Sometime in the late 1950s, construction workers were digging the foundation of what was to be a large brick building at the corner of St. Peter and Federal Streets in Salem, Massachusetts, when they came across some large wooden beams. These, it turns out, were the beams from the “witches’…
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As the #MeToo movement gains traction, and each week brings bombshell accusations against celebrities, it is important to think about how each of us can work to bring about the long term societal change needed to attack the root of sexual violence. Last month, it was Louis CK. This month…
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This article is part of a collaborative series commissioned by altMuslimah and Jewschool to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding between Muslim and Jewish communities experiencing a rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Trumpian White nationalism and supremacy are transnational and have found their mirror globally, in emboldened movements that threaten both…
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You know you’re in trouble when Nobel Prize winners take part in carrying out genocide. For years, the Muslim Rohingya population of Myanmar has been suffering at the hands of its government, led now by famed Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. They have been subject to mass murder and…
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There are many things to be concerned about in the political and social fabric of America these days. But there is also much evidence that diverse groups of Americans see themselves as part of a shared community and a shared humanity. On May 26, 2017, 53-year-old Ricky John Best and…
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Reston high school sophomore, Nabra Hassanen, was brutally murdered this Father’s Day at the break of dawn in Sterling, VA, and no amount of fear-mongering can bring her back. After leaving her mosque with a group of friends to secure some food before beginning the day’s fast as a part…
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As a white, American-born, new Muslim the hostile social pressure that’s constantly pelting me like rocks should be breaking me right now. Yet, the exhausting and ultimately, inspiring experience of my first Ramadan is acting as a shield, despite the challenges. People keep asking me why, at the height of…
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When any item of Muslim wear hits the fashion market, it usually attracts a lot of media attention. This has certainly been the case with the custom designed hijab created by Nike, aimed at Muslim women who want to get involved in sport or exercise whilst wearing a head covering….
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I’ve been thinking a lot about empathy, lately. Starting here: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. I’ve often wondered if we are born to be empathetic, or if is it something that has to be proactively cultivated within ourselves. Humans are intrinsically programmed to…
Read MoreThe Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) recently released “Muslims at the Crossroads,” the report on its 2017 American Muslim Poll. Many of us have found ourselves increasingly worried about sending our children to school, wearing hijab in public, travelling across borders, and generally, being Muslim in America since…
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