<< From the AltMuslimah Archives >>
I recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, Chairman of the Board & Scholar-in-Residence at the Nawawi Foundation, a non-profit educational foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Abd-Allah offered me his insights into the growing phenomenon of Muslim women taking off their headscarves. The first part of a four part interview is published here:
For Mother’s Day last year, my husband surprised me with a spa treatment at a Muslim-owned beauty salon. Long overdue for self-care, I gladly accepted the gift of the works done under the care of an Afro Brazilian Muslim woman. When we arrived at the shop, my daughter ran into…
Read More
The winter of 2013 was an eventful one for me. As a second-year medical student from Pakistan, I spent two months at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore for a research elective-. It was a time of excitement, wonder and anxiety. One afternoon, after hurrying back to the office from lunch, I stood fidgeting…
Read More
Preachy as she is, Aunty Mohja is not out to convert you to traditional Islamic dress, only to that root of its ethos that’s a basic right and blessing for all. Her to-do list is pragmatic, tailored to a secular American populace. Observant Muslims, be prepared that her Rules will not, therefore, be up to hijab standards. And to the midriff-baring girls Aunty Mohja sees at the Mecca Mall in Amman, Jordan, don’t throw the baby (of basic decency) out with the bathwater (of the veiling you choose not to do).
Read More
Is mainstream French feminism racist? … Even before the 2004 law meant scarf-wearing teenagers would be excluded from schools – thus violating their fundamental right to education – France’s established feminist groups did not accept scarf-wearing women in their meetings. They decided early on these women could not be feminist,…
Read More
Inspired by a classmate’s fashion sense, the class of 2015 from Clifton High School in Clifton, New Jersey made an unconventional move when choosing their yearbook awards — voting classmate Abrar Shahin as their “best dressed” this year. Shahin is Muslim, and wears a fabric head covering known as a…
Read More
Image: Powerhouse Museum This article was written in response to the “Why cover your head when you expose your body?” by Shahful Shaffiq. Today I read an article shared over 20,000 times on social media that shamed Muslim women for not wearing the hijab correctly. To me, this highlighted that thousands of…
Read More
Just last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a hijabi job applicant in a case against Abercrombie & Fitch. The case is one in a line of cases where women in hijab deal with workplace discrimination – one of many problems facing American Muslims in the aftermath…
Read More
Dear Ethar, I’m sorry For every time I look at your hijab And stare Smile Stick my eyes to that Fabric substitute for hair Until you pass Eyes down Reluctant to look at me. I want to push my hand out In those moments Grab you by the arm Apologize…
Read More
Ethar El-Katatney, an award-winning journalist, blogger, and author, wrote I’m tired of hijab. In it, she expresses her frustration about being defined by and reduced to her hijab. I’m tired of being the token “omg-look-such-an-articulate-awesome-non-stereotypical hijabi!” I’m tired of hijab taking up so much space in my life. I’m tired…
Read More