Muslim woman fights against odds to reform Muslim women's marginalization

In an attempt to clear misunderstanding after being branded as an ally of "Islamophobic speakers," Asra Normani was allowed to give a speech at the Duke University in North Carolina this Tuesday. The former correspondent for the Wall Street Journal said that her invitation to speak at the university was revoked due to the protest of an organization, the Muslim Students' Association. Her speech was only attended by about a dozen audience members, however the message is strong: she is fighting for reforms against Muslim women's marginalization.

span style="line-height: 15.8599996566772px;">MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - "I would have come here to speak to just one person. To me, it is simply a victory to stand before you," she said at the event as told in a statement in the Time magazine.

Her book, 'Standing Alone: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam' documents Normani's experiences as she confronted the sexist practices of her faith in a local mosque, fighting against the repression of Muslim women as imposed by the reactionary Islamic fundamentalists.

She promised that even attempts to stop her like the said protests continue, she will continue to abide to her interpretation of Islam, as an active advocate of progressive feminism.

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The cancellation of her participation in the event was denied by the school administration, saying that it was just a misunderstanding stemming from the protests.

"Duke is strongly committed to free expression and open discussion of controversial issues. We regret that there was a misunderstanding among our students and staff that made it seem like Ms. Nomani was no longer invited to speak at Duke. Once we became aware of it, Duke immediately let Ms. Nomani know that she was welcomed to speak with our students and the larger community, which she did," said a spokesperson of the university.

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