Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What I want as a woman

What I want as a woman

by Nabila Asad Khawaja

I DON’T call myself a feminist. That’s because sometimes I don’t agree with a lot of ideas associated with that, but I do know what I want and the changes I need in this world as a woman. You might not agree with me and some might, but I can assure you my ideas aren’t that bad.


Growing up in a progressive and modern family, I had the privilege of not getting bullied. Then while I was growing up, I started seeing the world outside and felt a sudden stab in my gut with the cultural shock. I saw the difference between a boy and a girl, which was absent in my life all these years.

Life was good till I got “IT”, as in my period. I was too young and had no clue what it was I actually got as it happened before time, but my family didn’t make me feel any different. I only felt the difference when some people got to know about it.

I was never physically abused, but the way people looked at me and the things they said, made me feel naked standing in front of the world. I felt stripped by their look and ashamed of myself. I’m sure many others felt the same and it’s something no little girl should have to feel.

Today, the basic thing I want for all the young girls growing up is to feel safe. If a young girl can go through the physical change and accept that the menstruation cycle is nature, why can’t we educate our boys that this is a natural process that happens just like puberty. If a girl can handle it, why can’t a boy just understand and why do so many grown men still consider it a taboo subject. Why do we have to treat nature as a disease, taboo or stigma and why not accept it as the natural physical change? Why not make it easier for young girls to blossom? Why not eradicate period poverty globally?

We don’t treat a growing boy differently when they go through puberty and neither do we ask them to cover up, so why treat the menstrual cycle as a disease?

Why not accept that it is the most natural physical changes in a woman’s body.

A small change in mindset can make a huge difference in society globally. Children are smarter than we think and way more sensitive towards the world than we can even imagine. Just a little education can not only make that difference, but also be an important first step towards equality, which matters.

Males and females are different from each other, but that doesn’t mean they are not equal. We are all the fruits of the creator and have that same importance. This early step towards understanding and equality is definitely the first thing I want as a woman. If it happens, we can stop inequality right in the beginning, before it even starts and build a better world.

Nabila Asad Khawaja is a proud single mother of a beautiful boy. She has worked as a teacher and healthcare worker, and is a wannabe stand-up comedian, describing herself as mojito personified.

Visit nabilak.simplesite.com and Twitter @NabilaKhawaja

More For You

Why Trump believes Middle East peace plan will work

Donald Trump with Benjamin Netanyahu

Why Trump believes Middle East peace plan will work

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan to move 10 million people out of Israel and resettle them in Germany, France and the UK has caused outrage across the world.

With Hamas leaders standing happily by his side, Trump told reporters at a press conference at the White House: “Everybody I have spoken to loves the idea.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Vicky Kaushal in 'Chhaava'

Chhaava

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

UK SHOW IS A SHOCKER

THE recent Rewind Queens tour was an absolute shocker. The concerts had already been postponed from 2024 due to Alka Yagnik’s severe illness, yet organisers likely knew she wouldn’t be able to perform in the January shows in London and Birmingham – but only announced her absence days before.

Keep ReadingShow less
Column: How much longer will Rachel Reeves stay on as chancellor?

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves

Column: How much longer will Rachel Reeves stay on as chancellor?

THERE are a few Labour MPs who think “Rachel from accounts will be gone sooner than you think”.

She has certainly outdone Liz Truss in trashing the economy, but the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, will be loath to sack Rachel Reeves as chancellor because his own future is tied up with hers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cohesion and anti-racism: Two sides of the same coin

Access to opportunities can affect attitudes to immigration across Britain

Cohesion and anti-racism: Two sides of the same coin

SIX months have passed since the evil murders in Southport triggered six days of senseless violence.

Rioters terrified Muslim worshippers at the town’s mosque, tried to burn asylum seekers alive at a Rotherham hotel, and spread fear among ethnic minorities across the country by posting targets for a pogrom of future violence.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Himesh Reshammiya's silly quest for acting stardom

Himesh Reshammiya

​Himesh Reshammiya's silly quest for acting stardom

IN THE early 1950s, legendary music icon Mukesh was so desperate to become a leading man that he stopped singing for major movies to focus on making an acting breakthrough.

Decades later, Sonu Nigam also tried his hand at acting by starring in a few films. What these two singing stars had in common was that they both failed as actors and quickly realised when to stop. Both quit acting, concentrated on music, and went on to have incredible singing careers.

Keep ReadingShow less