https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jWSDyJiIXg

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Zena who speaks about the importance of feminism being synonymously associated with Islam,  drawS on her mother as a pinnacle example of a woman whose views directed her right into the arms of feminism. She details that a religion in her words made purposely ambiguous, couldn’t possibly be meant to see in such a black and white manner by 1.5 billion believers, a religion that spans over 1500 years. We are bound to face controversy, where “life is better in colour, Islam is vague, but so is feminism”. She Looks at the varied definitions and disagreements about what feminism actually is, and returns to its history of sects, and offshoots, and discusses how people question how Islam is “diametrically opposed to feminism” and in the same breathe challenges her spectators to define Islam and then define feminism, both can be just as ambiguous as the other. Many who speak to her, place feminism, as something that is opposed to Islam,  we could also reiterate feminism is the champion of Islam.

“Islam is hard to follow because it is hard to find.  The Qu’ran is a book that sheds light unto humanity and the misinterpretations have lead people astray. Likewise, feminism has alienated so many women from their own liberation. The stigma of being termed a feminist has scared men and women away from a cause that really should be universal. In an age where reason and equality are supposedly dominant.”

Zena was the youngest member of Operation Black Votes MP shadowing scheme, she was elected as Deputy Member of Youth Parliament for her borough, and shadowed Fiona Mactaggart. She has been an active community organiser as she founded, and often co-ordinates for Warwick Universities biggest spoken word collective, ‘Shoot from the Lip’ she also runs poetry workshops, which she was shortlisted for the Mayor’s Young Person Peace Prize. Zena created and produced ‘Operation Black Vote’s Power of Poetry’ project. Running poetry slam nights, and was awarded funding from the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund. She has been credited by, BBC Arabic and the BBC World Service.

You can follow Zena on Twitter where she is often found Tweeting about Politics, Palestine and empowering women.