“You really shouldn’t fast,” an Indian hematologist in Bahrain warned me after I had been fasting for eleven years. She cautioned me that my iron levels were alarmingly low. “I’m concerned with your liquid intake more than the food. Your stomach isn’t big enough to accommodate both.”
It’s a time for reflection for everyone, including the altMuslimah staff. Join us in reflecting upon our memories and traditions during the month of Ramadan. From family time escapades to the gift of solace, we each have something we would like to share with our readers.
“She made me do it.” I hear this phrase all too often, and each time I hear it my heart bleeds.
Read More
What brings comfort to my heart as a mother? I long for the day when my kids want for themselves what I want for them – pure hearts, faith, health, open minds, great character and the drive to succeed. Many of these things come through the guidance and opportunities we give as parents. Unfortunately, often times the inequality of opportunities creates unequal results. One of the reasons I started Connecther is to find like-minded women who share these passions and to support the amazing work they are doing to create opportunities in their communities.
Read More
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.
There is a new site out there that calls itself “the Craigslist for the Muslim community.” As a host site for different services, muslimdistrict.com also provides matchmaking services for the ever-growing Muslim community of North America- a resource that, if depleted, would leave us in an epic dilemma! AltMuslimah’s Shazia K. Farook sat with the founders of muslimdistrict.com to find out more.
Read More
The first time I worked on Mother’s Day, I saw the day through a different lens. My patient’s mother usually came in every morning after her night shift job and passed out on the hospital sleeper chair for a few hours. But that morning, she arrived wearing her Sunday best and her finest pearls. In her hand was a camera, and a satin dress for the baby. She wanted a picture with her daughter, and asked if we could do everything possible to make her look less like a patient and more like a “normal” child.
Read More
Since 2012, I have dedicated my passion and time to a grassroots organization in Calgary, Alberta called the New Muslim Circle which provides support and a sense of community to new Muslims and seekers. Recently, a dear friend joined our weekly gatherings; my happiness to see her interest in our group was blunted by confusion when she approached me one day, worried that her choice of clothing wouldn’t be “appropriate” for a “Muslim” gathering and that she would be judged for her personal style choices.
Read More
Giving birth is, in so many ways, an act of faith. It involves a kind of radical trust in our bodies that I equate with tawakkul, trust in Allah, the One who made our bodies. For me, being a doula is also an act of faith. A doula is someone who supports and comforts a mother in childbirth, building a relationship with her over the weeks leading up to the delivery and sometimes continuing to support a new mother in the weeks that follow.
Read More
<< From the Altmuslimah archives >> “Mommy, why are the women in the back?” my daughter asked me when she was just three years old. I wasn’t prepared for this. The truth is I had been hoping that she wouldn’t ask me because I wasn’t convinced that the women should be behind the men during prayer. I also knew that it wasn’t a requirement for congregational prayer. I felt conflicted because I wanted my beautiful, brilliant little girl to come to love prayer and praying in congregation.
Read More