Fariba Nawa
I’m an Afghan-born, American raised journalist, author and speaker. I was 9 years old when my family fled the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan.
Read Moresocial media
Why American Muslims Need Social Media
In California, a community clinic founded by Muslims and based on Islamic values is providing free healthcare to anyone who needs it. In Dallas, the first Muslim-founded shelter for domestic abuse survivors is providing first-class care to central Texas women of all faiths. In Florida, an organization that provides civic…
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An analog girl in a digital world
Two weeks ago, I quit. Cold turkey. I am not a smoker or a drinker. I don’t use drugs and will cut myself off from caffeine if I feel myself becoming too dependent on it. That’s the point really: I don’t do addiction because I don’t like losing control….
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The case for social media and hashtag activism
Social Media: Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking Activism: The policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change. My husband is one of those individuals who have chosen a life of complete abstinence from…
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Moving and Making peace
About four weeks ago Aziz Ansari in one of his sold out shows in Houston, broached the topic of our social etiquette in modern-day social media obsessed world. I couldn’t help but uproariously laugh at some of the scenarios Ansari threw out, but his jokes also left me thinking seriously…
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Alice in Arabia
On February 26th, MPAC announced a partnership with Disney/ABC Television Group to offer a one-day workshop to identify and empower American Muslims interested in pursuing a career in screenwriting for television. The announcement came just days after the release of Salaam, Love and the conclusion of Columbia University’s symposium The Muslim Protagonist: a synthesis of journeys. It was heartening to see momentum growing around nurturing and empowering American Muslims who aspired to be writers and storytellers.
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I’m a Muslim American Mom. And I’m sorry.
I’m a Muslim American Mom. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for Kansas City Chief Husain Abdullah’s prostration of gratefulness (or Sajdat al-Shukr) after intercepting Patriot Tom Brady’s football pass and returning it 39 yards for a touchdown. I’m sorry for Michael Jackson — for that time he converted to Islam….
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Nigerian Schoolgirls and Hashtag Activism
By now, you and everyone you know has demanded on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media to #BringBackOurGirls. The hashtag has spread virally, rightly sparking global outrage over the violence inflicted on the young Nigerian women by the militant group Boko Haram. But are there unintended consequences to this kind of hashtag activism?
June 1 marked one-and-a-half months to the day that more than 200 Nigerian girls were abducted from a secondary school in the north-eastern village of Chibokby a group of Islamist militants known as Boko Haram. An obscure news story for weeks, it suddenly became ubiquitous with the viral hashtag #BringBackOurGirls raising a global outcry.
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Digital duas and real world action #BringBackOurGirls
This week has seen an uptick in activism – social and on the ground – and awareness raising of the situation of nearly 300 school girls who were abducted by the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram last month. Protests have been planned in capitols around the world, a hashtag campaign #BringOurGirlsBack has trended on Twitter, and I’m beginning to see articles and photos in the mainstream press depicting the nature of this tragedy (though some of the framing has been problematic).
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If You’re Happy and You’re Muslim… The D.C. Version!
Ever since American singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams released his song “Happy,” the Internet has been flooded with homemade videos from around the globe showcasing people dancing and singing along to the catchy song, every one of them sporting a contagious smile. Among these videos was a “Happy British Muslims!” video, released by the Honesty Policy which quickly made waves through the cyber world. Soon, a group of D.C. area Muslims got together to film their own version of this song.
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