‘Defense ninja’: One Muslim woman’s journey to empowerment
Jan 13, 2020
4 minutes
F
auzia Lala was sparring with a teenage member of her tae kwan do class a few years ago when she felt him touch her breast. A provisional black belt, she was well versed in the intricacies of sparring, so when it happened several more times, she knew it was intentional.
Ms. Lala finished the match but didn’t feel as though she could speak up about what had happened. A Muslim who grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, she says she experienced harassment on the job several times when she worked for Microsoft, and had felt too frightened to speak up about it.
“Here I am a black belt that ended up crying and
“An empowering experience”Confronting harassment head-onYou’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
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