Daughters of Diaspora Fatima & Khadijah

Welcome to episode 11!!! This week we aimed to provide you guys with a chilled/laid-back episode in which we hope you get to know a bit more about us (your co-hosts). To foster discussion, we read through conversation cards (THE GAME, by freshly grounded) in which we talk about what motivates us, things we grew to appreciate about our parents, some of our characteristics and attitudes as well as ways we can work to improve our relationship with one another.

As always, we hope you enjoy this episode and please don't forget to give us a review and/or comment to share your thoughts with us. And as mentioned, feel free to engage with us through email (below).

Email: D0Dpodcast2@gmail.com

Picking up right where we left off…In part 2 Fatoumat dives into how life changed for her family when her father was diagnosed with cancer. Despite the difficult journey, the family remained hopeful and focused on supporting their father. Although she was busy with Nursing school, Fatoumat takes on the challenge of being comfort for not only her siblings but for her sick father in his last days. Our conversation explores the journey of dealing with the impending loss of a loved one and the subsequent grief. Fatoumat discusses the importance of vulnerability and support, the process of preparing for the inevitable, and finding strength in faith. We reflect on the love and blessings of Allah, and the various ways of coping with grief, while highlighting the normalcy of crying and expressing emotions during the grieving process. We conclude on the importance of appreciating and honoring parents, unity and support within the community and acknowledging imperfections and struggles.

This week’s episodes features Fatoumat Jikineh, who we had the honour of sitting down with back in March. She walks us through her journey of awakening and personal transformation which lead to her becoming a practising muslim and Niqabi. We talk about the expectations and pressure faced by individuals in the Muslim community, particularly in relation to dress and behaviour. The conversation explores the struggle of readiness and the fear of judgment when it comes to making lifestyle changes. Furthermore, we dive deep into the influence of Fatoumat’s late father on her life and the community through highlighting his support for women's rights and his advocacy for treating women with respect and equality. As am imam, we learn about his unconventional style of leadership and the close bond he had with with daughter. For a man with many hats, Fatoumat shares with us how things changed for herself, her family and community when her father was diagnosed with an illness.

n part 2, Fatima dives into her journey of memorizing the Quran and the challenges she faced along the way. She discusses the importance of community and the role of competition in motivating her to excel. Fatima reflects on the intense process of revision and the breakthrough moment when she finally mastered her lessons. She describes the daunting feeling of nearing completion and the emotions she experienced on the day of her exam. After completing the Quran, she struggled with societal expectations and felt restricted by her status as a Hafidh. She felt pressure to conform to a certain image and struggled with her identity as a teenager. Our conversation emphasizes the need for understanding and support rather than judgment to prevent people from feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from their faith. Despite the difficulties, Fatima reflects on the importance of the Quran in her life and how it provided comfort and guidance.

In recognition of the Ramadan being the month of Quran, this week, we turned the mic to Fatima who shares her journey in becoming a hafidh of the Quran. The conversation starts with the rewards and challenges of studying the book of Allah and then explores Fatima's childhood and upbringing. She shares her love for competition, having excelled in sports and having a supportive family. We also learn about the challenges she faced in balancing sports and wearing the hijab, as we discuss the limitations Muslim Women face in athleticism. Life was everything she could've wanted.. but despite her love for her life at the time, Fatima makes the decision to go study Quran in Africa.

Ramadan Kareem dear listeners! In this week's episode, we sat down with Fatou Jammeh; a fellow Gambian-Canadian woman who shares her diverse professional experiences and her passion for women's causes. Our conversation explores cultural identity, challenges of returning to the home country, women's opportunities and expectations, upbringing and identity as a Gambian woman. It delves into the fear of judgment and the impact of cultural expectations on reputation. The discussion highlights the shift in societal pressures and the importance of creating one's own trajectory. Additionally, Fatou shares with us the challenges and rewards of working in Africa and the need for sustainable solutions.
Since the impact of humanitarian work and the role of education in development are explored in this episode, we would like to share and encourage you guys to donate generously to any of the links below.

MATW: https://matwproject.org/crisis-and-emergencies/palestine
SPOT: https://spotproject.or