The Muslim community has always been exclusive but The Digital Sisterhood is on the brink of mainstream success. The Digital Sisterhood is a podcast focused on the empowerment of Muslim women and it has gathered a huge following due to its discussions and sensitive topics affecting 21st-century Muslims.
Evidence of its popularity can be found on Apple Podcasts where The Digital Sisterhood hit the fourth spot on the “Top New Show” chart and is currently No. 1 in the Islam & Spirituality category for the US, UK, New Zealand, and Australia.
The founder and host of the podcast is Cadar Mohamud, 29, who graduated university last year with a major in human rights and equity studies from York University.
The podcast was birthed after Muna Scekomar, founder of Beautiful Light Studios, approached Mohamud, after struggling to get story ideas about Black and Muslim people accepted elsewhere.
The podcast hasn’t shied away from topics that might be seen as taboo by the Muslim community. And listeners are connecting with it.
Some cover dark topics. In Episode 13, a woman under the alias “Sabryna” spoke about her experience of being sexually assaulted. In an interview with BuzzFeed, Mohamud noted that many people reached out asking if they could get in touch with Sabryna to share their own stories and took comfort in hearing from other survivors of sexual assault.
Mohamud also said that a lot of younger women and children have been contacting him about the episode. One child as young as 11 reached out also.
What was most powerful about Sabryna’s story was that she told listeners that what happened to them wasn’t their fault and reminded them of their worth — a message that is not always spoken about loudly in Muslim communities.
Some episodes are not heavy, but people who have experienced a similar situation as the guests on that episode often share that they feel stronger after listening.
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