By Sabina Khan-Ibarra In the fourth grade, I read Anne Frank’s diary for the first time. I was devastated for the young girl, who had to live in hiding and was eventually killed because of who she was. Later, I cried for the many, many Bosnians who were killed and raped – again, for who they were. Nothing more. Their only crime was that they were born with an exterior and label that someone, some regime, didn’t like. Something that... Read more
By Charles Turner Most Muslims have engaged with the idea of America being a Christian nation. That idea is often heard from the nativist camp that attempts to claim that Muslims, and Muslim immigrants in particular, are not truly part of the fabric of this nation. It’s also heard from the more conservative elements within the Muslim community that argue for a degree of separation from American culture in order to preserve their identity and (perceived) sense of moral purity.... Read more
By Tariq Touré “Yo this is the Blackest history month ever!” I told my wife, Imani, after she told me that this year was a leap year. We both laughed shamelessly at each other. Black History Month was coming to a close with a screeching halt. This Black History Month has been one for the record books for me: Saturday, February 20th took an ordinary Black History Month into another galaxy, a black hole even. It all began with Malcolm X,... Read more
Editor’s Note – Simran Jeet Singh is an Assisant Professor in the Department of Religion at Trinity University. This essay was written by his student as a part of a class assignment on why people should study Islam. My name is Bethany, and I am a collegiate athlete, sorority girl, and dog lover hailing from a Christian family in Bethesda, Maryland. This summer while driving to a morning swim practice I made the mistake we all make once in... Read more
By Dr. Maha Hilal President Obama gave a speech yesterday highlighting his administration’s plan to close Guantanamo Bay, the infamous prison that has been used to house prisoners in the so-called “War on Terror.” Obama offered several rationales as to why the prison should be closed, such as U.S. national security and its standing in the world. What the president didn’t mention is that Guantanamo Bay should be closed because it has, over the course of 14 years, held close... Read more
By Hanifah Lum From a young age, I have been taught Black history during February in public school and Islamic history on Sundays at the local weekend Islamic school. For so long, I yearned to find a place where to two could co-exist in a coherent and succinct way. In public school, we were taught about slavery, Abraham Lincoln, Jim Crow, the civil rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. In weekend school, we were taught... Read more
By Lucy El-Sherif Parents today are justifiably concerned about raising their kids in the Islamophobic and anti-Arab climate that seems to prevail in much of the Western world. Now is a good time to look at the potential silver linings and strategies we can use to make our children and youth stronger from this experience. Since the rise in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment, many of us have become more aware, more organized, and more vocal than we had been pre-9/11.... Read more
By Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow I have a strange — sometimes estranged — relationship with my ethnic background. Being the product of a West African immigrant mother and an olive-complexioned Black[1] father and raised as an American Muslim, it is a polyamorous relationship that cycles through breakups and makeups as I accept, embrace, reject and reconcile with all the identities that make up me. While I could never escape my Black identity in the U.S. (even if I wanted to), I have... Read more
By Kulsum Tasnif Losing my mind. There’s this odd tap that comes from chair legs hitting cold concrete floor, but I try not to think about it because it reminds me of my own shaking legs, leading to thoughts of those legs being broken, leading to thoughts of my face smashing against that floor. There’s a mark on the floor that looks like a dried blood stain, and as I sit handcuffed waiting, I wonder if my blood will spill... Read more
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Putting an End to the Hoe-Jabi Shaming
By Nabah Rizvi A couple of months ago, I shared an article on my Facebook page about ‘Hijabi Hipsters’; a new generation of hijabis who fuse fashion with faith by wearing stylish hijab-friendly outfits. “Wow, that sounds like you!” One of my friends noted. Most of the other people in the thread seemed to agree with him. His comment made me smile. Although I wouldn’t consider myself a hijabster, I was glad my friends thought I was stylish. Then, it... Read more