Recently, a blogosphere debate erupted on headscarves/hijab among various Muslim women. The debate was preceded by physical harassment against visibly Muslim women (see this, this, this, and this). The worsened climate of Islamophobia was greeted with shock and disgust by a number of Americans. A number of non-Muslim women—Dr. Larycia…
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Parents today are justifiably concerned about raising their kids in the Islamophobic and anti-Arab climate that seems to prevail in much of the Western world. Now is a good time to look at the potential silver linings and strategies we can use to make our children and youth stronger from…
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In a brightly lit office in Bradford’s Carlisle business centre, on a road lined with charity shops, grocery stores and a green-domed masjid, Bana Gora and her team at the Muslim Women’s Council (MWC) are organising final preparations before a much-awaited consultation about the UK’s first women-managed mosque. At the…
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A couple of months ago, I shared an article on my Facebook page about ‘Hijabi Hipsters’; a new generation of hijabis who fuse fashion with faith by wearing stylish hijab-friendly outfits. “Wow, that sounds like you!” One of my friends noted. Most of the other people in the thread seemed…
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I visited perhaps my favorite place in Istanbul today, the Sultan Ayyoub Ansari mosque and shrine … I came away feeling a bit destroyed instead of spiritually renewed. It was early in the day, before dhur prayer. There was no prayer going on, but the imam was giving a lecture….
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Andrews University is a private, Seventh-Day Adventist University that prides itself on being one of the “most culturally diverse universities in the nation,” according to the U.S. News and World Report. I attended Andrews University as an undergraduate and graduate student, and was later employed there as a full-time faculty…
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LETTER 1 of 2 As-Salaam-Alaikum: I don’t mean to bother you but this is disturbing my mind and I need an educated explanation. I was at a Muslim Sister’s Fashion Show (predominately African American sisters) when during casual conversation a young sister (mid 20s) stated that her husband is Christian….
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Make up a story… For our sake and yours forget your name in the street; tell us what the world has been to you in the dark places and in the light. Don’t tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief’s wide skirt and the stitch that…
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2015 was an extraordinary year for Muslim women. After being routinely consigned to the sidelines or discussed only for their dress choices, in 2015 Muslim women spoke up on issues ranging from the refugee crisis in Europe to the civil rights movement in America. TV shows and movies showcased the stories of exceptional…
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I love Christmas. Yes, that’s right, I said it. I’m a Muslim girl who loves Christmas. Having grown up not celebrating the yuletide holiday in the traditional sense, some may find this unusual, but when you live in a country that so fanatically celebrates the season, you can’t help but…
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