A titanic and towering swell of love lodged inside my chest after the birth of my first child. Here I was, just an ordinary woman of 25 years of age, but I had been entrusted with the world’s very best baby. In my eyes, he was perfection, the realization of my every dream. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why adoring someone so much left me feeling so destroyed. After I’d wrestled my baby to bed, I’d stand... Read more
Trailblazer. Entrepreneur. Leader. Interfaith Activist. Role Model. Writer. Mother. Teacher. Sister. Peace Advocate. So many of us have benefited from Azizah magazine founder Tayyibah Taylor’s dedication to amplifying Muslim women’s voices and perspectives. She was recently diagnosed with cancer and we hope that our beautiful community will pray for her, and support her generously in this sacred month of blessings. Any amount you can contribute will help. Find out how to help on her website, here. Read more
Food, Love & Memories is a bimonthly column devoted to the evocative connections between the heart, food & soul. We invite you to share your story+recipe for future columns. More details here. It’s still a few hours before any hint of twilight when my mother-in-law pulls herself up off the couch, murmuring with a sense of urgency, “I need to start getting the pakora batter ready for iftar.” “Relax, Mama,” I tell her. “It won’t be the end of the world if... Read more
The phone rang, waking me from deep morning slumber. Naturally, I don’t pick up, though when I see the number my heart skips a beat. It’s my college roommate. She never calls me. In the past decade since graduating, our lives took very different paths. The only times I hear from her are for celebrations or deaths. She called me for her engagement, marriage, baby one, and baby two. What else could be left – it must be sobering news. Sure enough, a... Read more
When novelist & #WeNeedDiverseBooks co-founder Aisha Saeed walked into her local Barnes & Noble ten days ago, she was surprised & thrilled to see a Ramadan book display for children. She wanted to buy all four books displayed but after chatting with the bookseller, she realized that those were the only books in stock. If she bought those books, not only would they be sold out of all of their Ramadan-themed children’s books, but the Ramadan display would disappear too.... Read more
To mark the end of Pride Month and the beginning of Ramadan, Salaam, Love contributor Ramy Eletreby writes for the Huffington Post about the greatest heartbreak of his life – losing his Muslim community: One of the greatest heartbreaks in my life occurred after coming out at the age of 24: I lost my Muslim community. After my public coming out, via an article in The Los Angeles Times, and the backlash that came with it, I retreated. I distanced myself... Read more
He came here full of hope. It was 1981 and he was a twenty four year old graduate student sent from his home country of Sudan. He was told to make his country proud so he packed his belongings along with his dreams for a better life. The ultimate dream of any person living in a poor country. He was starting a new life in America. A land of endless opportunity and a place where anyone could make it. My mom... Read more
Food, Love & Memories is a bimonthly column devoted to the evocative connections between the heart, food & soul. We invite you to share your story+recipe for future columns. More details here. On a recent rainy Saturday night, I sat down to eat a bowl of kheer. Just one creamy bite of this traditional South Asian dish made with sweetened rice transported me back to 1994, when I was seven-years-old. I was fasting for the first time for Ramadan, and my mom... Read more
Sometimes it’s hard to make sense of everything around you, until it all stops. That’s where I found myself eight months ago when I fell ill and it forced me to take a medical leave of absence. In and out of the hospital for months, doctors sent me home with painkillers and without answers. Eventually, my health reached a point where I could no longer work or do everyday activities like exercise, cook, or even drive. This was a struggle... Read more
As a grown woman with a strong voice, I’m still working on standing tall and using my voice. I owe it to my daughter and other girls in my life to set the example and respect my body AND my voice. Slam poet Lily Myers provides powerful insight into how expectations for men and women differ, and how each of our actions sets examples for our daughters and young girls. Read more
Love, InshAllah
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