Hijab Scene #7 Mohja Kahf

Christmas: Portuguese greengages & Being Human, an anthology of poems by Neil Astley of BloodAxe Books.

Several Muslim women friends of mine have responded to the news today, appearing on TV, separating out the benefits for British Muslim women (& others) of speaking English from what is known about the causes of extremism.

I was given a wonderful book of poems by my daughter at Christmas.  She read to me In Praise of Walking by Thomas A Clark.

I also found Hijab Scene #7 by Mohja Kahf, a Damascus-born American woman.  Here it is.

No, I’m not bald under the scarf

No, I’m not from that country

where women can’t drive cars

No, I would not like to defect

I’m already American

But thank you for offering

What else do you need to know

relevant to my buying insurance,

opening a bank account,

reserving a seat on a flight?

Yes, I speak English

Yes, I carry explosives

They’re called words

And if you don’t get up

Off your assumptions,

They’re going to blow you away.