When we fast in the holy month of Ramadan, our family has a saying — the first 10 are easy. You fast with full spiritual joy and intensity, ready to really experience Ramadan. The second ten fasts are the hard ones. You start to grow weary in body, mind and soul. Keeping up spiritual and faith practices grow hard during the second ten days. And then in the last ten days you feel a renewed exuberance. You are ready to... Read more
April is Autism Awareness Month. And as much as individuals with autism and those in the autism community feel that we are waaaaaaay beyond awareness and must be focused on action, I’ve come to realize in my nearly three years of chronicling our autistic son’s (and our family’s) life — there is still so much people don’t know or understand. For those who do not directly know someone with autism, they are still so unaware. Unaware about what it means... Read more
You had to expect it, especially with the social-media driven, lightening-speed landscape in which we live today. Yesterday, The Honesty Policy, a blog out of the United Kingdom that is “a group of young and curious Muslims saying what you’re thinking. Honestly. Those thoughts, moments and reflections you’ve always had, but just never could quite express them …” released a video weeks in the making: a group of British Muslims lip synching and dancing to Pharrell’s breakaway hit, “Happy.” Why?... Read more
Come on, raise your hand — you know you’ve been a fan of Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) over the years! In anticipation of his induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the popular singer/songwriter appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” performing some of his most popular hits. Take a look: And one more! Like so many, I’ve loved Yusuf Islam’s music over the years and have appreciated his Islamic journey, from when he turned away... Read more
They prayed for my son at Friday prayers last week. Another milestone I never imagined would’ve happened as part of our parent-child journey. But life goes on. It seems altogether wrong and disloyal and nonsensical that life should be going on. We sat in the waiting room of the doctor’s office last week, making nervous small talk with my parents while we waited for the doctor to come out and give us Lil D’s test results. Husband and I had... Read more
My darling boy, The sun is shining and the air is warm with the scents and sounds of a spring most awaited. You are swinging in the hammock in the backyard, spinning your beads on a twig with your hoodie pulled over your head and sunglasses perched on your face. God, you are handsome. It seems fitting that on today, World Autism Day 2014, we have come to a point in our autism journey where the path has played a... Read more
Melissa Diamond, who has been staying in the West Bank of the Palestinian territory for the past few months working on “The Jenin Autism Project,” part of “A Global Voice for Autism,” has finished up the project. They were there to help parents learn about autism and Applied Behavior Analysis and help connect them to other autism resources as well as building their own supportive network. They blogged their experiences here to share their efforts in figuring out how to... Read more
Maybe I’m wrong. I could very well be entirely wrong on this, but I am reminded of a hadith saying that Allah (God) loves us 70 times more than our own mother. And so I feel I’m allowed to do this. We are all allowed to lift up our arms in anger and frustration to Him, to vent as we would vent to our mother, husband or best friend, and He will Love us just the same. That at times... Read more
Don’t let the dictionary fool you. Equal does not mean same. At least not when it comes to parenting. I’m sitting on the sofa helping my husband plan a special trip with our daughter for her spring break. A trip where just the two of them will go away to a cool city and spend four days enjoying each other’s company. He will leave the office and meetings and call schedules and family obligations behind, and get to know what... Read more
“Hey, you, yeah, you. The lady with the tattoos. The gal with the eyebrow piercings The chick with the blue hair. There is room for you in Islam.” Nancy Qualls-Shehata, a revert/convert who blogs as the “Muslimah in Progress” at Patheos Muslim, wrote this great post two years back about how Islam has room for everyone. The one in tattoos, the one with piercings, the one in high heels and hair all a-flowing, the one “poured into skinny jeans.” Knowing... Read more
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