ISSUE 010 // JASMIN SHARIF
If you would write your own manifesto, what would be the first manifestation?
As a political baby I literally said ‘awwwww’ out loud when I read this question. Second thought was, wait, what do I even answer! I think it would be ‘I will always imagine alternate worlds possible’. Lately I’ve been starting to grasp the concept and power of imagination. Not only for the sake of social justice, but also as a tool to reflect on our own positionalities.
Who do we want to be, where do we want to go? It offers room to think beyond the mundane, to free ourselves from limitedness. School, work, and similar institutions all give us defined frameworks. What if we recreate those frameworks and define our own? It opens the door to let creativity flow and freedom, critique and projects in. I think everyone should sign up for my upcoming manifesto.
What’s the biggest misconception about slow fashion and sustainability in general?
We should not cheer so fast that ‘slow fashion’ is the answer. What does that term even mean? The fashion industry is embedded in - and reproduces colonial structures, so the industry should be re-imagined all together in my humble opinion and research I’ve done. For sustainability I’d say that this has become a buzz-word moving away from what the term truly encompasses. Sustainability is about sustaining, so basically it means investing and treating with care to be able to also receive its fruits long term. Sustainability is not a ‘green lifestyle’ focused on vegan food or limiting plastic. It’s also about relationships and how to develop your life sustainably. Moreover, sustainability is not a Western concept, peoples all over the world have been using sustainable methods for ages. The ‘West’ is ‘forced’ into sustainability because we are only now waking up to the damage that a capitalist lifestyle is causing – woops!
“sustainability is not a Western concept, peoples all over the world have been using sustainable methods for ages. The ‘West’ is ‘forced’ into sustainability because we are only now waking up to the damage that a capitalist lifestyle is causing – woops!”
If you’re not into thrifting what are other options to shop in a sustainable way?
Not shopping :-) Or invest in high quality items. I think I even prefer that over thrifting. Try spending your money on well-designed pieces you can wear for ages. Automatically, it becomes a sustainable process because you’ll wear, use and love it in the long run. You might even develop a bond with it. There's a lot to learn from simply caring.
What is peace according to Jasmin?
When yung Jas started uni in 2014, she truly thought she could contribute to world peace by striving to work for the UN. It’s interesting to look back at my younger Self. Contemporary Jasmin figured that peace truly lies in small things. More specifically, I’d say it always comes back to deen. It’s in (re)turning to God. The age we live in manifests itself around ‘self care’ ‘meditation’ and ‘mindfulness’ – which I all deem important, don’t get me wrong – however, all of them are embedded within islam as well. There is so much love to be found there, such richness, plenty of peace. Being able to finish my 5 daily prayers grows a sense of rest and peace within me, in those meetings with God.
I wanted to give a disclaimer that I’m not trying to pretend to be super pious – but why do we even feel the need to justify ourselves and what we stand for as Muslim women at all times? There’s always nuances, fall backs and the reducibility of limited words. I think that’s also why it’s called two cents. Thank you for letting me share, Baya fam <"3