Politics

Since my conversion to Islam, I have struggled with depictions of Muslim brides and wives in the mainstream Western media. From the images of famous non-Muslim women marrying famous Muslim men  to the images of “pious” Chechen women sacrificing themselves for Syrian rebels, portrayals of Muslim brides and wives in mainstream Western media sources often depict two types of stories: either melodramatic romance novels or horror tales.

I marvel at the beautiful slope of my hips while shimming during class, yet, there is a moment of disconnect. Our instructor is a non-Muslim woman who goes by the stage name of Amira. As Arabic music plays in the background she tells us to yell out “Yalla!” and call belly dance gatherings “haflas,” as she teaches us muscle isolation. I know the art of belly dancing is empowering and deeply liberating.

When Anthony Weiner was first caught sexting explicit photos in spring of 2011, it sent the American public into a frenzy. Two years later, we’re hearing the same story, and it is not Weiner who earns our censure, but rather his steadfast wife, Huma Abedin. Political pundits have hopped onto their pulpits, demanding to know “What is wrong with you, Señora Danger?”

If places like Whole Foods are launching reflection series on Ramadan, then we have made it, fellow Muslims. We have accomplished the goal of becoming mainstream in America. We have in our treasure chest a Ramadan Mubarak message from the President, an Eid stamp from the Post Office, and lights on the Empire State Building. Islam is now, at least superficially, a part of the fabric of America. And that’s what we want, right?

I’ve had a restless night, unable to sleep after the recent verdict related to the killing of Trayvon Martin. I am in the throes of Ramadan, a time of fasting and intensified if not radical reflection for Muslims. Every thought or emotion is magnified a hundredfold in this holy month.
I was making dua (supplication, informal prayer) with my seven-year-old son after evening prayer last night, and I mentioned Trayvon’s family in my dua.

BOSTON (RNS) When Karen Hunt Ahmed and her Muslim husband divorced four years ago, many friends asked her, “Now you can stop this Islam stuff, right?”

Some friends, she thought.
“Like it was a hobby I took up when I got married and now I’m supposed to drop it,” said Hunt Ahmed, president of the Chicago Islamic Microfinance Project, which she founded with two colleagues in 2009.