I am a 36-year-old Muslim woman and am happily engaged to a wonderful man who I plan to marry this year. I have reached this healthy place after 27 years of depression, self-doubt and subsequent counselling. A major component of my healing has been my autobiography, “Brutal,” a book in which I spare no details and for which I make no apologies. And what compelled me, an ordinary Muslim woman from Midlands, England to share my life story?
Read MoreBeirut – Kholoud Sukkarieh, a Sunni Lebanese woman and Nidal Darwish, a Shi’a Lebanese man, recently decided to get a civil marriage in Lebanon. As this institution doesn’t exist in the country, unsurprisingly, the Lebanese government did not recognise the civil union. But the couple succeeded in getting the attention of the country’s politicians and religious leaders.
Read MoreWhen my son, Ibrahim, passed away, I experienced pain beyond my imagination. I felt it in every part of my being, from the superficial gash of my caesarean to my shattered heart. At times I wished I could join Ibrahim in heaven and not have to face my empty womb and lap. I appreciate all the love and support from friends and family that kept me afloat. Without them, I would not have survived.
Read MoreLet me preface this piece by saying, this is a work in progress. I am a work in progress. Although I am not at the end of my journey, I feel compelled to share my story, if you’re willing to hear it.
I call myself a survivor. And what did I survive? When I was thirteen, and again when I was fifteen, I was sexually abused by my maternal uncle. Only a handful of people, including my husband, know this, but I suspect there are more Muslim girls carefully hiding this very same “dirty” secret than the Muslim-American community would like to believe.
Read More“If God made everything, the sun, the trees, the Earth, then … who made God?” “Where was I before God made me?” Zaynab, my five-year-old daughter, has been asking questions about faith, God and her purpose in the world at an ever-increasing rate. She is at that amazing, tender age where her universe of possibilities is expanding at lightning speed. . . . As a parent, my struggle is to preserve that innocence and keep her faith experience as joyful and wondrous as it is now. I realise, though, how difficult that is going to be.
Read MoreIf rape is facilitated by self-serving, cultural interpretations of religion, then teaching religion correctly is the answer to eradicating it. The early Muslim women, including Prophet Muhammad’s wife Khadijah (RA), were educated leaders who stood toe-to-toe with men who accepted, respected, and learned from them. The Qur’an itself states that strong, smart, ambitious women are invaluable allies in this life and in the next.
Read More“It appears to be that a rod was inserted into her and it was pulled out with so much force that the act brought out her intestines along. That is probably the only thing that explains such severe damage to her intestines,” he said.
I was at work when I read this. I had to leave my desk to go to the bathroom to cry. Through various points in the day, this detail drifted into my consciousness. I couldn’t un-read it. Or un-imagine it.
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By the grace of God, I met the end of 2012 in a state of blissful contentment. However, this didn’t come without struggle. I was reminded of a particular difficulty I experienced when I was cleaning out my inbox and I came across an unsent email. My heart felt heavy at the memory of how I felt when I wrote it. “It’s been a hell of a year, Sarah,” I thought. “What a way to mark your ten-year hijabiversary.”
Read MoreThe Chaudrys always rolled with the punches during the holidays. Despite the fact that we are a Pakistani-American Muslim family, my childhood is filled with as many holiday and Christmas memories that a self-professing believer could possibly have within the boundaries of Islamic theology. It was good times. Things were simpler thirty-odd years ago.
Read MoreUpon the recommendation of a friend and in preparation for holiday feasts I purchased yet another cookbook, (“Another one!” my husband would say), but this time it was more than just that. Released in October, the title of the book is Jerusalem: A Cookbook and it is jointly written by two chefs, Israeli-born Yotam Ottolenghi, and Palestinian chef, Sami Tamimi.
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