FGM in Sembene’s Moolaadé

Last updated on: August 9, 2010 at 12:00 am By Azra

Moolaadé, directed by the Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene and released in 2004,tells the story of a group of young African Muslim girls who have refused to undergo a “purification” ceremony in an African village. The girls seek protection (“moolaadé”) from a woman, Colle (played by actress Fatoumata Coulibaly), who finds the practice abhorrent and is sympathetic to the girls’ pleas. What ensues is a story of impending social change—the intertwining of the media, cultural influence, and a woman’s steadfast resolve to... Read more

Friday Links — August 6, 2010

Last updated on: August 6, 2010 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

A South African rape survivor receives unspeakably offensive treatment while attempting to get justice. The President of Brazil has offered Sakineh Ashtiani amnesty. Via Jezebel. On Miss California, a Muslim Bangladeshi-American, and her immigration platform. The New York Times reports on the conditions faced by migrant workers in Kuwait. Maybe someone will listen when a non-Muslim woman says it: Afghan women’s movements are not given enough credit in the West. Indian schoolgirls practice Chinese martial arts. Via Kabobfest. On the... Read more

More on the Time Magazine Conversation

Last updated on: August 5, 2010 at 9:53 am By fatemeh

Krista speaks with an AP reporters about Aisha’s Time magazine: Krista Riley, a sociology graduate student and contributor to a Muslim women’s website, Muslimah Media Watch, finds the photo “invasive and deeply troubling.” To Riley, the image plays into racial divides and cultural distances. Read more on the conversation here. Check it out! Read more

Sneak Preview of Onion Tears by Shubnum Khan

Last updated on: August 4, 2010 at 12:00 am By safiyyah

Yesterday, we interviewed Shubnum Khan about her book, Onion Tears. Today, we have a preview of her book, which has been shortlisted for the Penguin Prize for African Writing. KHADEEJAH Khadeejah knew a great deal about husbands. In her many years of moving around the country she had come across a number of them. There were: 1.) The good ones who rubbed your back when you vomited. And tried to fry eggs on Sunday mornings. 2.) The mean ones who slammed your... Read more

Interview with Author Shubnum Khan

Last updated on: August 3, 2010 at 12:00 am By safiyyah

Shubnum Khan is a young Muslimah from Durban, South Africa. Her book Onion Tears has been shortlisted for the Penguin Prize for African Writing. Her novel explores the lives of South African Indian Muslim women. I interviewed Khan about her book and her writing. Safiyyah for MMW: Tell us a little about the book. Shubnum Khan: Onion Tears is a story about the lives of a strange grandmother, a rebellious daughter, and her own angry daughter. The novel is primarily about a... Read more

MMW Roundtable on Time Magazine’s Aisha Cover

Last updated on: July 23, 2014 at 3:28 am By fatemeh

Editor’s Note: This week’s Time magazine featured an 18-year-old Afghan girl named Aisha on the cover. Aisha’s face is framed with dark hair and a loose scarf; it looks like any other portrait Time might publish. Except there is something missing: Aisha’s nose. Her nose and ears were cut off as punishment for running away from abusive in-laws—members of the Taliban handed down this punishment. Her portrait appears next to the words “What happens if we leave Afghanistan.” MMW... Read more

Friday Links — July 30, 2010

Last updated on: July 30, 2010 at 12:00 am By fatemeh

In Pakistan, a court has freed a mentally ill woman who has been held without trial for 14 years on allegations of desecrating the Qur’an. Muslim Voices reports that a Saudi sheikh has called for only Muslim women to work as maids in Saudi Arabia. More from the Los Angeles Times. Muslim women in the U.K. attend armed forces memorial. More here. On polygyny in Bahrain. The memorial to Marwa el-Sherbini in Dresden, Germany was desecrated last week. The Wall... Read more

An Interview with Yasmeen Maxamuud

Last updated on: July 29, 2010 at 12:00 am By Azra

Raaz for MMW: I found Nomad Diaries a wonderful introduction to the lives of Somali women living in the United States. There were times where I was reminded of my own immigrant grandmother and mother as I read about Nadifo’s life. As I mentioned in my review of Nomad Diaries, I am not familiar with stories that portray an African refugee woman’s journey to the United States presented in literature. What inspired you to write your novel? Yasmeen Maxamuud: Nomad... Read more

Muslim Girls: the New Tokens of The Real World

Last updated on: July 28, 2010 at 12:00 am By diana

“This is the true story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, work together and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.” Those words have forever ushered in MTV’s “real” drama-filled saga, The Real World. The Real World has long been known for its token cast members: in an all-white, heterosexual cast, MTV would often cast one or two people of color and/or from the LGBTQ community,... Read more

Playing the Victim: Media Coverage of Marwa el-Sherbini

Last updated on: July 27, 2010 at 12:00 am By Guest Contributor

This was written by Beverly M. Weber for Muslimah Media Watch. “She became a victim of Islamophobia and xenophobia. She responded with dignity and exemplary civil courage.” – Plaque in memorial to Marwa el-Sherbini, located in the foyer of the Saxony Provincial Court The murder of Marwa el-Sherbini in July 2009 sparked an intense, long-overdue discussion about Islamophobia and racism in Germany. These discussions have often included critical attention to the media’s role in creating negative images of Islam in... Read more