Breaking the Status quo one Ollie at a time
Skateboarding has been a popular pastime for ages now. Let me rephrase that, skateboarding has been a popular Western pastime for ages now. Nope, one more time, skateboarding has been a popular Western pastime for guys for ages now. There we go, that’s the truth of it. Skateboarding exploded in popularity during the ’70s and continued on till the late 2000s in part to it being an alternative lifestyle choice, the viral videos of the time, and of course because of the X Games.
But one thing has always been the same, most of these events, videos and hype have always been about Western men. Well, a group of Muslim women are challenging this status quo. The Skater Uktis are a group of Muslim women from all over the world breaking this long-held status quo. Ukti, or Ukhti, is an Arabic term of endearment meaning “my sister”, which perfectly encompasses this community. The group which started out in January 2020 has over 23 members from 14 countries, including Saudi Arabia and they describe themselves as a sisterhood run by the sisterhood. That in and of itself sounds pretty badass, but the Uktis say that they are not here to challenge anyone’s views or stereotypes, just for skate and spiritual seshes.
The Uktis regularly hold halaqas known as ‘Spiritual Seshes’ over zoom where they talk about everything from faith to mental health, and it’s open to women of all faiths thereby fostering an endearing sense of openness and support.
They plan to continue expanding and recruiting women from all over the world and eventually opening up a membership portal to the public.
Uktis for the W!
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