An errant crossbow, An accidental sniper hit, Friendly fire, A spray of bullets. Caught in the cross-fire. A boy fleeing from age-old enemies in the woods, Hidden behind his protector-father, the true target An elderly woman carrying home a heavy load of groceries Minding her own A Marine at the…
Read More
Abuse is a shame filled subject in our communities that no one wants to address or even admit too. Many people continue to bear the pain in silence and in shame. In early January, Orbala (@qrratugai), AltMuslimah’s Sabina Khan-Ibarra and Asma T. Uddin (@altmuslimah), and Coming of Faith’s Laila Alawa…
Read More
#Act4Survivors The recent news of sexual violence in the Muslim community has sparked much conversation around sexual violence, and what we as a community can do to address it and effectively support our survivors. Allegations against an Islamic school teacher in Florida and a substitute teacher in New Jersey along with…
Read MoreI could hear everything happening downstairs. Mother knocked on my door, grabbed my hand and together we scurried past the tiny corridor in our townhome and into the master bedroom. I walked across the carpet stained with soda marks and over to my siblings who were already cowering in the…
Read More“She made me do it.” I hear this phrase all too often, and each time I hear it my heart bleeds.
Read More
Warning: This post contains spoilers about the season three finale of “Homeland.”
You would think Allahu Akbar was synonymous with “Death to America!” if you watched the final two pulse-pounding episodes of Showtime’s Homeland season three. A multitude of Allahu Akbars serve as the backdrop in the horrific public hanging scene of last night’s season finale, “The Star.”
Let me preface this piece by saying, this is a work in progress. I am a work in progress. Although I am not at the end of my journey, I feel compelled to share my story, if you’re willing to hear it.
I call myself a survivor. And what did I survive? When I was thirteen, and again when I was fifteen, I was sexually abused by my maternal uncle. Only a handful of people, including my husband, know this, but I suspect there are more Muslim girls carefully hiding this very same “dirty” secret than the Muslim-American community would like to believe.
Read MoreIf rape is facilitated by self-serving, cultural interpretations of religion, then teaching religion correctly is the answer to eradicating it. The early Muslim women, including Prophet Muhammad’s wife Khadijah (RA), were educated leaders who stood toe-to-toe with men who accepted, respected, and learned from them. The Qur’an itself states that strong, smart, ambitious women are invaluable allies in this life and in the next.
Read More“It appears to be that a rod was inserted into her and it was pulled out with so much force that the act brought out her intestines along. That is probably the only thing that explains such severe damage to her intestines,” he said.
I was at work when I read this. I had to leave my desk to go to the bathroom to cry. Through various points in the day, this detail drifted into my consciousness. I couldn’t un-read it. Or un-imagine it.
Read MoreOn the basis of the idea that American Muslims should participate in the cultural and political debates of wider society, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, along with Christian collaborator Robert P. George, co-wrote a piece on pornography in early July. Yusuf and George published an open letter to members of the hotel industry asking them to consider not offering pornography in their hotels.
Read More