My wife Shabana wrote an article in alt.muslim a few days ago about the doublestandards and problematic attitudes on display among manyof Sania Mirza's critics. … [Read more...]

UmmZaid  made the following observation about my entry on "Muslim organizations waking up to discrimination in mosques"Salaam 'Alaikum"I'd wonder if this wasn't a cynical PR move by hardliners in the establishment who've been embarassed by the Asra Nomani crusade..."I just have to point out, b/c this point seems to be missed time and again, that although CAIR released the document, it was written by Shahina Siddiqui and done in conjunction with Women in Islam, led by the … [Read more...]

Came across a valuable resource on Islamic tradition and women.  It is the Muslim Sexual Ethics page at Brandeis University's Feminist Sexual Ethics Project (a name sure to make aunties choke on her chai). The site concisely and rigorously summarizes traditional Islamic views and textual sources on the following topics: Marriage Contracts Divorce Understanding a Difficult Verse (Qur'an 4:34) Veiling Same-Sex Sexual Activity Honor Killings Islam and Slavery Men, Women, and Human Beings in … [Read more...]

An intriguing paper entitled "Women Friendly Mosques" was recently published and is being widely promoted within the North American Muslim community (e.g., CAIR is distributing it from its website).  I see  it as a very positive development and a sign that the concerns--"grievances" might be a more apt term--of many Muslim women who've been understandably alienated by mosques and organizations run by clueless men are finally getting the attention they deserve within … [Read more...]

It appears that two Iranian women have become the first Muslim women to scale Mount Everest. This impressive feat will no doubt be heralded around the Muslim world, and for good reason. But do many of us really have the right to be proud of them? Everyone will applaud and take great pride in their accomplishment. And we'll all cite this as an example of how liberated Muslim women are, contrary to all the slanders against Islam that one hears today. But how many of us will take notice of the … [Read more...]