BEYOND MY HIJAB: MALIHA ABIDI

I USED TO HATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I FOUND THAT IT BROUGHT OUT THE WORST OF PEOPLE, THAT IT WAS A SUPERFICIAL WORLD, A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO HIDE BEHIND THEIR COMPUTERS AND BUILD UP THEIR EGOS. OK SURE, THERE’S STILL A LOT OF THAT, BUT THERE’S ALSO A LOT MORE. SOCIAL MEDIA ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO CONNECT AND NETWORK WITH PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WHILE WAITING IN LINE FOR YOUR MORNING COFFEE. IT ALLOWS YOU TO DISCOVER, TO INSPIRE. THAT IS IN FACT, HOW I MET MOST OF THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF FEATURING ON RAW TRVL, INCLUDING THE WANDERFUL MALIHA ABIDI.

MALIHA IS THE GLOBETROTTER BEHIND HER ADVENTURES WITH HIM, WHICH FOLLOWS MALIHA AND NOW HER HUSBAND ON THEIR ADVENTURES AROUND THE WORLD. SHE IS NOW A LONDON-BASED MUSLIM ARTIST AFTER MOVING FROM SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. SHE IS ALSO A RAD FEMINIST, FOODIE AND PHOTOGRAPHER, AND WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER A BADASS WOMYN. SHE DOESN’T LET LABELS, RELIGION, BORDERS, OR ANYTHING FOR THAT MATTER STAND IN HER WAY. SHE RADIATES POSITIVITY, IS UNBOUNDED IN HER SELF-EXPRESSION AND HAS BOTH THE BRAINS AND TASTE BUDS OF A GODDESS. NEED I SAY MORE?

IN THIS WEEK’S WOMYN WEDNESDAY, WE FEATURE MALIHA ABIDI AND GET TO KNOW THE WOMAN BEYOND THE HIJAB.

TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE TRAVELING.

GREEN VALLEY, RIVERS, COLOURFUL CULTURE, FRIENDLY LOCALS AND GREAT WEATHER. MY FATHER TOOK MY 5 YEAR OLD SELF TO THE VALLEY OF KALASH, IN THE NORTHERN PART OF PAKISTAN. PAKISTAN HAS MANY BEAUTIFUL SITES AND I HAVEN’T BEEN TO ALL OF THEM BUT I AM SURE, KALASH WILL ALWAYS REMAIN MY FAVOURITE.

I REMEMBER THAT I WANTED TO STAY IN A NICE HOTEL BUT MY FATHER MADE US STAY IN A FAMILY-RUN, SMALL HOTEL. HE WANTED ME TO HAVE A CLOSER EXPERIENCE TO THE CULTURE. THIS WASN’T A FAMILY TRIP BUT MY FATHER, WHO IS ALSO A PASSIONATE TRAVELER, WANTED ME TO FALL IN LOVE WITH TRAVELING EARLY, I GUESS.

THE FACT THAT I STAYED IN A SMALL, FAMILY-RUN HOTEL IN KALASH GAVE ME A CLOSER LOOK INTO THE LIVES OF LOCALS. I LOVED THE WORKERS, THE PEOPLE VISITING AND I JUST DIDN’T WANTED TO LEAVE.

I REMEMBER RUNNING WITH AN EMPTY BOTTLE TO A FRESH WATER STREAM RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR HOTEL TO FILL IT UP AND THE WATER TASTED GREAT. THERE WERE FRUITS ON THE TREES THAT I COULDN’T REACH BUT IT WAS SO AMAZING TO LOOK AT IT.

MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE TRIP WAS HOW LOVING THE LOCALS WERE AND THE NEXT FAVOURITE PART WAS THEIR CULTURAL WEAR. I SIMPLY LOVED IT. MY FATHER GOT ME A TRADITIONAL KALASHI DRESS AS WELL BUT I COULDN’T GET THE HAIR RIGHT AS I HAD SUPER SHORT HAIR AND THE KALASHI WOMEN HAD LONG HAIR.

THAT’S WHAT I REMEMBER FROM MY FIRST EVER TRAVELS.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TRAVELING AS A (SOLO) MUSLIM WOMAN? WHAT DOES TRAVEL MEAN TO YOU?

AS A MUSLIM GIRL, TRAVEL MEANS SEEING BEYOND WHAT THAT BIG SCREEN IN MY LIVING ROOM TELLS ME. WHAT IT SHOWS ME AND TELLS ME ABOUT OTHER CULTURES, OTHER PEOPLE AND WHAT IT SHOWS AND TELLS OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT ME, MY RELIGION, AND MY CULTURE.

I ALWAYS SAY THAT TRAVEL IS MY PASSION AND CULTURE IS MY MOTIVATION. THAT INDEED IS THE CASE. I TRAVEL TO FIND STORIES AND CONNECTIONS BUT TRAVEL PROVIDES ME WITH MORE THAN THAT.

TRAVELING FOR ME IS TO MEET PEOPLE AND SEE BEYOND THEIR SKIN COLOUR, THEIR CLOTHS, THEIR BELIEFS, AND STEREOTYPES THAT EXIST ON THIS PLANET, AND EXPECT THEM TO DO THE SAME AND SEE BEYOND MY HIJAB.

IT [TRAVEL] PROVIDES ME WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THINGS THAT I WOULD NEVER LEARN ANYWHERE ELSE. IT PROVIDES ME WITH EXPERIENCES THAT GAVE ME A BROADER AND DIVERSE PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE AND PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD.

AFTER ALL MY TRAVELS, I CAN TELL YOU THAT I HAVE COME ACROSS MORE SIMILARITIES THAN DIFFERENCES IN CULTURES ON THIS EARTH. AND THROUGHOUT MY JOURNEY OF LIFE, I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE AND BELIEVE THAT THAT’S THE KEY TO PEACE. TO FOCUS ON THE THINGS WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON AND RESPECTING THE THINGS THAT WE DON’T HAVE IN COMMON.

HOW DID HER ADVENTURES BEGIN? 

I HAD BEEN TRAVELING WAY BEFORE I STARTED POSTING IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA SO HER ADVENTURES WAS JUST TO PUT MY TRAVELS OUT THERE LIKE I SHARED ON ART ON SOCIAL MEDIA (@MALIHA’S ART).

INITIALLY, I WANTED TO TELL STORIES, CONNECT WITH THE TRAVEL COMMUNITY AND JUST DISPLAY MY TRAVEL MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES ONLINE BUT WHEN IT TURNED INTO HER ADVENTURES WITH HIM, IT BECAME FURTHER MORE MEANINGFUL.

HOW DID IT TURN INTO HER ADVENTURES WITH HIM?

WHEN I GOT MARRIED TO MY HUSBAND, ASKARI, THAT’S WHEN IT TURNED INTO HER ADVENTURES WITH HIM AND WE DECIDED TO COMBINE OUR LOVE FOR TRAVEL AND KEEP GOING WITH IT.

FUNNY THING THAT AFTER A FEW TRAVELS, HE WANTED TO CHANGE OUR BLOG’S NAME TO ‘HER ADVENTURES WITH HIM AND IT,’ AND I ASKED HIM, “WHATS IT?” HE GOES,”WELL, MY BACKPACK…” THE BLUE BACKPACK THAT IS ALL OVER OUR FEED.

WHERE DID THE IDEA OF THE CRYSTAL BALL COME FROM? (IT’S AWESOME.)

HAHA THANKS, SO THE IDEA OF CRYSTAL BALL CAME FROM MY TRIP AROUND THAILAND. IN THAILAND, PEOPLE USE A CRYSTAL BALL DURING MEDITATION AT TIMES. THEY HOLD IT IN THEIR HANDS, NEAR THEIR STOMACH AND THAT’S THEIR WAY OF MARKING THEIR CENTER. USING A CRYSTAL BALL DURING MEDITATION HELPS THEM TO ENTER A STATE OF DEEPER MEDITATION BY ALLOWING THEM TO FOCUS MORE CLEARLY.

THIS WAS THE IDEA THAT GAVE BIRTH TO ME USING CRYSTAL BALL IN MY PHOTOGRAPHY AND STARTING THE ‘CRYSTAL GLOBALL PROJECT.’ AS I TRAVEL AND CAPTURE MOMENTS AROUND THE WORLD THROUGH MY CRYSTAL BALL, IT’S ME MARKING MY CENTER AND TRAVEL MAKES ME FEEL AS PEACEFUL AS MEDITATION.

WHAT IS THE #TRAVELINGISMORETHANINSTAGRAM HASHTAG ALL ABOUT?

IT’S BASICALLY ABOUT HOW TRAVEL IS CERTAINLY MORE THAN INSTAGRAM. TRAVEL IS MORE THAN INSTAGRAM, FILTERS AND INSTA WORTHY PHOTOS AND JUST SHOWING PEOPLE THAT ‘OH, YOU TRAVEL.’ THROUGH THIS HASHTAG, WOMEN SHARED THEIR REASONS OF TRAVELING AND CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE PLACES THAT YOU’VE TRAVELLED TO?

I SIMPLY LOVE CULTURAL PLACES AND SOME OF THE PLACES THAT FED ME GOOD IN THAT REGARD WERE CHINA, TURKEY AND ITALY!

GOLDEN TRAVELS!

WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPREAD TO WOMEN TRAVELLERS AND ASPIRING WOMEN TRAVELLERS?

ALL THE WOMEN TRAVELLERS OUT THERE, I WOULD SAY DON’T LISTEN TO THE PROPAGANDA IN THE NEWS, DON’T FALL FOR STEREOTYPES. MAKE UP YOUR MIND AFTER AN EXPERIENCE. ONLY THEN CAN WE GET CLOSE TO UNRAVELING THE TRUTH ABOUT ANYWHERE. AFTER ALL, EVERY STORY HAS MORE THAN ONE SIDE.

GET CONNECTED

WANT TO FOLLOW MAHILA ABIDI’S TRAVELS? YOU CAN CHECK OUT HER ADVENTURES WITH HIM ON INSTAGRAM HERE OR ON FACEBOOK HERE. YOU CAN ALSO FIND HER ART PAGE HERE.

YOU CAN FOLLOW HER AND HIM ON THEIR BLOG WWW.HERADVENTURESWITHHIM.COM.

YOU CAN ALSO FIND HER PHOTOS IN OUR GALLERY HERE. 

ALL PHOTOS CREDITED TO MALIHA ABIDI AND HER AND HIM PHOTOGRAPHY UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED.

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