Culture

An alternate reality

Over the last year, one question HEART has repeatedly asked Muslim girls (ages 10-18) in various arenas is, “what are the top three challenges you face as an American Muslim girl?” Without fail, we receive the following responses: (1) hijab/self-esteem; (2) bullying; and (3) Islamophobia/stereotypes. Troubling? Yes. But completely understandable as these girls share the same interests, watch the same movies, and probably admire the same fashion as others; the only difference is that they are also trying to reconcile their Muslim identity with their American one.

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A crucial attempt to humanize Muslim Americans

Stereotypical Muslim misrepresentation in films is as old as film history itself, if not older, as seen in Orientalist paintings, novels, and plays which pre-date the invention of film by centuries. One of the founding fathers of cinema, Georges Méliès, directed The Terrible Turkish Executioner as early as 1904; in this short film, a Muslim/Turkish executioner chopped off four people’s heads in one swish, with a Sinbad-like sword wearing “typical Muslim garb.” Later, through the visual magic Melies was known for, the chopped heads rolled back to where they belong, and the four took their revenge by chopping off the executioner’s head.

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“Muslims need to start branching out into social services”

It’s no secret that Muslims in the West are effectively creating a new niche for themselves in the fabric of Western society. It’s also no secret that at the forefront of this societal shift is the often underrepresented and underserved Muslim youth. First, second and third generation Muslims in the West are a key demographic within the American Muslim narrative; having shed some of their parents’ more restrictive cultural traditions, this wave of Muslim youth is quickly working its way to the top of a myriad of professional industries (extending well beyond the traditional Muslim strongholds of medicine, engineering and law).

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Another look at an important book

One of the many issues Altmuslimah covers is the Muslim marriage crisis—not just the difficulty many Muslim women encounter when trying to find suitable matches but also the rising divorce rate in the Muslim American community. Altmuslimah has featured several commentaries on these and related topics. In her article, When I Think About Marrying, Zeba Iqbal explored the sheer irony of being told throughout her life that one’s level of education and professional success defines success, only to later be labeled a failure because she hadn’t also been able to secure a husband.

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Pushing back against schoolyard terror

Sixteen year old Kristian, a Muslim American student at a Staten Island public school in New York, recently confided in his parents about a serious problem that he faced every day at his school: being bullied and terrorized by four classmates at his school. Every day. For nine months. I had the opportunity to speak with Kristian and his parents recently, and the situation is shocking. The juveniles, who are minorities themselves, referred to Kristian as a terrorist and beat him during school, in the hallways and classrooms, often with teachers witnessing the inappropriate conduct.

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“We need to not stigmatize social interaction”

Yes, folks, marriage is still the talk of the town. From college campuses to young professionals networking events, and even crossing over to unlikely territory such as charity fundraisers, the conversation is unending; Muslims across the country seem to be preoccupied with getting, being, and staying married. To explore this issue further, we interview Shaykh Abdallah Adhami, who has been one of the most outspoken Muslim scholars on gender relations within Islam.

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State of the (superhero) nation: Faiza Hussein in British comics

Faiza Hussain is a British Muslim super heroine of Pakistani descent, introduced in the 2008-2009 comic series, Captain Britain and MI:13. For people who are unfamiliar with the shared universe of Marvel Comics: in 2008, there was a large scale alien invasion in the Marvel universe, and in order to reflect the international nature of this crisis, the new title, Captain Britain and MI:13, was brought out, bringing back some older Marvel UK characters in a new team. This being a definition of international that included both the U.S. and Britain.

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Yes, Muslims are also affected by eating disorders

It’s quite possible to think that eating disorders don’t affect Muslims. Whether it’s Nicole Richie or Lindsay Lohan, the issue of eating disorders is usually associated with rich, skinny and beautiful women. Suffice it to say, the Muslim girl or guy you went to school with or who sits next to you on the bus may also be secretly struggling from an internal battle of emotional chaos or what is otherwise considered as an eating disorder. She or he may close her room door tight, eat mounds of cookies hidden in her closet or say that she or he was full at a dinner party when she secretly was dying of hunger.

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A spiritual struggle with Facebook

I stared pensively at the question on the screen, “Are you sure you want to deactivate?” I took a deep breath and coaxed myself into remaining steadfast in my decision. I replayed all the heated debates with friends leading up to my decision: “It invades your privacy;” “Everyone knows your business;” “It’s a waste of time;” “It is [often useless] information overload.” I had resolved to click the “Yes” option, but now a wave of anxiety paralyzed my finger.

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