In today's day and age, Maryam bint 'Imraan would be considered just another young girl pregnant out of wedlock. When the priests of Bani Isra'el kicked her out of her sanctuary due to her pregnancy, she was effectively rendered homeless. We would have written her off as another unfortunate statistic and pity her child as being unable to have a stable home or any kind of meaningful future.
Instead, Maryam became one of the most famous women in Islamic history. She defied the odds and defied the animosity of her society, and was able to raise a Prophet who changed the course of history.
Never give up on the hundreds and thousands of young, pregnant girls and single mothers. Never write them off as "hopeless" and their children as 'burdens' to this Ummah.
Instead, think of them as one of the most powerful sources of hope for this Ummah: Those who, with strong emaan and the right tools, could raise a generation of Muslims who have overcome the odds with a strength that will help change this world for the better.
#ForgottenHeroines
So true! I recently volunteered to do peer activities at a girls juvenile center, and seeing how clever and NORMAL these girls are is very eye-opening. Most of them are there as a result of terrible, terrible family backgrounds where they were bound to mess their lives up - NOT because they are somehow horrible people.
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you know what will happen if these children are shunned? People get abortions instead! I think that these girls generally feel all the weight of pregnancy and child-bearing enough without being driven to that as well...