When I was asked to sit down and write my thoughts on Muslim Masculinity, I hit a wall. The reason for this is mostly a function of my present situation. I’ve been in a successful marriage for the last five years of my life while raising two children as a…
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Becoming a dad ruined my life. Now, before you fire up an angry e-mail, delete my blog from your bookmarks, or un-follow me on Twitter, let me offer some context. I’ve been a dad for about five-and-a-half years now, and with this past weekend marking the annual occurrence that is Father’s Day, I got to thinking about just how wildly off course my life has veered…
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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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Working moms often carry heavy loads of “mom guilt” when trying to balance work and childcare. Much of the guilt is rooted in worries that being away from their kids somehow harms them in the long run. Now, studies show that children of working moms –especially daughters of working moms–…
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It’s Mother’s Day, and everyone on my social media feed is posting mushy things about their moms. As I scroll through Facebook I’m reminded that “paradise is found below your mother’s feet” and “God can’t be everywhere so He made mothers,” and that moms are saints and/or angels. I see…
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Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are arrogant and boastful. (Qur’an,…
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altMuslimah (“altM”) will be celebrating its 6th birthday this March, on International Women’s Day. For six years, we’ve been providing cutting edge commentary on a variety of issues pertinent to gender-and-Islam, starting and normalizing discussions the community was previously afraid to broach. As we begin our 7th year, we…
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<< From the AltMuslimah Archives >>Our culture is one of procreation; children are regarded as blessings from God, and we are told our progeny will spread Islam. Delaying marriage, waiting to begin a family, or experiencing infertility each amount to disregarding this sacred duty.
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Lately, the media seems to work overtime to plant anxieties and insecurities in moms across America. Are teachers making it harder on working parents by giving out too much homework? How much is too much iPad time? Should the terms ‘Mommy Lawyer’, ‘Mommy Blogger’, and ‘Mommy Supreme Court Justice’ go the way of Akkadian…
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I knew in the very first moment of my interview with Sandra El-Amin that I had happened upon a treasure. Delightful was the anticipation of presenting her voice to the world. “A woman can pursue any career she likes,” Sandra told me. “She can be a Supreme Court justice….
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