By Zahra Grant “And among His signs is that He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find comfort and repose in them, and He put between you love and compassion; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.” (Quran 30:21) After reading Mehrunisa Qayyum’s article, “Polygamy: A Practical Option,” on Altmuslimah, I found myself ruminating on the value of this discussion as it relates to women and their right to autonomy and self-determination.... Read more
By Kari Ansari American Muslims and Sikhs have been experiencing another uptick in aggression against them. In mid-August, shots were fired at a Morton Grove, Ill., mosque; paintball guns left ominous paint splatters all over a mosque in Oklahoma; and an acid bomb was thrown at a Lombard, Ill., Islamic school — all three incidents occurred while the buildings were full of Muslims observing the Ramadan evening prayer service called Tarawih. Even worse, a mosque was burned to the ground a few weeks... Read more
By Hind Makki Last Sunday, an estimated 15,000-20,000 people piled into Toyota Park, the home of our local MLS soccer team, to celebrate Eid, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In the wake of recent attacks against Muslims in the waning days of the month in the US (eight attacks in 11 days), including 2 mosque attacks and the desecration of a Muslim grave site in the Chicagoland area, Muslim leaders invited Illinois Governor... Read more
By Jilllian Holzbauer Islamophobia has become a prominent buzzword in the realm of political rhetoric. Some see it as the pinnacle of a climate of discrimination in America; others view it as a smear tactic to inhibit free speech. But what is the real pulse of our great nation when it comes to that delicate balance between freedom of religion and freedom of speech? Representative Michele Bachmann and others declare that the United States government has been infiltrated and compromised... Read more
By Nasia Ullas A few weeks back, at an office get together, a colleague (who isn’t Muslim) told me how he used to fast four days for a particular festival observed in his faith. But he stopped fasting once he started eating meat (meat is to them what bacon and pork products are to us Muslims). He believed there was no point in observing anything, as he has let God down. There are so many among us who feel the same way. It... Read more
By Aaron Vlek No, I’m not in Sing-Sing or on death row, but some would find my position even worse: I’m a female Muslim convert with no family or community masjid, and whose Muslim homies are scattered around the globe and accessible only through Facebook. I’m kind of a solitary soul anyway, so most of the time that’s okay. But during Ramadan, the loneliness hits home like at no other time. I hear about all the wonderful iftars and then... Read more
By Obaid H. Siddiqui Most Muslims, when asked about the month of Ramadan, will usually speak to the spiritual benefits to be attained: getting closer to God, cleansing the soul, sharing time with loved ones, etc. These are all desirable and viable outcomes of observing the holiest month for Muslims. Indeed, Ramadan is about instilling God-consciousness (taqwa in Arabic) in the believer – an annual exercise reminding us to play nice and be good because God is all-aware of what... Read more
By Hanna Ali Now more than ever, as we drift even further into a gadget-obsessed world of self-indulgence and so called “first world problems,” Ramadan becomes even more important in more ways than one. Let’s face it, the world is becoming an increasingly aggressive place where people either believe more than ever or less than usual, and those in-between are referred to as hippies. Interestingly, a lot of agnostic people have recently been more “awakened” to New Age spirituality; traveling... Read more
By Davi Barker By coincidence or providence my wife and wore orange yesterday. When news of the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin reached us we saw no connection between these two events. As details surfaced and Twitter exploded with prayers and gun rights debates I found myself tired, even sickened with politics. Sickened by a population too ideologically lock stepped to allow the aggrieved time to mourn the dead before leveraging tragedy for political agenda. The President of the Milwaukee... Read more
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Muslim Voters – Your Vote Matters
By Jillian Holzbauer-Frazier When asked about Republican strategy concerning African American and Latino voters in the upcoming presidential election, House Speaker John Boehner said, “They may not show up and vote for our candidate but I’d suggest to you they won’t show up and vote for the president either.” When a party’s political strategy rests on the hope that minority voters simply will not vote, it becomes that much more imperative that those voters raise their voices. Politics can be... Read more