Salaam from a new blogger

Salamu Alaikum,

It feels good to say that. I won’t answer my cell phone like that, but Salamu Alaikum from one Muslim sister to another, ain’t nothing wrong with that. One of the best ways of combating how the world perceives us, the poor Muslim female, the exotic Muslim female, the oppressed Muslim female, is to come together as a collective, united by our love for “the other.” As females, Muslim or not, hijabi or not, we are already “other.” That makes us more suited to understand one another. I won’t pretend to know what it feels like to be molested on a crowded train in Cairo day in and day out, or to debate polygamy with wife number three, but I hope I can at least offer sympathy and at best a little clarity. I’m a first generation Arab-American with my family coming from Libya. I hope to incorporate my knowledge of the region in my posts, which will be limited to the very many issues concerning Arab women around the world. I’m excited to be a part of this sisterhood, and I extend a handshake and a pat on the heart to all of our readers.

In solidarity with xoxos,

Yusra