Our prayers, love and all light to the victims and families of the horrific elementary school shooting today in Newtown, Connecticut. God, let me cry on Your shoulder. Rock me like a colicky baby. Promise me You won’t forget each of Your perfect reflections killed today. Promise me You won’t let me forget, either. I’m hollow, stricken like a bell. Make of my emptiness a channel for Your boundless compassion. Soothe the children who witnessed things no child should see,... Read more
Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The key word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for. ~ Ray Bradbury Read more
For all those wondering about the “story” behind my “sudden” marriage to Sarah Kureshi, here’s my Cliff notes summary. Our friendship was ignited by our mutual adoration for all things “hagoo,” which is a common South Asian word for “poop” – an utterly appropriate foundation for a couple whose combined maturity is that of an 8-year-old. We’ve been purely platonic for years. In the past, SHE initiated interest due to my masculine scent, rippling muscles, Adonis good looks and rapier... Read more
Two days had gone by since he had called. Well, two days and nine hours, to be exact. I knew it was pathetic that I was counting the number of hours that had passed since my last contact with a guy with whom I had had three phone conversations and whom I had never met and barely knew. I also knew that he wasn’t going to call. This was my latest rejection from a marriage prospect. To be honest, I had... Read more
A family epic set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war comes to poignant and powerful life in the lyrical and riveting debut novel Island of a Thousand Mirrors by writer and artist Nayomi Munaweera. Munaweera tells the story through the eyes of both Sinhala and Tamil women, with tales of suicide bombers, brutality, and civil war interspersed with those of love, longing and loss. Her novel received a glowing review from Mother Jones and was just long-listed... Read more
(Ed. note: Today’s guest post is by editor Ayesha Mattu’s husband) Honesty is the best policy. Except when it isn’t. Several years ago, my wife Ayesha and I sat on adjacent sofas when she broke the silence. “Do you still love me?” I hate this question. On this occasion it wasn’t the common rhetorical variety that I merely dislike. This time, she genuinely wanted to know because it wasn’t obvious to her that I did. (more…) Read more
Earl is no ordinary man. I know, I know; any declaration of love can begin the same way, but Earl, far far from ordinary, with his trusty corduroys and gap-toothed smile has won my heart. Hands down. Every day that Earl lays his eyes on me, he greets me with fresh sincerity and a joy that is contagious. “Well, well, well!” he quips, “Aren’t you just the loveliest thing God done ever created?”. I have memorized his sweet Southern drawl... Read more
One of the most wonderful and talented women we know, American Muslim author G. Willow Wilson’s fantastic novel ‘Alif the Unseen‘ has been selected by The New York Times as one of the 100 notable books of 2012! If you haven’t read it yet, please get it today – it ranks up there with our favorite books of ALL time. ‘Alif the Unseen’ also made the Washington Post Top 50 Books of 2012 list and the Booklist Top 10 Debut... Read more
I’ve been so afraid of being like her, terrified really, that I’ve tried to ignore, deny the many ways that I am like my mother. From my hands, small and stubby, heavy, with a thick palm that can do (and have done) much damage to those who dared to challenge me…like my mother did to me with her hands. To how I eat, my right leg tucked under me, the left propped up so my knee is under my chin.... Read more
After my second divorce, I took a break from relationships to decide what I wanted in a future partner. With two young kids, there was no time for dating. My kids needed me, and I needed myself. So, I composed a list containing everything I wanted in a man. My list had 45 bullet points, (including ‘doesn’t text while we’re together’, to ‘not homophobic’, to ‘likes sex’) that I required as I healed post-divorce The man who embodied my list... Read more
Love, InshAllah
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In