<< From the Altmuslimah Archives >>
I’m irked by all the “Merry Christmas” cards, the Facebook pictures and the stories of my Muslim friends actively celebrating Christmas. This past December they were baking cookies for Santa, trimming trees and exchanging gifts–all decidedly un-Muslim activities.
For most of us, late Autumn means crawling out from under the duvet at silly o’clock and heading out to catch a bus to school, work or uni in the freezing cold. For me, this season also means getting to know a crop of new students as they begin their…
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“I hope you have a BOY,” is a phrase I heard too many times during my pregnancies. I mean…really? I had my children in 2007, 2011, and 2012; and with each pregnancy came those individuals that not only hoped, but prayed that I would have a boy. These ‘hopes’ and…
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Mike Brown’s life will not be in vain: A lesson in telling my children the truth Last night a grand jury did not bring back an indictment against Officer Darren Wilson in the homicide of 18-year-old Mike Brown. Unlike many Americans, I didn’t find out about the decision on…
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The fall of my senior year in high school, my mother drove me up and down the state of California for college campus tours with little complaint. It wasn’t until my scheduled tour of UC Berkeley that Mama snapped. We’d made it to Telegraph Avenue. On one corner, dreadlocked men…
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Question #1 Dear Salma, I have a teenage daughter and am concerned about how to explain interfaith marriage to her. We have a growing number of Muslims in our community–both men and women–marrying outside of Islam. She and I will talk about these sorts of things and I’ve explained to…
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I have a seven-year old son with autism, a five-year old with exciting dreams, and a two-year old whose entire world revolves around me. And they’re all really cute, masha’Allah. In fact, they’re gorgeous, insane, challenging, and sweet. My five year old said to me the other day, “Momma, your…
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The hardest part about coming out has got to be coming up with a good opening line. I haven’t got one though. So I’ll give it to you straight. I’m not gay, but I could be dying. As fas I know, not imminently though. I’ve known for years now that…
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In the first book of the Read with Meaning series, Mezba Mahtab employs his celebrated technique of using Legos to tell stories from the Qur’an. This book conveys the story of Chapter 18, entitled “The Cave” (known as Surah Al-Kahf). Mahtab’s creative spin on Qur’anic storytelling is bound to spark the imaginations of Muslim children and adults alike, and is very effective in driving home the lessons of this Surah.
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I recently met author Sam’n Iqbal and artist Uzma Sabir to discuss the newest children’s book on the block, “Allah to Z: Activity Book.” Meeting at Sam’n’s home, I instantly picked up on the inspiration behind this book: a vibrant home dotted with artwork produced by her three adorable children. Uzma and Sam’n, themselves an energetic pair, sat down to discuss their book.
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