Who is khatija rahman?
When you are a music maestro’s daughter, chances are, you are going to be known as just that. And if you are AR Rahman’s daughter, it takes that much further to exit his shadows and are available into your own. Khatija Rahman makes it appear as if she does this with ease. She is carved in her room and she or he marches to the beat of her drum. Scratch that. Khatija Rahman has virtually created her drum.
She recently announced her engagement. In an Instagram post, one that reveals not important, she talks about her engagement to an audio engineer, Riyasdeen Shaik Mohammed. She mentions how the engagement was a little affair involving the only close family.
While Khatija Rahman is in the news due to her engagement, she has usually captured other individuals’ imaginations. And it is because she resolutely denies playing to the gallery. Among AR Rahman’s daughters, she is that the just one who wears the burqa and despite the subtle taunts and pointed remarks steadfastly embraces her stance to wear what she deems fit. Further power to her.
Of course, her refusal to buckle to society’s standards had some individual women riled up. Women who have hitherto maintained their feminist bearing. Consider this. In February 2020, Taslima Nasrin (Bangladeshi Swedish author, feminist, her wiki-bio reads) decided to randomly attack Khatija’s choice to wear a burqa, claiming this was a result of brainwashing.
Khatija keeps to herself on social networking sites using the platforms to announce her new music ventures, album releases etc. She is reserved, not quiet. But when Taslima used her to propagate her stance, Khatija stood up in retaliation.
In an Instagram post, she expressed her displeasure and her disappointment that the discussion about what she wears is making the rounds again. Before also, the internet was abuzz with discussions about what she was wearing. Some blamed AR Rahman for forcing her to wear a burqa while others claimed that Khatija was being anything but a feminist by choosing to hide up. Her post may be about Taslima but also addressed a bigger audience, one that was fixated on making her realise the error of her ways in choosing to wear what she wants.
Khatija is vocal about her choices, but she is infrequently using this as a discussion starter. Her social media platforms offer a variety. She talks about music, her videotapes, and most importantly, she takes up space in a society that mightily wants her to not do that. She has talked about her option to wear a burqa multiple times but beyond that, she wants women everywhere to understand that they are doing not got to look a certain way or dress by the diktats of society to form a reputation. She is been pushing for discussions about women in arts and how they should not be bound by the appearance-based judgement.
Besides, Khatija has been outspoken about her support for women-owned businesses. In an interview, she mentions how she believes women encounter different challenges and are oft held back from reaching their full potential. In the interview, Khatija says, “I am here because someone encouraged me, so I might wish to do an equivalent for other women.”
Khatija is a woman of today. Unencumbered, forging her path, taking down age-old notions together with her. She won’t let feminism be defined by the limits set by other human- beings and we applaud women like her. May your tribe grow.
SOURCE
https://elle.in/khatija-rahman-feminism/