Is There A Dark Side To Mother’s Day?

News and views on all-things Muslim for May 4- May 11, 2015.

This week, we read about Young Scrabble champions, China trying to weaken “Islam’s hold” on residents, and the release of Omar Khadr.

I give to you newsworthy links I think you should know about. Check out the links and please let me know if you think I should add anything.

News About Muslims:

Muslim restaurants and supermarkets have been ordered to sell alcohol and cigarettes in an effort to weaken Islam’s hold on residents in China’s Xinjiang region. China: Gov’t orders Muslims to sell cigarettes and alcohol goes into other things prohibited by China’s Communist party.

Wonderful news: Canada frees Omar Khadr, once Guantánamo Bay’s youngest inmate. Heartbreaking once you realize that he went in a young man and came out a grown man. Here’s to hoping he has a wonderful life ahead of him, InshaAllah.

Ayalet Shaked as justice minister is known for her”ultranationalistic” views. In Israeli Politician Who Called for Genocide of Palestinian People Named Justice Minister readers find out about the depth of her disdain for the Palestinians. (Image from GlobalVoices Online.)

Reading Allen West Thought He Was The Victim Of “Sharia Law” At Walmart (He Wasn’t) about the former congressman and head of the think tank National Center for Policy Analysis,original post “Sharia law comes to Walmart?” made me laugh and cry all at once. Sigh.

In UN: 36,000 newborn Syrians stateless in Lebanon, in Al-Jazeera English, “living with stateless status prevents Syrian children in Lebanon from reali(z)ing basic human rights.”

Interesting Stories About Muslims:

Avaes Mohammad wanted to write a play about “Muslim” extremism. Rod Dixon, of the Red Ladder Theatre Company, “was more interested in the parallel stories. And the more we interviewed people, the more we realised that the young men in particular had the same needs that weren’t being met.” Read Avaes Mohammad: Playwright on making two plays on Muslim terrorism and white fascism to read about this fascinating idea.

Meet Pakistan’s junior Scrabble geniuses, Hasham Hadi Khan. A feel good article about the new board game obsession in Pakistan; “Scrabble clubs are popping up all over: Karachi has more than 20, and, last year, 726 people competed in a national tournament.” (image on top: Scenes from a Scrabble ranking tournament in Karachi. Photograph: Saba Imtiaz in The Guardian.)

Sunday was Mother’s Day and most of celebrated the mother figures in our lives. Celebrating Mother’s Day in Pakistan: The dark side of ‘motherhood’ is a piece that reminds us that ‘motherhood’ is not always beautiful or easy. It reminds us not to take anything for granted.

Must Watch Video of the Week:

Omar Khadr speaks after being released on bail:

Sabina Khan-Ibarra is a freelance writer and editor. She regularly contributes to her blog, Ibrahim’s Tree which she created after the loss of her infant son in 2011. She created Muslimah Montage as a platform for women to share their stories. Sabina currently lives in Davis, CA and working on her memoir. Follow Sabina on Twitter: @muslimahmontage

Is There a Dark Side to Mother’s Day?