With all the stories on the Internet it can be difficult to always stay in the know. To help, we’ve searched the web for interesting pieces of news, videos and tips to help you start off your week on the right foot.
1. 7 Comedians That Are Breaking Stereotypes About Muslims
Mvslim has put together a list of seven Muslim comedians who are using their comedy to talk about what it’s like to be Muslim in today’s society. The list includes Maysoon Zayid, a Palestinian stand-up comedian with cerebral palsy that “refuses to allow her disability to determine how she lives her life,” The Daily Show correspondent Hassan Minaj and science teacher turned comedian Shazia Mirza.
[tweetthis]7 Comedians That Are Breaking Stereotypes About Muslims[/tweetthis]
2. Why Is Dating in the App Era Such Hard Work?
Rune Fisker
The Atlantic columnist Judith Shulevitz writes about how, over time, the definition, the understanding and the practice of dating has dramatically shifted.
“Americans are now considered prime candidates for dating from age 14 or younger to close to 30 or older,” Shulevitz writes. “That’s about 15 years, or roughly a fifth of their lives. For an activity undertaken over such a long period of time, dating is remarkably difficult to characterize. The term has outlasted more than a century’s worth of evolving courtship rituals, and we still don’t know what it means.”
[tweetthis]The Atlantic columnist Judith Shulevitz asked readers, “Why is dating in the app era such hard work?”[/tweetthis]
3. For Fashion Designer Christian Siriano, No Size Is Out Of Style
Christian Siriano, seen here in April, says, “Clothes and fashion should be fun and fabulous,” not stressful. Photo/Getty Images
Christian Siriano has been designing clothes since he was a teenager. The 31-year-old and his company, for the past decade, have dedicated their talents to making clothes for women of all shapes and sizes.
According to NPR, in his interview, Siriano explained that whether it be high-end or discount products, he has always worked to be inclusive in his designs.
“I had my mom, who was super fashionable, but my mom was a size 16 growing up; and my sister was really into clothes but a size zero,” Siriano said. “So I had this really interesting world always around me.”
After his company’s launch, Siriano said, “We just had every size customer coming asking for things. So it just felt very normal from Day 1 in the company.”
Siriano is known for the big moments that his designs have been a part of: Michelle Obama wearing one of his dresses to the Democratic National Convention in July and dressing nine of the stars on the this year’s red carpet for the Emmys. However, few people realize that Siriano designs are also hanging on the racks at Lane Bryant and lining shelves at Payless.
[tweetthis]”Clothes and fashion should be fun and fabulous,” not stressful,” says designer Christian Siriano.[/tweetthis]
4. How Britain’s young Muslims are tapping into a £2 trillion market
Ali Imdad at Artisan in Birmingham. Photo/Nick Wilkinson/BPM Media
The Guardian’s religion correspondent Harriet Sherwood writes about the growing market for high-end products purchased by Muslim consumers.
Sherwood writes that Ali Imdad, a Great British Bake Off contestant in 2013, and his business partner Vakas Mohammed, have opened a dessert restaurant called the Artisan in Ladypool Road, Birmingham. According to Sherwood, Artisan has become a well known destination for couples and friends to meet at after dinner.
“A lot of Muslims won’t go to a bar or a club, but going out for mocktails and dessert is a good alternative,” Imdad said. “People want to spend money on high-quality products and experiences.”
The growth of not just his businesses but others like it, Imdad says, is due to the “rising disposable income of young Muslims.”
At the end of October, Imdad will take part in the Muslim Lifestyle Expo, which showcases businesses aimed at to please the budding market. Sherwood writes that, “worldwide, the sector is forecast to be worth more than £2 trillion by the end of this decade, according to the State of the Global Islamic Economy report, and is growing at nearly double the rate of the global economy generally.”
[tweetthis]Britain’s young Muslims are tapping into a £2 trillion market.[/tweetthis]
5. Hillary Clinton Is Organizing Muslim Voters. They Could Decide The Election.
Mohammed Gula, left, leads the Clinton campaign’s Muslim outreach in Toledo, Ohio.
Photo/The Huffington Post
According to the Huffington Post the Clinton campaign hopes that by organizing Muslim communities, they’ll be able to gain the voter they need to win.
“Reaching out to Muslim-Americans is not a numbers-driven game for the campaign,” Farooq Mitha, Muslim outreach director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, told the publication. “Muslim-Americans have been part of this country for centuries and have a long history here, and have been contributors to the United States across many fields ― entrepreneurs, job creators, teachers, firemen, police officers. It’s a community that’s very important.”
Huff Post reports that Muslims make up roughly 1 percent of the U.S. population—about 3.3 million people. Currently the Council on American-Islamic Relations is undergoing a large voter registration drive with 824,000 Muslims registered to as of June. According to Huff Post, in states like Florida, Michigan and Virginia the Muslim population is large enough to sway a close election.
[tweetthis]Muslim voters could decide the election and Hillary Clinton is noticing.[/tweetthis]
[tweetthis]altM’s weekly roundup of news[/tweetthis]
This list was curated by Kaitlin Montgomery, altM News Editor
