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Be fit for Ramadan

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous. (Surah Al-Baqarah: Verse183) Many of you, like myself, are wondering how to maintain a level of fitness throughout the month of Ramadan, so as not to lose endurance and muscle…

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Ramadan and repentance, through a child’s eyes

I was nine years old when I made one of my first major pleas of repentance to God. It was Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. Kids are not required to fast until they hit puberty, but even in kindergarten, I hated being left out of Ramadan and begged my parents to let me fast. To put an end to my whining, they told me that if I didn’t eat anything between my meals, it would count as a “half-fast.”

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Not in my house

“H-H-Hello, Asalaamu’alaykum. Umm, my name is Amna and I have two young children. The state is terminating my parental rights, and there’s nothing I can do. I didn’t know who else to call.

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Why I keep the fact that I’m Muslim to myself

You wouldn’t know my secret by looking at me. You wouldn’t see me walking down the street and give me that knowing nod of understanding. Because, honestly, you can’t tell that I’m a Muslim. I’m a middle-aged woman (first time I wrote that out… ouch), born and raised in the…

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MuslimMatters: Celebrity Shaykhs and Spiritual Abuse

Shaykha Zaynab Ansari delves into what she calls a toxic environment involving our religious leaders — one where boundaries are crossed and women are deceived. At the center of this toxicity? The celebrity Shaykh. I believe the celebrity Shaykh is a victim of his own success, a product of the…

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Where are all the women?

“Organizing Inclusive Events.” When I saw this subject line in my inbox, my heart leapt. “It’s about time,” I triumphantly thought to myself as I opened the email. My excitement was short lived because once I scrolled down to the speaker lineup for the conference, I realized not a single…

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ISNA and #blacklivesdontmatter

As a Muslim woman of Afrikan descent raised within a predominately Arab-American community, I have had my fair share of frustrations. Like many other Black Muslims, I have to deal with many instances of subtle prejudices as well as blatant racism from first and second-generation South Asian and Arab-American Muslims….

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