What's your different?

After coming across this documentary called "Finding BIBI", I started thinking about the challenges I face as a Muslim woman.  Not that being Muslim is the only reason why I face these challenges, but just being a woman and looking different than the majority has always been a challenge for me!

Even though we live in a world that has progressed tremendously - we elected our first Black American president and acquired the first Muslim NHL hockey player to the Toronto Maple Leafs; many people still remain ignorant and unconcerned with the challenges that minorities like myself face every day!

I, along with many others, have experienced the constant pressure from family, the community and just the mere cultural stigma that comes along with being a minority!  From racial slurs to "terrorist" comments and stares, I have endured things that some may say I shouldn’t have had to experience and others would say that it comes with the territory of being "different"!

Regardless, the comments have never really bothered me as much as the ignorance behind the comments.  I mean I may look different on the outside but I’m just as much human as the person sitting next to me is!  It’s unfortunate that sometimes there are people out there who can’t separate the two!  But it is what it is and I think that I’ve come a long way despite the obstacles!

I have to say that my parents are not as typical as other South Asian parents.  Growing up, they were pretty cool! But on the flip side I was constantly questioned about what I wanted to do with my life.  Being a doctor or lawyer was always ideal!  And I have to say, that there were some that succumbed to the pressure but I was always a wanderer. A free soul some would say! 

On top of that, since the time I was 17, my parents were always barraging me about “getting married”!  I mean, I couldn’t even decided on what I wanted to be when I grow up, let alone who I wanted to marry and if I even wanted to get married!

So this was pretty much my life growing up as a teenager, born and raised in Toronto!

Oh wait, I forgot to mention my years at an all girls private school in Oakville! Lol..i think I’ve said enough and I’ll save that for another blog!

Although it was hard, I got through it and I really appreaciate this unique piece of history that I went through!  It has made me the person I am today and will be in thr future!

But the point that I’m trying to make is that it’s okay to be different!  I think it gives you an edge and sets you apart from the rest!  Your difference doesn’t have to be about race, religion or culture, it can be about anything!  You also don’t have to be a part of the generic sense of what “minority” entails, but you can be part of a group of people who are deemed as being in the minority in every sense of the word, to understand these challenges!  Does that make sense?

At the end of the day, uniting together and educating people about what it means to be different, can change the way we see one another!

So.....coming back to Bita Haidarian’s documentary, “Finding Bibi”, really got me thinking! She is a girl who is making a difference and letting everyone see the challenges of what being different really means! The film is centered around finding a woman in Pakistan who was raped and humiliated in her community just because they could!  But, Bita’s journey takes a turn and she ends up finding out more about herself than Bibi!

I think its important to never feel ashamed of who you are.  Your challenges, although rough, might take you on a journey that will lead you to a place you never dreamed of going!  It might fill you up and give you purpose!

I would love to hear about who you are, the challenges you face and what is important to you!

My name is Sara Rangooni, I am a Muslim, I am a Woman, I am educated, I care about empowering women around the world and I almost always carry a stash of candy with me everywhere I go!

Who are you?

Check out Bita's trailer below!