Before the Prophet Muhammad wrote down his laws in the Qur'an, the women of our world had no rights whatsoever. They were treated as mere objects or slaves. Our Prophet rectified this and said, "A woman is a mother, a daughter, or a sister. They are equal to men." Women were accorded rights and men had to respect us.

Do you know what the real problem is? Our men do not want to apply these rules! They just make up their own and act the exact opposite way. We have to listen and obey; a submissive woman is a good woman.

When I arrived in Belgium from Tunisia in 1995, I was not allowed to go to work. Instead, I had to stay at home, do the housekeeping, and take care of the children. Managing money was out of the question. I never got much education and I did not know any better than to abide by my husband's rules.

This life we led was a miserable one. At times my husband spent all the money, leaving nothing for the children. It didn’t matter much to me, he could do as he pleased. But for my daughters, I wanted things to be different. So I left my husband and found myself a job. Today, my children are at university where they will learn to build their own future. A woman who earns her own money wins people’s respect. Every day I ask them, “Did you study your lessons, do you have any assignments that need working on?” Proper education is important.

We women must change. When a man comes home, expects his food on the table, and wants to be served, should a woman come to his rescue? No, we can no longer allow that to happen. We must stop this submissive behaviour and we have to learn how to say no. A woman needs to recognise that she is equal to men.

That is what freedom entails.