Cultural stigmas have existed for thousands of years, yet never have I ever been more haunted by the unfortunate effect they have on mental and physical health outcomes. As a One Chicago, One Nation (OCON) Community Ambassador, I brought together a diverse group of young women and girls to talk about self-esteem, peer pressure, and its relationship with making healthy, responsible choices.
Read MoreWhen you are a mother, you will know. This is usually the closing statement at the end of a long-winded argument between mother and daughter. The two bicker over everything under the sun, from what outfit the daughter should wear to Aunt Aliya’s dinner party to whether she should take up the job opportunity in Way-Too-Far-To-Even-Discuss-Town, USA.
Read MoreSeeking professional counseling in the Muslim community has long had a stigma attached to it. Looking deeper into the intracommunity dialogue, we see that various cultural groups rationalize mental health education differently. For example, in South Asian communities, if an individual shows signs of needing mental attention, black magic (hoaxes or curses) is often suspected as the culprit behind the mental illness. It wasn’t until my own experience in a powerless state, where I needed external guidance to work through my emotional distress, did I fully understand the necessity of reevaluating harmful societal norms and liberating oneself of those misconceptions.
Read MoreManaging a chronic health condition, be it diabetes or depression, is never easy, and the attitude with which a person approaches a long-term health problem is intimately tied to his/her faith. It seems, however, along with serving as an anchor and a source of refugee, many Muslims’ iman discourages them from taking a pro-active approach when it comes to battling health problems.
Read More
Following his intimate exploration into the life of Aisha, wife of the Prophet, in Mother of the Believers, Kamran Pasha sets out to construct a world subject to countless legends, and centered on another of the Islamic world’s most sacred gems – Saladin. Shadow of the Swords is primarily set between Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem and King Richard the Lionheart’s departure from the Holy Land.
Read More
Laila stared at a slab of pork at the supermarket and calculated the cost of a nervous breakdown: $150 an hour for the shrink, $200 a month for pills not covered by insurance, another $200 for a homeopathic doctor and nutritionist, at least $500 for a lawyer to write up her will in case she became suicidal, and $850 for a self-actualization yoga retreat in California. Throw in another $600 for a couple of colonics and a massage. Expensive. The one thing Laila had inherited from Fatima, besides the nose, was the ability to do math and shop at the same time. A nervous breakdown, along with all her other medical expenses, was just not in the family budget.
Read More
Officially labeled as the worst accidental oil spill in history, the Gulf of Mexico disaster continues to find coverage, albeit waning due to media appeal. With the end seeming far away, I am left wondering what I, an ordinary citizen, can do to help against environmental degradation committed by corporations, the government and consumers. I turned to one of my heroes, Dr. Vandana Shiva, for her thoughts. Dr. Shiva is an environmental activist, writer and physicist from India. Her work has inspired many writings and movements. I asked Dr. Shiva about her thoughts on environmentalism, the career challenges she faced being a woman, and what citizens can do to help the cause.
Read More
Screenwriter and author Kamran Pasha, whose work includes screenwriting credits for “24” and the novel “Mother of the Believers”, has released a new book, “Shadow of the Swords: A Novel of the Crusades”. An epic saga of love and war, “Shadow” tells the story of the Crusades from a Muslim perspective. Here is an excerpt from the new novel.
Read MoreA few days ago, my kindergartner came up to me and, as usual, relayed the happenings of her day. I patiently listened to her stories as I prepared dinner, until she started to tell one that demanded more immediate attention. “Mommy,” she said, “Kayla told Emma today that she is ugly, but Rachel and I told Emma she is beautiful and that we needed to have a talk with Kayla.” “Wow,” I thought to myself. “Does it really start this early?”
Read MoreThe depiction of women in the media has been the topic of countless articles; deliberators have filled many pages of text since the first person flipped on their television set and saw June Cleaver vacuuming in pearls. Some take the stance that there has been a drastic change since then, that we have come a long way with powerful characters such as Xena and MacKenzie Allen, the first woman president of the United States from the television show, Commander in Chief. Others conclude that with prime-time hits like The Bachelor, we’ve only moved backwards. Susan J. Douglas, author of Enlightened Sexism – The Seductive Message that Feminism’s Work is Done, posits a third opinion that is wrapped in the concept of enlightened sexism.
Read More