@sabreenaGS is a Decolonial Scholar Activist | Award-Winning Public Speaker | DEI+Justice | Social/Political Media Commentator.
A man sent me violent sexual threats on multiple platforms in response to my advocacy on Palestine. After exposing him and where he works, tagging his employer and local police, he seems to have found goodwill. He sent me an “apology” message followed by a request to take down my post that exposed him.
Putting aside the very pathetic non-apology apology that he was probably made to write by his former employer, I am pleased to hear that not only has this violent man lost his reputation globally, but he has also lost his job. Lessons I want you to take away from this case:
1.A man thousands of miles away thought he could send violent sexual threats to a female Muslim professor in Canada and get away with it. He thought wrong. Your impact and power is much bigger than you can ever imagine. The first step is to consider yourself worthy of respect and then to demand it.
2.A well-meaning follower wrote to me that “he’s just mad that you’re out of his league”. It is very important to understand that any form of sexual assault – verbal, written, or physical is absolutely unacceptable. And it is very dangerous to undermine its seriousness.
3.something I always teach in my leadership course, “You are your first advocacy project” – if you cannot advocate for justice for when you are being harmed then how can you advocate for those under your care or in your community?
Finally, something for us to consider as a society: Sexual violence is not only an instrument used in war zones, but it is also used as a tool of intimidation everywhere around us. In many cultures a lot more emphasis is placed on “sharam” and “haya” (shame and modesty) and undue pressure is placed on women to maintain a sense of self-respect, even when being disrespected.
Misogynists capitalize on this cultural attribute to intimidate and silence their victims. The first thing we need to do across cultures is remove the onus and burden of shame in instances of sexual violence from the person being victimized. The onus and burden of shame lies solely on the victimizer. They are to be exposed, paraded, and shamed, and they are to face consequences for their indignity, not us.
P.s No, Nilesh. The post is not coming down.
