Secrets & Sisterhood: The Sozahdahs on Disney+ is something, at first glance, you would tune in to watch if you had a Kardashian-shaped void to fill.
The bouncy blowdries, outfit choices to die for, careers to aspire to and social lives to make us want to hit the town pronto, all set among the glitzy backdrop of Los Angeles, with ten (yes ten!) uber-glamorous sisters living their best lives while partaking in a few squabbles along the way — it's most definitely the definition of reality television success.
But the journeys of the siblings, Shaista, Halimah, Khadija, Rabya, Shakur, Muzlefa, Jamila, Siddiqa, Nooreya and Hamida Sozahdah, who all identify as American-Muslim, don't just make for a seamless watching experience, but it inevitably goes on to redefine what it means to be a Muslim woman living in the west.
Dubbed as "raw, real and rife with shocking revelations" by Disney+, which bagged the streaming rights to the series in the UK, while Hulu airs the show in the US, the ten-parter follows the sisters as their "faith and bonds are put to the ultimate test while trying to navigate cultural expectations, their careers, and love in Los Angeles".
One thing that has been echoed throughout the series is that it has undoubtedly been a long journey for the Sozahdahs to get to where they are today, as their story has been one of perseverance, strength and overcoming unimaginable tragedy from the beginning.
Along with their firstborns Shaista, Khaija, Halimah, and Rabya, the Sozahdah's parents fled from Afghanistan during the Russian invasion to the United States in the eighties, where the rest of the sisters were born and raised with strict conservative values. Unfortunately, in 1999, their father was tragically murdered, leaving their mother to raise ten daughters alone.
The mother's sacrifices and efforts aren't to be forgotten by the sisters as they swear by the saying "family over everything", despite the trials and tribulations that "threaten to tear them apart".
And adversity, heartache and life-altering predicaments are exactly what they go through in the series, which, quite frankly, left me completely shocked by the storylines of multiple sisters as I obsessively binged the series. And having also been raised with similar values, my shock didn't stem from any source of moral contention. My shock stemmed from the pride I felt for these sisters to have the courage to bring their stories to light while breaking traditional stereotypes and brilliantly addressing stigmas regarding their respective situations.
In one prominent storyline, Hamida, the youngest of the sisters, is seen struggling to come to terms with her sexuality while acknowledging that the exploration may come at the expense of her Islamic faith and her loved ones. Meanwhile, sister Jamila begins the series by revealing her fears in telling her fellow sisters that she is pregnant out of wedlock, despite her excitement at becoming a mother. Tragically, she suffers a miscarriage, and while she confides in a few sisters of her pain, her worry about telling "the elders" is heartbreaking.
"We were raised in a very conservative Muslim household," sister Nooreya told PEOPLE of the younger sister's constant struggle to juggle their everyday lives with their culture and faith. "The elder sisters are a little bit more traditional." In comparison, Khadija, who is the third sister, stated: "Religion is important to me. And some of the things that they do, frankly, I don't agree with," with her making her feelings about Hamida's sexuality very clear during the season.
Needless to say, Secrets & Sisterhood: The Sozahdahs offers an in-depth and layered look at what it means to be a modern Muslim woman while addressing the issues, stereotypes and cultural expectations that run rampant in the community.
Personally, I can only stress enough how alienating it can be to grow up in a household where the ability to indulge in your journey of self-worth, identity and place in the world can come at the expense of ingrained cultural morals and religious beliefs. While, as a woman, I feel like I have finally done the work to understand who I am, the conversations, belief patterns and expectations I was exposed to as a child still affect me to this very day, and I still hold on to a certain level of bitterness that I could probably be much ahead in multiple aspects of my life if I hadn't been so deeply conflicted, fearful and affected by what appeared to be a choice I had to make as a child on how my life was to be lived.
I know that I would have loved to see the Sozahdahs sisters on my screen growing up because I can only commend them for being fiercely brave and for doing what can be quite a complex, nearly impossible, thing for others to do. There are millions of Muslim women in the world, and to have the argument that they are all exactly the same and live their life in the same manner would be naive, as would thinking that situations that the Sozahdahs went through don't happen at all to other women from the same background.
With the show highlighting how ten sisters from the same family can be so incredibly different in the way they see and value their lives, from the younger 'Wolf Pack' to the conservative elders, I can only hope that it can help others feel less lonely as they attempt to navigate their own life stories when it comes to religion and culture (and careers, love, relationships, finances - the list is exhausting).
Of course, it's also important to note that the show would always have been subject to significant backlash. Still, it looks as though many others have wholeheartedly welcomed the portrayal of these ten Muslim-American sisters, who have a whole lot to say, and we're here to listen.
"So damn proud of @hulu. These women are so beautiful, smart, courageous, constructive but relentless which makes great tv," one person tweeted. "So happy there's finally a Muslim and SWANA show that's not obsessed with stereotypes but showing the true layer of women like them #SecretsAndSisterhood."
Another rightfully noted: "It's unfortunate that the Sozahdahs had to turn off comments on their TikToks. If they were brothers instead of sisters no one would bat an eye. Plenty of Muslim men drink, have unmarried sex, and have kids out of wedlock. #SecretsAndSisterhood."
I can only echo that it was well past time we saw a show like this, so roll on a second season! In the meantime, I just have one pressing question: Where can I sign up to be the eleventh sister?
Secrets & Sisterhood: The Sozahdahs is currently streaming on Disney+.
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