Many of you may have read this incendiary piece by Arab-American writer Randa Jarrar that appeared on Salon this week, condemning white women who belly dance. It’s part of a series of essays by feminists of color curated by Twitterati darling Roxane Gay—and if you’re not following her, remedy that, because her reputation for 140-character wit is well earned.
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A full moon hung low one North Carolina night. Omar ibn Said was on the run from his South Carolina master who had almost beaten him to death a month earlier. When Omar came upon a church, he whispered “Praise Allah” under his breath. He took ablutions by the well in the churchyard and then entered the sanctuary to perform his Islamic prayers.
A young white boy saw him walk inside. Men on horseback with a pack of dogs quickly arrived to snatch Omar, mid-prostration, off to jail.
Award-winning slam poet Ainee Fatima spoke to Altmuslimah’s Shazia K. Farook about being featured in one of the most popular mainstream teen magazines
today, “Seventeen.” Ainee talks poetry, love, and her social justice pursuits.
Welcome to Altmuslimah.com – what I hope will become the go-to place for compelling comment on gender issues in Islam. Our editorial team consists of individuals who have for a long time wanted a space to discuss critical – and often controversial – gender-related matters that are both personal and public. What makes Altmuslimah different is its combination of journalistic and academic perspectives with deeply private looks into our identity struggles vis-à-vis both Muslims and non-Muslims.
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From tongue-in-cheek biographies where contributors describe themselves as attendees of madrassas (which simply means “school” in Arabic) to blog entries featuring Obama in Saudi-style headwear, the alternately acerbic and irreverent sense of humor is on full display at KabobFest
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