Embed from Getty Images By Sofia Ali-Khan 1982, I began fasting half-days during Ramadan for the first time, my hands painted with henna in celebration. I was in Mrs. Campbell’s third grade class; the only Muslim in a school of more than three hundred children. She growled my name “So-fee-AAH! We do not write on our hands with magic marker. That is disgusting. Go to the bathroom and wash your hands with soap right now!” It wasn’t magic marker. There... Read more
Embed from Getty Images By Alan Howard Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump laid out his plan, or rather thoughts, to combat “radical Islam” in a “much-heralded” foreign policy/terrorism policy speech given in Youngstown, Ohio this week. While Trump is often reduced to ridiculous soundbites, I decided to watch and breakdown his speech, point-by-point, so we can really gain an understanding into what we may be facing with a possible Trump presidency. I won’t insult anyone by repeating the elementary... Read more
What if I told you that the way I dress is not a state of being? That who I am fluctuates, and what I wear is not a sign of strengthened or weakened faith in God? Hijab is not my identity. Read more
Embed from Getty Images By Salman Hasan Ali Adul Sattar Edhi, arguably the world’s greatest and perhaps least known humanitarian, passed away last month; he was 88 years old. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un (“We surely belong to Allah and to Him we shall return”). Some people called Edhi a saint, others called him maulana (Islamic scholar); but the children he cared for – the thousands of abandoned, orphaned, destitute children in Edhi centers around Pakistan — simply called him Abbuji (respected father).... Read more
Embed from Getty Images By Ali Asadullah Close your eyes for a minute. Now picture in your mind’s eye the image of “good” Muslim. Visualize how that person dresses, how they walk, talk and behave. Think of their daily habits as well as those things that they avoid as they walk through their lives. Now open your eyes. Did you picture a drunk? Probably not. After all, drunks engage in all sorts of behavior that one would likely recognize as... Read more
By Fatina Abdrabboh I teach a course at a law school on Islamic Law, familiar to some as sharia. Yes, I teach sharia to American law students. In fact, the country’s leading law schools are increasingly offering this course alongside others meant to equip American law students with the cultural skills of a global world. In my class, we spent almost the first half of the semester unpacking what Islamic Law is not. Many students came into the class with assumptions absorbed from our... Read more
Embed from Getty Images By Alan Howard The 2016 Republican Party National Convention has been consigned to history. And what a convention it was. It seemed like the overarching theme was one word: Fear. Fear of lost jobs, of immigrants and refugees, loss of Christian identity, fear of terrorism and Muslims, fear of black people, fear of LGBTQ communities (though yes, Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump did awkwardly vow to protect the LGBTQ communities) – you name it... Read more
Embed from Getty Images By Saud Inam It’s been a difficult year for Muslims. We lost two great giants of change: Muhammad Ali and Abdul Sattar Edhi. These two figures were shining lights and beacons of hope, and we all have much to learn from them. They were change makers and Muslim heroes. Our children and our youth should know Abdul Sattar Edhi, his life, his work and his impact he had on the world. I first learned of Edhi three... Read more
By Kameelah Rashad, MS, MRP, MEd “The dead won’t let me sleep The living won’t let me die in peace My heart filled with the yesterday that never happened My hands filled with my face My long breaths bleeding between my fingers” — Amir Sulaiman, Come To The Hills (We Must Win) On the last day of our holiest month, breaking news about a murder of a 37-year-old Black man in Baton Rouge begin to slowly bleed through the litany... Read more
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Be an Ansaar: 10 Ways to Care for and Help a New Muslim
Embed from Getty Images By Saud Inam Madinah, which brings to mind the beauty of the Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) masjid, is considered the first Muslim community in Islamic history. Many of us may think that the first thing the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)* did when he came to Madinah was build a masjid, which served as the center of the community. But we are forgetting something vastly important. When the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) first entered Madinah, he didn’t just build a... Read more