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. Reading Feminism and Islam: A Starter Pack
The Platform
Zahra Khan, a guest writer for Feminism In India, an aerospace engineer and Muslim feminist curated a list of eight books that focus on the intersection of Islam and feminism. Khan writes that her exploration of and introduction to Muslim women scholars’ work was “eye-opening” and “joy-causing.”
“As a practicing Muslim who is uncomfortable with many practices within the Muslim community and the religious justifications backed up with Quran and Hadith used for those practices, reading works by feminist Muslim scholars, activists and artists has been a source of comfort and hope that certain community practices can be challenged and improved through faith-rooted efforts,” Khan writes.
2. Photographer depicts the ways hijab and niqab can empower women
Yumna Al-Arashi
Photographer Yumna Al-Arashi after a recent trip to Yemen on assignment as a photojournalist, said she became annoyed by a question she was asked over and over again by outsiders: How are women treated in the Middle East?
Al-Arashi told the Huffington Post that she felt as though the question framed the women she knew as strong leaders in their families and communities as victims who needed some kind of protection.
“There was a fight in me to defend them after being so drained of hearing the repeated question of my experiences as a woman in the Middle East,” Al-Arashi said.
Because Al-Arashi was traveling shortly before the Yemeni Civil War erupted, uncertainty loomed. Although the atmosphere felt unsafe for anyone, being an American journalist was especially dangerous. However, while wearing both the hijab and the niqab, Al-Arashi says she felt safe within the head and body coverings and found them to be a source of strength and protection.
“There was a certain power I experienced while wearing the hijab, I wanted to capture that,” Al-Arashi said.
In her series “Northern Yemen,” she captures the beauty of the Yemeni landscape as well as the women who inhabit it.
“I wanted to show another side of wearing the hijab, one that portrays ninja-like qualities; power, grace, beauty,” Al-Arashi said. “Through this, I learned how to embrace the need to wear the hijab in such countries, and the advantages it brought me in my work.”
[tweetthis]Photographer Yumna Al-Arashi showcases the beauty and strength that women feel while wearing the hijab and niqab in her series “Northern Yemen.”[/tweetthis]
3. Here are the ways Muslims are marking Ramadan across the world
Malaysian Muslims break their fast on the first day of Ramadan. Manan Vatsyayana / AFP / Getty Images
Buzzfeed collected images from 16 different countries around the world showcasing how Muslims all over the globe celebrated the month of Ramadan.
4. 30 reasons why #BlackOutEid is swag and beautiful
Earlier this week, #BlackOutEid was trending everywhere from Abuja to Minneapolis. Black Muslims flooded Twitter with photos in their most swagged out, beautiful outfits – showing the world that black is beautiful.
The creator of the hashtag, @krennylavitz, said she wanted to create an online space specifically for black Muslims. With the help of Twitter she said she hoped to level the playing field citing that black Muslim beauty isn’t typically showcased due to anti-blackness.
The Tempest gathered 30 of its favorite tweets with the hashtag that showcase joy, family and Eid traditions.
5. Photos: A world of Muslim style, for celebrating Eid in the United States
Borrowing from a range of cultures and fashions for Eid. Nushmia Khan / Quartz
Quartz spoke with attendees at an Eid prayer in Chicago’s Navy Pier to talk with them about what they decided to wear to the event and why.
Referencing the popular saying of the Prophet Muhammad, “Verily, God is beautiful, and He loves beauty” Quartz writer Nushmia Khan writes that the saying has inspired centuries of intricate dress and architecture across the Islamic world.
“Many Muslims celebrate by dressing their best on Eid,” Khan writes. “The Prophet Muhammad was known to have worn his best cloak for both Eid holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.”
[tweetthis]altM’s weekly roundup of news[/tweetthis]
This list was curated by Kaitlin Montgomery, altM News Editor
