We love this hilarious video from author David Henry Sterry, half of the dynamic duo The Book Doctors. Pick up a copy of their book, The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, for expert advice and guidance through the maze of the publishing industry. Read more
I am a terrible liar. Not for lack of acting skills, but due to an overactive conscience. To keep pangs of guilt at bay, I usually rely on unadulterated honesty. For a long time, I maintained the naive perspective that most other people in my life also follow this refreshingly honest mantra. In this manner I found my downfall the same way Hassan from Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner lost his innocence. As Hassan’s best friend Amir so carefully observed:... Read more
The bowl was in the dishwasher at work and I recognized it instantly. That rim of earthy green flowers decorating the edge of a crisp white Pyrex bowl. My grandmother had a set of the very same dishes in her house in Karachi and they would sometimes make an appearance at chai time. Was it a sign from God? Maybe. Maybe not. But it was something. See, my grandmother passed away last week. Mumma lived a long, full, and happy life.... Read more
Writing about Palestine is hard. To talk about it at all, one has to issue a litany of disclaimers and clarifications before broaching the subject. The discussion finally begins after the audience is already exhausted from listening to all the reasons why support for Palestine doesn’t automatically equal dislike for Israel or disrespect for Jewish history. Pamela Olson’s story in Fast Times in Palestine: A Love Affair with a Homeless Homeland (Seal Press, March 2013) seeks an honest, human way... Read more
Congratulations to 15-year-old Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and the 34 other women who made the Time 100 list! Read more
We love the Tumblr page Side Entrance which posts photos from mosques around the world, showcasing women’s sacred spaces, in relation to men’s spaces. The blog highlights the beautiful, the adequate and the pathetic. Curated by writer, activist, and overall “fabulady” Hind Makki, the site welcomes photo submissions. Read more about the intent behind this project, here. Read more
Ed. note: This column provides a safe space for readers to ask love and relationship questions. Sometimes the questions go beyond our columnists’ areas of expertise, as is the case with today’s question. Our columnists advise with compassion and love, but a reminder that they are not mental health professionals. We encourage the person who wrote this question to seek help immediately; resources include: Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Mental Health For Muslims. If you send us your contact information we can also direct... Read more
Editor’s note: Writer Zainab Chaudary is coming on board as a www.patheos.com/blogs/loveinshallah monthly columnist! Look for her column, “The Geekologist” every third Wednesday of the month! I speak six languages. Well, to be fair, one of them is not so much a language as it is an entire shift in being and mannerisms. I imagine I look like some sort of alarmed bird, a goose maybe, or a duck: my eyes get super-wide, I gesticulate wildly with my arms the... Read more
Our thoughts & prayers are with everyone in Boston, their families & loved ones. Read more
Love, Inshallah is excited to debut our first podcast! www.patheos.com/blogs/loveinshallah editor Deonna Kelli Sayed recently interviewed author Michael Muhammad Knight about his new book, Tripping with Allah: Islam, Drugs, and Writing, where he discussed his spiritual use of the hallucinogenic plant, ayahuasca, and the struggles between his writing voice and emerging academic persona. Deonna produced the following podcast, where Mr. Knight revealed his inspiration for the book and how the ayahuasca experience changed him. (more…) Read more
Love, InshAllah
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