Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente

If this be Madness Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente

Shamima Shaikh (14 September 1960 - 8 January 1998) was South Africa's best-known Muslim women's rights activist. She was also a brave anti-Apartheid activist, notable Islamic feminist, community worker, journalist and devoted mother who died, 37 years old, from breast cancer. This book pays tribute to the legacy of Shamima Shaikh. It is an anthology marking the twentieth anniversary of her death and celebrating her life of faith, compassion, courage, resistance and love. The chapters here, from contributors around the world, highlight the values and struggles Shamima believed were important for building inclusive and compassionate societies. While some address aspects of Shamima's life, others examine issues that she was passionate about in her short but brilliant life. Farid Esack, Margot Badran, Fatemah Shaikh, Abdulkader Tayob, Kecia Ali, Ebrahim Moosa, Nelisiwe Msomi, Rabab Abdulhadi, Farhana Ismail, Aneesa Vawda, Lailatul Fitriyah, Mphutlane wa Bofelo and Alina Isak Alak talk about Shamima and about concerns that prevail in the struggles of Muslim feminists and other justice activists around the globe: gender equality, feminist hermeneutics, segregation in mosques, gender justice as God's plan, resistance to oppression and colonialism, the fight against racism and misogyny, and the very necessary dialogue between women of faith to build bridges of collaboration and growth. Interspersed among the academic and reflective chapters are bursts of poetry with an intense feminist resonance by outstanding South African women poets Malika Ndlovu, Zulfa Abrahams and Aaliyah Kara, whose words reflect the spiritual traits of Shamima: faith, courage, resilience and love. This book turns a spotlight on the unassuming Shamima Shaikh as a woman whose life is a testimony for all times and for all social justice struggles. Her legacy deserves to be known by, and to belong to, all struggling and justice-seeking people, beyond the limits of religious, ethnic, and national identities. Wherever violence and exclusion prey upon female bodies and lives, we will need a little dose of madness to stand up for justice and to persevere, and we will yearn for the inspiration of warriors like Shamima Shaikh.