My parents sent me to an Islamic school from the age of five to thirteen; it was their effort to keep me safe from the dangers of succumbing to the evils of “Western decadence.” During that time, we were a captive audience for many kinds of experimental lectures meant to keep us on a clearly-defined righteous path. The most refreshing lectures were those from younger figures in the community, who had a better grasp of our hardships. While such conversations... Read more
Muslim girls at the London School of Fashion examine faith and fashion. More on “Islamic fashion” here. Spain’s parliament rejected a proposal to ban the niqab, while Syria has banned the niqab from educational facilities. Sumbul Ali-Karamali explores the burqa ban from an American perspective. More on the Syrian ban here. On how garment factories in Bangladesh have changed women’s outlooks on their futures. In north Afghanistan, women are facing a Taliban revival. More from The New York Times and... Read more
Noorain Khan’s piece on bad burqa puns, which MMW reposted yesterday, came as I have been coincidentally trying to pull together an explanation of exactly what is wrong with headlines that use these puns. (For those unfamiliar with the structure, here’s an easy formula: “behind/beneath/under/beyond” +”the” + “veil/hijab/burqa/niqab.) Read her piece first for a great list of all the ways that this language plays out; what I want to do in this post is to expand on exactly what is wrong... Read more
This post was written by Noorain Khan, and originally published at Jezebel. Every time news about another hijab/niqab/burqa ban hits the press, editors rejoice: this is their chance to coin THE ultimate veil pun. Problem is, there’s simply no such thing as a good veil pun. Plays on words that seemed clever in 1996 (or rather, in colonial discourse from 1959) have become even more trite and cringeworthy after years of headline-grabbing headscarf-ban debates and “encounters” with women in Iraq... Read more
It is said that in Islam, marriage is half the faith. Yet marriages are increasingly breaking down in divorce or marriage in name only, and examples of healthy marriages in keeping with our deen are becoming scarcer. I was curious to read Suzy Ismail’s When Muslim Marriage Fails–I wondered, do Muslim marriages fail for the same reasons as non-Muslim marriages? Before reading this book, I was inclined to say yes. This well-written book was a stark insight into marriage issues... Read more
While the front pages of newspapers feature Muslim women in flowing black abayas, burqas, and chadors, the often thrown-aside life and style sections are offering a very different picture of Muslim women: stylish! “Hijabistas,” trendy up-and-coming Muslim designers (predominantly from the U.K.), and fashion-forward hijabis are appearing on the covers of fashion and entertainment sections in newspapers across the world. These “hijabistas” are wearing and designing clothes to reflect “Western fashion” reconciled with a “Muslim dress code,” according to British... Read more
You’ve probably heard that France banned the niqab. Some people like it and some don’t. More here and here and here and here and here. Bangladesh bans local elders from meting out punishments according to religious law, which will make it difficult for them to order the flogging of rape victims. The USA Today examines a skateboarding school for girls in Afghanistan. Q & A with artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat. Some religious leader in Kuwait sticks his nose into... Read more
Urban fiction novels have been filling up bookshelves across America for generations. Characterized by city settings and an incline towards the profane and dark, these novels are made to appeal to a mainly African-American reading audience. Urban fiction’s cousin, the Christian urban fiction genre, does not entirely exclude the profane, but instead inserts images of God and faith. Similarly, a new category of urban fiction is squeezing its way onto the bookshelf mix: urban Islamic fiction. Differing from its Christian... Read more
When I watched Afshan Azad entering the Yule Ball as Padma Patil with Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I did not even think about whether or not she was a Muslim. Instead, like many Potter fans, I was thinking about Hermione, and how the two of them really just needed to get the Gryffindor together. According to an article in the Daily Express, Azad was allegedly beaten because she was heard talking on the phone... Read more
Dear Maureen, I hear you’re back from your jaunt over in Saudi Arabia. Kudos to you for making it back from that big, bad place. Somebody get this woman the gin and tonic she deserves! First, a secret: I am so tired of frothy, pop-culture media and art about the question of veiling. It’s really reached the point where whenever I hear about a story about the “Muslim world,” I feel premonitory exhaustion at the prospect of having to respond... Read more
Muslimah Media Watch
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