Allow me to choose four, five or even nine men, just as my wildest imagination shall chose. I’ll pick them with different shapes and sizes, one of them will be dark and the other will be blonde. Tall or maybe short, they are to be Chosen from different denominations, religions, races and nations. And I promise you there will be harmony. Create a brand new positive law for me, or may be a divine one. Make me a new law... Read more
This was written Iqbal Tamimi and originally published at Middle East Online. One of the amazing fields where Muslim women have shown extra special skills in self expression is working as cartoonists. The skills of two Muslim women working in the same field but separated by a wide geographical and social distance is highlighted here, one in Pakistan and the other in Palestine. I guess a very small number of people in the West know about Muslim women creative artists... Read more
TED Talks are short lectures of no longer than 18 minutes, delivered on a variety of subjects by numerous speakers. Sherin El Feki introduces her lecture as being about pop culture in the Arab world. She then states she’s brought along an old friend and holds up a naked Barbie doll. Then she holds up a Fulla doll and introduces it as the Arab world’s answer to Barbie. The Fulla doll is dressed in a black abaya and hijab, presumably... Read more
Last month, Swiss voters approved a ban on the construction of mosque minarets. It’s worth reminding everyone that among the 150 mosques built in Switzerland, only four used to have a minaret. Four too many, according to the right-wing Swiss People’s Party and 57% of the Swiss voters. Unlike other European countries, Switzerland has no colonial past in Arab or predominately Muslim countries, which many of the Muslim migrants living in Europe come from. Almost 60% of the Muslims based... Read more
Fifteen-year-old Fahema Abdillahi has been missing for over a week. May Allah keep her. Afghan women write their stories for the Afghan Women’s Writing Project. Iran plans on holding an International Congress on Successful Women Who Wear Hijab. A French parliamentarian said he would file legislation to bar Muslim women from wearing veils that hide their faces in public. Egypt’s Attorney General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud revealed that there were an estimated 9,351 under-age marriages in the country. The Saudi Writer’s... Read more
Writing for MMW, I often get tired of seeing images, over and over, of Muslim women as oppressed, helpless, and passive. It’s always a nice change to see pieces in the media that demonstrate alternate representations, even when these can come with their own problems. Two recent articles about Muslim women working as activists and community leaders illustrate two very different ways of writing about active Muslim women. The first article, Muslim in NYC: Muslim Women Defy Stereotypes With Activism,... Read more
September 11, 2001 was different for everybody. But it’s safe to say that U.S. Muslims bore a significant burden. As soon as it was announced that the hijackers were Arab and Muslim, it seemed we’d inevitably be associated with the hereto-unpronounced “tribe.” After all, wasn’t that how America thought of us anyway? In her book Homeland Insecurity, Louise A. Cainkar argues that the idea that all Muslims were somehow connected to 9/11 was easily accepted because of the preexisting isolation... Read more
East meets West and pop meets soul in the latest album from Dutch international music star, Rajae El Mouhandiz, released this past Saturday. But of all the words to describe Hand of Fatima, Sufi-inspired might be the most fitting. The album is a musical meander through the life and times of Rajae, a 30-year-old North African Muslim woman who grew up in Amsterdam and who uses her international background to inspire her music. Released three years after her debut album... Read more
Disclaimer: The purpose of this post is not to side with either the government or the opposition of Iran, but to analyze the use of gender in a recent campaign. Being a woman is considered so shameful that if you are an outspoken male opposition supporter in Iran, the press will release a picture of you wearing a headscarf and chador to humiliate you. This is exactly what happened to Majid Tavakoli, a prominent student leader in Iran (image below).... Read more
Salam waleykum, readers! As you can see, we have a lovely new look here at MMW. I hope you’re as excited about it as we are! I also hope you can forgive the terrible job I’m going to do with this week’s Friday links. I’ll be honest: I thought I could do a quick linkup job last night. When I looked at my Delicious inbox and saw 100 new links, I knew I was wrong. So I’m just going to... Read more
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