Muslim Men on gender, love, and community
[title maintitle=”” subtitle=”Footnotes on science fiction, politics & Muslim protagonists”] I remember the first, bonafide adult books I read: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. They changed me irreparably and began a lifelong addiction to science fiction. Kurt Vonnegut helped me understand the trauma…
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[title maintitle=”” subtitle=”As Salaamu Alaikum, peace, to any and all reading.”] Last Tuesday, three Arab-American Muslim students, two of them newlyweds, were murdered execution style in their own Chapel Hill, NC apartment. The murders, and subsequent lack of media coverage, sparked widespread outrage among the Muslim community, which expressed its…
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Dear Mo, Salaam, I met a guy through a friend and because things are going well, I’d like to know whether or not he sees a future with me. I am refraining from broaching the subject because so far he and I have not discussed our pasts in detail. Relationship…
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After its recent retreat in Jerusalem, the Muslim Leadership Initiative (MLI), an interfaith collaboration sponsored by the Shalom Hartman Institute, became the subject of an intense conversation within the American Muslim community. Several MLI participants publicly shared their experiences on the trip, and subsequently, critiques were raised against their participation….
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Dr. Aslam Abdullah is the Imam for the Islamic Society of Nevada (ISON) in Las Vegas. He discussed his experiences with and perspective on domestic violence within the Muslim American community with altmuslimah editor Najiyah Khan.
In 2012, Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi released Love, InshAllah – The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women, hoping to spur a “more compassionate and respectful intra-faith dialogue” about relationship complexities within the Muslim community.
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“What the hell do you mean by ‘a few dates’?” my wife asked me through a cold, tight smile. We’ve been married for ten-ish years, but when I recently accepted a Facebook friend request from an old acquaintance who I’d dated in high-school, I felt obligated to disclose this tiny detail. Small mistake. My wife’s voice was tinged with jealousy.
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The racist reactions to Nina Davuluri’s Miss America pageant victory were indeed alarming. Nonetheless, there is much to unpack from the incident, and considered compassion can and should be as much a part of the American Muslim reaction as outrage.
For purposes of this analysis, let us consider racism as stemming largely from two places. One – racism as a function of power and greed. Two – racism as a function of vulnerability and relative helplessness.
With Malala Yousafzai’s recent turn addressing the UN, some have expressed concern, bordering on disdain, for Western media outlets and politicians who are vociferously amplifying Malala’s celebrity. For example, Assed Baig recently wrote for the UK edition of the Huffington Post an article titled, “Malala Yousafzai and the White Savior Complex.” Baig, giving voice to the feelings of many, remarked, “… Malala has been used as a tool by the West…
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No performance in recent memory did more to spark dialogue on women’s empowerment, misogyny and sexuality than Beyoncé’s Super Bowl Halftime show this past Sunday. The mixed reactions show how Beyoncé’s seemingly conflicting messages can be a conundrum for many. For those whose religious traditions place an emphasis on modest clothing, it can seem that Beyoncé is wholeheartedly buying into the woman-as-object form of marketing and consumption.
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