The Othered Woman

‘Shahed Ezaydi has long been a vocal critic of white feminism and is a fierce advocate of inclusivity and women’s rights. Her debut book, The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women, is an in-depth analysis of the toxic influence of white feminism and its impact on Muslim women globally’

‘Shahed Ezaydi’s work deftly traces how both the state and white feminist practices consistently vilify and dismiss Muslim women through a kaleidoscope of Islamophobia and racism. The Othered Woman is also an important corrective, underscoring the Muslim activists and thinkers challenging these harmful narratives’

‘An urgent, vital contribution to the feminist conversation – one that tears through the comfortable myth of universal sisterhood’

‘A radical, eye-opening analysis of the marginalisation that Muslim women face that leaves no stone unturned. Powerful and truth telling’

‘Shahed incisively lays out the deep entanglement between white feminism and Islamophobia. This is a necessary read that lays bare how Muslim women have been persistently sidelined by the very movements claiming to fight for our liberation’

‘A powerful, clear-eyed reckoning with the exclusions at the heart of white feminism. Shahed Ezaydi illuminates what so many need to see. The Othered Woman is the read we need in book clubs up and down the country – there’s so much to learn here and even more to talk about’

‘A brilliant read. Meticulously researched and robustly articulated, this is a timely analysis of white feminism’s performative solidarity and the damage it causes Muslim women’

‘Resisting (the) hate narrative, Shahed Ezaydi centres Muslim women’s voices and celebrates inspirational Muslim women of the past and the present. This is essential reading in today’s polarised world where States and social media allow hate to flourish, providing wider society with “permission to hate” Muslim women as ‘Other”

‘Like swallowing the red pill of Feminism. Truly enlightening. Shahed writes with the familiarity of a “tell it like it is” truth-telling friend and packs a painful, at times, page-turning punch. A reminder and a prescription for all feminists (and everyone) to take their medicine’

Shahed Ezaydi is a writer and editor, specialising in features and reporting on culture, social issues and feminism. She is a writer at Stylist and editor of the Peaks of Colour Nature Journal. Previously an editor at Bustle and Aurelia, Ezaydi has written for a range of publications, including Dazed, Glamour, and gal-dem.