Trust and the Autistic Child

April 30, 2012 By 3 Comments
trust

I put Lil D on the bus this morning, like I do most school-day mornings. We walk out to the bus, often in semi-darkness before the day has broken, and I escort him to the steps of the bus. The bus matron takes over from there, guiding him to his seat and attaching his harness to the seat. Sometimes he is agitated, upset and crying. Other times he is calm and eager to go. As I silently pray Aytul Kursi (a verse from the Qur’an), I wave goodbye, tell him I love him, and wish him a good day at … [Read more...]

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’6o Minutes’ Reports on Exodus of Palestinian Christians

April 26, 2012 By 3 Comments

How many of you caught the extraordinary “60 Minutes” segment on Palestinian Christians’ exodus from the Holy Land? I heard about it, and today I took the 14 minutes to watch it. It is a very important, compelling piece of journalism from veteran reporter Bob Simon that details how Palestinian Christians are “collateral damage” between political Israel and political Islam. I profess that I am not well-knowledgeable at all in the Israel/Palestinian conflict, but several things stood … [Read more...]

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Hijab and Modesty – Two Unique Perspectives (No, Really!)

April 17, 2012 By 10 Comments
hijab

When it comes to Muslim women and hijab (whether we're talking literally about wearing or not wearing the headscarf and other forms of modest dressing or about the act of modesty), the subject matter has been dissected to death - from how a woman dons the hijab (She's being too fashionable! Clothes are covering the body but are tight-fitting, so what's the point? A headscarf is not enough. You must wear a burqa.), to how others perceive the hijab (If you wear it, you're a "good Muslim woman," … [Read more...]

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‘Hind’s Hands’ – New Children’s Book on Autism from Umm Juwayriyah

April 16, 2012 By 1 Comment
Hinds Hands

I just heard of a new book coming out called Hind's Hands, about "a big sister who learns coping skills to befriend and lead her younger autistic sister." Written by Umm Juwayriyah and her eldest daughter, Juwayriyah Ayed, the picture book sounds like something that will be good for my daughter to read. With all the problems Lil D is facing of late, I've been hit with some hard questions from his younger sister, Amal, like "Will Allah answer my du'as (prayers)?" and "Why does Bhai (brother) … [Read more...]

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I Get By with a Little Help from My Friends

March 28, 2012 By 2 Comments
Daanish trampoline

When the phone rang at 1:25 p.m. yesterday, I knew who it was before I picked it up: Lil D's teacher calling me to come get him because he was too worked up (or potentially on the verge of a meltdown, or coming off a meltdown) to ride the bus. I'm prepared for this. I've let go of so many "norms" for Lil D these past months that the new autism norm in our house (and isn't that an oxymoron?) is sadly quite minimalistic. We've let go of so many years-old programs and expectations and … [Read more...]

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Rituals of Religion to Break Autism’s Mr. Hyde Meltdowns

March 20, 2012 By 8 Comments
tasbih

In my post last week about the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of autism, I wrote how Mr Hyde has been my son's persona for several weeks, if not months now, and of how I continue to struggle in my faith, in my ability to put full trust in Allah that somehow He will help my son and me. Although I know I should pursue a course of faith and worldly, practical actions (therapies, medical treatments, education, schooling), the scales have been tipped of late towards the latter. I know this, really, I … [Read more...]

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Talking Love, Islam and American Muslim Women with ‘Love InshAllah’s Nura Maznavi

February 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
loveinshallah_cover

It’s about love, yes, but it’s about all the ways love happens, begins, ends, endures, frustrates, eludes and abounds. It’s about the love stories of American Muslim women, who lay their claim to love in ways previously not openly discussed in the American Muslim community. Love InshAllah, a new anthology of 25 love stories edited by Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi, is creating quite a buzz in Muslim and non-Muslim circles for its embracement of all types of love stories, including those not … [Read more...]

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One Year Later, the Revolution is Not Complete in Tahrir Square

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Tahrir Square 2012

January 25, 2012 -- They are gathering in Tahrir Square today. Egyptians, journalists, and others gathered and marched and protested, one year ago today, in an epic citizen-driven Egyptian revolution that ended in the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. But really, it didn’t end there. In the year since, revolutions have engulfed nearly the entire Arab world, starting in Tunisia, grabbing the world stage in Egypt and Tahrir, and continuing on to Libya, Syria, Bahrain, and others. The … [Read more...]

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The Best ‘Good News’ Muslim Stories of 2011

January 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
protest-in-tunisia-1

Note: This article is a joint venture between Patheos and AltMuslim, which has a tradition of publishing the best "good news" stories at the end of each calendar year. I thank Altmuslim editors for working with me on writing and producing this. Sometimes it seems Muslims can’t get a break, and 2011 was no exception. The "creeping sharia" paranoia in the US continued unabated (despite any evidence that there is any real threat of sharia law supplanting the Constitution) with the passage … [Read more...]

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The Scary Potential of the National Defense Authorization Act

December 14, 2011 By 16 Comments
NDAA

Latest reports say the White House is no longer threatening to veto this bill, saying it is satisfied with the latest version of the National Defense Authorization Act. Update below.  The text message exchange went like this: “I need something from home. Any luck?” -          “Yes, I have it. Now what?” “It’s at the place with the 'Cash Advance' sign.” -          “Ok” The two cars drove to the meeting place: The money exchange (with the … [Read more...]

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