altmuslim
The campaigns and media attention normalize the hijab in the mainstream’s gaze, but it also validates decades of patriarchal and Western voices telling women what they should look like and how they should behave. Read more
The campaigns and media attention normalize the hijab in the mainstream’s gaze, but it also validates decades of patriarchal and Western voices telling women what they should look like and how they should behave. Read more
In Altmuslim tradition, we want to usher out the year and welcome 2017 by relating the Top Ten (in our opinion) Good Muslim News Stories of 2016. From triumphant stories at the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro to the breakout Muslim stars -- Khizr and Ghazala Khan -- from the Democratic National Convention to an all girls, all Muslim FemSTEM robotics team in California that defied the odds, there was plenty of joy and celebration as well! Check it out, in no particular order! Read more
From the firing of Wheaton College professor Larycia Hawkins back in January for wearing a headscarf in solidarity with Muslims to the possibility of a Muslim registry with the election of Donald J. Trump as our next President of the United States in November – 2016 has been a banner year of issues, controversies, election coverage and the loss of some great Muslims. Read more
Real peace will not come from shutting up about the oppression. It will not come from trying to shut up the oppressed who speak about their condition. And it will never come from refusing to work with the people fighting against that oppression. Islam does not say that the most religious people are the ones who sit on the sidelines and do and say nothing. Our faith and history teach that passivity is not the way to peace. Read more
here is the difference: Israeli women (and men) protested outside the Knesset, loud and clear. It may not turn the ship, but they raised their voices. Saudi women have chosen to go along, some by choice and conviction, and others by choosing the path most travelled. But one day, they too will exercise their right to choose. I lived amongst them; I have seen the spark in their eyes. It’s only a matter of time. Just wait and see. Read more
With the growing demands and needs of our community, it becomes important for masjid leadership to update job descriptions, roles and responsibilities of our imams in our masjids. There also needs to be adequate salaries, attractive perks and packages and bonuses to compensate our imams to ensure they perform at a high level. Read more
Samar’s story is one of hundreds of thousands of stories of Syrians whose lives have been cut short by war, but it’s one of the few that carries a name. Too many of these legacies have faded to numbers. In Aleppo in recent days, more than 82 civilians have been reported killed. We don’t know their names. Read more
This open letter is the first public communication from American Muslim leaders to the incoming Trump administration, and is signed by by 300+ American Muslim leaders from around the country who serve their communities and their country in their worship spaces, academic institutions, advocacy, civic life and entrepreneurship. After a year of being talked about on the campaign trail but never being talked to, American Muslim leaders are sharing their values and aspirations, their grave concerns policy proposals and cabinet appointments, and their unflinching defense of the Constitution and cherished American values. Read more
By Maureen Pettibone Ryan Donald J. Trump has made several statements during his campaign that have given rise to concerns about civil rights in America, particularly for minority groups such as Muslim Americans. This essays serves as a starting point to address the constitutionality of Mr. Trump’s proposed policies regarding Muslims. Much of this discussion is theoretical. The policies espoused by Mr. Trump have no precedent in the past sixty to seventy years, if not longer. In law school, we never... Read more
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10 Ways to Be an Effective Ally to the Muslim Community
Following the results of the 2016 Presidential election, I have received countless emails and phone calls about what others can do to stand alongside the Muslim community. As a white Christian woman , I struggle to respond because I am asking myself the same question: How can I be an effective ally to the Muslim community outside of my nine-to-five job? What can I do to lessen the discrimination experienced by my Muslim co-workers and friends? Read more