Managing a chronic health condition, be it diabetes or depression, is never easy, and the attitude with which a person approaches a long-term health problem is intimately tied to his/her faith. It seems, however, along with serving as an anchor and a source of refugee, many Muslims’ iman discourages them from taking a pro-active approach when it comes to battling health problems. (1 comment)

Following his intimate exploration into the life of Aisha, wife of the Prophet, in Mother of the Believers, Kamran Pasha sets out to construct a world subject to countless legends, and centered on another of the Islamic world’s most sacred gems - Saladin. Shadow of the Swords is primarily set between Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem and King Richard the Lionheart’s departure from the Holy Land. (2 comments)

Part of me wants to apologize for the relative melodrama of this title. I concede, of course, that my own experiences pale in comparison to the racially-based oppression John Howard Griffin recorded in his famous account of segregation in the American South. That said, all we have to share is our own perspectives and individual tribulations, and I feel the banality of my own need not suppress their relevance. There is a tacit expectation that converting to a new religion necessitates an alteration of your own culture. (20 comments)

In early July this year, the Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak announced that two women had been appointed judges in the country's Syariah Courts. One of two court systems in Malaysia, these courts rule on cases that are subject to sharia law, which is based on Islamic principles. Women's groups, including Sisters in Islam (SIS), the group I belong to, hailed this as a long awaited move given the many problems that women face in the Syariah Courts, especially in matters related to the family. Long an advocate for justice and equality for Muslim women, SIS has been calling for female appointments since at least 1999. (1 comment)

Newsflash! All-out uninhibited, unrestricted sexual freedom is so last decade. A recent Slate article, “Why Is a Former Sex Blogger ‘Rethinking Virginity’?,” reported a drop in young women’s self-exposure on social networking sites. A survey of women bloggers who were previously in the “show more and tell all” school of thought (such as Lena Chen of the “Sex and the Ivy” blog) indicates they have now pulled the blinds down on the blog windows into their sexual lives. (2 comments)

Although it took many months of persistent coaxing on our and the community elders’ parts, my wife and I prevailed; even after we tied the knot though, I continued to feel burdened by the suspicion that we were only one among hundreds, if not thousands, of American Muslim couples who fought against families and communities opposed to their interracial marriage. Within the Muslim community, I realized the power of the unthinkable: When it came to marriage, some Muslims couldn’t even entertain the thought of marrying individuals from particular “groups.” The idea of a black Muslim man marrying an Arab Muslim girl was inconceivable. Joining an Indonesian and a Pakistani in holy matrimony...forget about it. (11 comments)

Seven years ago, I married a wonderful woman. My wife-to-be was an Arab-American Muslim and I was a Cuban-American Muslim. Both she and I considered our ethnic identities incidental; after all, although my Cuban family raised me and she was brought up by her Algerian parents, we both shared the “American” after the hyphen, which made us quite compatible. For starters, English was our stronger language. We also had a similar taste in books and films, shared congruous views on the philosophy and practice of our faith, and both knew who “The Simpsons” were. We were a perfect fit, or so we thought. (5 comments)

First things first: this is not an attempt to reconcile the Qur’an, Prophetic tradition, or classical Islamic thought with the cause of LGBTQ rights. Others more qualified than myself are doing that work. In fact, my argument depends somewhat on such a project being impossible. Let’s take for granted that Islam has no room for the accommodation of homosexuality - ignoring not only the efforts of reformist scholars, but also the numerous queer Muslims who are at peace with their bodies, hearts, and Creator. For a moment, let’s pretend that these intersections do not exist. (3 comments)

On 4th August 2010, Proposition 8, a ballot initiative whereby the California Constitution would only recognize marriage between a man and a woman, was overturned. It was a triumph for those who…well, support same-sex marriage – i.e., those on the political left. I agree with many other leftist issues, such as environmentalism. But as a Muslim, I cannot support same-sex marriage. (14 comments)

What to do about the war in Afghanistan is posed as a question of military strategy, of defense expenditures, of logistical technicalities; of political climate, secret safe havens and effective counter- insurgency… but almost never a question of women. In the meeting rooms on Capitol Hill, in seminars held at think tanks and universities around the U.S., and on talk shows where experts dissect the latest in the saga of American warfare, a resolute silence has surrounded the issue of Afghan women. (2 comments)

Laila stared at a slab of pork at the supermarket and calculated the cost of a nervous breakdown: $150 an hour for the shrink, $200 a month for pills not covered by insurance, another $200 for a homeopathic doctor and nutritionist, at least $500 for a lawyer to write up her will in case she became suicidal, and $850 for a self-actualization yoga retreat in California. Throw in another $600 for a couple of colonics and a massage. Expensive. The one thing Laila had inherited from Fatima, besides the nose, was the ability to do math and shop at the same time. A nervous breakdown, along with all her other medical expenses, was just not in the family budget. (0 comments)

Officially labeled as the worst accidental oil spill in history, the Gulf of Mexico disaster continues to find coverage, albeit waning due to media appeal. With the end seeming far away, I am left wondering what I, an ordinary citizen, can do to help against environmental degradation committed by corporations, the government and consumers. I turned to one of my heroes, Dr. Vandana Shiva, for her thoughts. Dr. Shiva is an environmental activist, writer and physicist from India. Her work has inspired many writings and movements. I asked Dr. Shiva about her thoughts on environmentalism, the career challenges she faced being a woman, and what citizens can do to help the cause. (4 comments)

I was preparing to graduate from law school and move on to the next stage in my professional life. As I searched for employment, it seemed equally important that I search for a spouse. My friends and family had made several attempts at introducing me to potentials they deemed compatible but to no avail. There were only so many single men within my community, and I thought I had exhausted the local options. Short of taking a road trip across the country to scout out potentials at Friday prayers in new and remote areas, I needed a way to meet people. (5 comments)

"Women are the complementing halves of men," said the Prophet Muhammed, who believed that a woman's role as a daughter, wife and mother doesn't presuppose her absence from the public sphere. The quest for strict gender segregation in many Muslim societies today is led by religious hardliners who view women only as a source of temptation, and who see no virtue in dignified male-female interaction. The Orientalists are often blamed for their sexualized depiction of Eastern women (especially in their portraits of harems), but some religious clerics go as far as to portray women as a source of temptation. (2 comments)

Screenwriter and author Kamran Pasha, whose work includes screenwriting credits for "24" and the novel "Mother of the Believers", has released a new book, "Shadow of the Swords: A Novel of the Crusades". An epic saga of love and war, "Shadow" tells the story of the Crusades from a Muslim perspective. Here is an excerpt from the new novel. (0 comments)

A few days ago, my kindergartner came up to me and, as usual, relayed the happenings of her day. I patiently listened to her stories as I prepared dinner, until she started to tell one that demanded more immediate attention. “Mommy,” she said, “Kayla told Emma today that she is ugly, but Rachel and I told Emma she is beautiful and that we needed to have a talk with Kayla.” "Wow," I thought to myself. "Does it really start this early?" (1 comment)

The depiction of women in the media has been the topic of countless articles; deliberators have filled many pages of text since the first person flipped on their television set and saw June Cleaver vacuuming in pearls. Some take the stance that there has been a drastic change since then, that we have come a long way with powerful characters such as Xena and MacKenzie Allen, the first woman president of the United States from the television show, Commander in Chief. Others conclude that with prime-time hits like The Bachelor, we’ve only moved backwards. Susan J. Douglas, author of Enlightened Sexism - The Seductive Message that Feminism’s Work is Done, posits a third opinion that is wrapped in the concept of enlightened sexism. (2 comments)

Most definitely. I’ve been husband sharing for 18 years. I’ve been married both monogamously and *polygynously, and I prefer husband sharing. *(Polygyny - marriage of one man to more than one woman - is the only form of polygamy that Islam allows.) The view that husband sharing is immoral, inherently inferior and dooms at least one of the parties involved to a lifetime of grief and hardship, is considered an undisputed fact by those who believe monogamous marriages are the only path to happiness. Unfortunately, most Muslims today have adopted this opinion. (202 comments)

It was 5 years after the events of 9/11. I was working as an architect and my current project had taken me to Seattle, Washington. For several months I had been out in the “Emerald City” and had gotten the opportunity to get to know the Muslim community through the iftars during Ramadan. During one of the fundraising iftars, the local community leaders asked me to be their architect for their new Islamic Center. (3 comments)

It’s another evening in one of the red light districts of Pakistan. It never seems to be quiet here except for the very early morning hours when the customers are home with their families or at work. The rickshaw drivers pound impatiently on their piercing horns, people shout at one another in Urdu or Punjabi, while stray, emaciated dogs bark and Bollywood music blares from the mujra dance halls. The humidity is relentless even though the sun has set several hours ago. (3 comments)