The government of Turkey lifted its decades-long hijab ban in middle and high schools yesterday, about a year after the nation lifted the hijab ban for women working in state and civil occupations. This loosening of restraints on the hijab ban demonstrates the Turkish government’s shifting attitude towards the hijab…
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As school begins and the weather becomes chilly, I just want to throw on some sweatpants and a comfy tee. But then again I also hate looking a bum. Thanks to fashion, there is a solution: graphic tees! These tees are perfect for fall and can be dressed up or…
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Somewhere in America, there are Muslim women cringing at the controversy that a two minute video produced by the Mipsterz (Muslim Hipsters) unleashed. Numerous blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts have been written in the weeks since its release – some supportive, some ambivalent, and most downright nasty.
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While I was, literally, sleeping, this video came out a couple of weeks ago. I watched it quickly and loved the diversity and strength of women that it represented.
Read MoreFrom the comments and the articles around “South Asian style” arranged marriage on Love, InshAllah and AltMuslimah, one thing seems quite clear.
We all want to be heard. We all need to be loved.
And because of that need, we’re angry. In pain. Afraid. We want to get what we think we deserve–at the expense of our fellow Muslim and human being.
In a Pakistani interview long before becoming a household name, Malala shared her dreams of becoming a politician, gave advice on foreign policy (including drones), and thanked the Pakistani Army for their successful operation in Swat. Malala was a force to be reckoned with long before the Taliban shot her in the head. And despite their best efforts to silence her, she is an even greater force to be reckoned with now.
Read MoreThe ideal Muslimah… is not afraid to have her own personality, whether she is as wise as Khadijah, passionate as A’ishah, fierce as Hind, noble as Zaynab, or demure as Maymunah.
The ideal Muslimah… follows the sunnah of Khadijah and uses her financial savvy to benefit the Ummah… and doesn’t allow others to tell her that she’ll never get a man that way.
It has been three months since my story, Why Yes, I’m an Islamophobe, was published. The response to this article, has actually, become a matter of great concern for me now because I did not think there would be rishtas (proposals) from families of men pouring in from the US, UK, Canada and Europe, as my mother quoted to one of my aunts, recently. My mother could not handle the situation because “lesbian”, “gay”, “queer” are terms that are beyond her vocabulary. Her classical response to my relatives is, “Well, you know Fakhra,” followed by a quiet that is frustrating. Additionally, since I lost my job recently and have few prospects – most of which are from my “ex-rapists” – to my mother, rishtas seem like the most logical solution to “save my face” whereas for my father, I have no updates on my job status.
Read MoreAn interview with Robina Niaz, Executive Director of Turning Point
Read MoreTo many of us, it’s a dejavu. It reminds us all about Sr. Aasiya Zubair’s murder in February of 2009.
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