire culture she was a part of. This period also resulted in Ahmed’s immersion into literature, further rounding and shaping her world view and identity. Western culture became a prominent influence in her life, so much that she desired nothing other than to go to school in England. Once again, her mother took this dream away from her, only after a long vacation to
Though she is not as vocal about her faith, she is a devout Muslim woman and well versed in the Quran and the faith in general. This can be put in contrast to the Islam of her mother and many women in the society she was raised in. The women in her mother’s culture knew only the oral traditions passed on by the other women, but did not participate in the entire faith as the men did. Though her mother’s understanding of Islam was one of peace and unity, it was limited and stunted compared to the faith of the male members of the faith. In Ahmed’s academic pursuits, she was also able to educate herself on all aspects of the Muslim faith, equal to what men would be able to learn. Though she has this knowledge at her disposal and actively practices her faith, she never lists faith as a major component of her adolescent life. Her upbringing was more secularized than previous generations, as she was schooled with peoples of other faiths and was familiar with their practices. Her mother, however, had religion engrained into the very fabric of everyday life. For Ahmed’s mother, “…religion was an essential part of how they made sense and understood their own lives” (Ahmed 121). This understanding passed through the generations through oral traditions and practices, stagnant and without change. Throughout her childhood, Leila Ahmed witnessed injustice in the name of faith, yet nothing was done to stop these fatalities. This separated her faith from her everyday life, as it no longer acted as a connection to the rest of society. Her faith became inward and personalized, just as her personality became, in response to the traumatic events of her