I’ve been doing some research lately on spaces where “Muslim” and “Canadian” are talked about as if the two identities are completely separate, so of course I rolled my eyes when I saw the headline about “American and Muslim Women Working Together” from an article on Media For Freedom. (As it turns out, the article was originally published in 2005 by Common Ground News Service.) The author, Hiam Nawas, is described as “a Jordanian-American expert on political Islam.” The article... Read more
Ms. Rachida Dati, France’s first female Muslim minister, has been criticized for returning to work only five days after giving birth to a baby girl. The media seems to favor the public view that Dati’s decision is a reckless political stunt that makes light of the responsibility of mothers everywhere. Dati, half-Algerian and half-Moroccan, is the second of 12 children. She’s been the center of media attention, primarily because she’s style-conscious, attractive and single, ever since France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy... Read more
Hurriyet Daily News discusses why studies on vitamin D deficiency can’t really be used to pressure women into covering or uncovering. The Hindu profiles Pakistani writer Uzma Aslam Khan. The Standard examines hejab’s modern new looks in Kenya. Egyptian women make a larger presence for themselves at the mosque. More from the International Herald Tribune. The director of Jeddah Health Affairs Management has denied reports that his office has closed a drug addiction treatment center for women in a local... Read more
I came across an interesting Associated Press article a couple of days ago titled Egyptian women break new ground at the mosque by Canadian journalist Hadeel Al-Shalchi. The article discusses how Egyptian women are beginning to not only frequent mosques more, but to use their time there to socialize, learn about Islam, and participate in community work. All in all, it was a pretty solid article, and Al-Shalchi does a good job of discussing the ways women have increased their... Read more
This was written by Jamerican Muslimah and originally published (with extras) at her blog Talking it Plain. Recently, I was having a conversation with a group of my friends and were talking about what constitutes a gold digger. Are you a gold digger if you expect a man to have enough money to support your future family? Are you a gold digger if you want a man who is well-established and financially sound? Are you a gold digger if you... Read more
Spoiler alert: this post discusses important plot points. This past weekend I finally went to see Slumdog Millionaire. I have to admit that I loved the film and Jamal’s rags-to -riches tale. The film has a fairytale bent that makes it likable (who doesn’t like for the beat up hero to overcome and be happy in the end?) and at the same time problematic. However, the issue isn’t with the main protagonist Jamal. In fact, he shows a strength, kindness... Read more
It wasn’t but several years ago when a Google search for “gay Muslims” or “lesbian Muslims” turned up few results on actual people, mainly just pages on why homosexuality is a sin in Islam and perhaps one or two articles, usually focusing on men. Since then there’s been an increase in profiles on people who struggle to reconcile — or not reconcile — the two identities. Films like Parvez Sharma’s A Jihad for Love (2007) and the Channel 4 documentary... Read more
Dr. Sherene Razack has a theory called Interlocking Systems of Domination, which says that people can be oppressed in different ways and in interlocking and interconnected ways. The various ways in which people are oppressed cannot be detangled from each other and therefore, the oppression that we face must be examined as a whole, as opposed to broken down by demographics. This has been proposed in contrast to the traditional belief that people with various oppressions experience additive oppressions. That... Read more
This was written by Cycads and originally published at her blog. Syria’s unlikely notoriety for racy underwear collides head on with the stereotyped image of the veiled and prudish Muslim woman. In a way, ‘The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie‘ (2008, Chronicle Books) had come at an opportune time to dispel these fossilised images, but at the same time will feed to a ‘Western’ obsession with what lies under the veil. Some of the raciest, most imaginative articles of ladies... Read more
Salam waleykum, readers! Hot on the heels of our honorable mention for Best Group Blog at the Brass Crescent Awards, we’ve been nominated for the 2008 Weblog Awards! Thanks to those of you who tipped us off. We’ve been nominated for Best Middle East/Africa blog! Oddly enough, we weren’t nominated for Best Religion Blog. Next year, enshallah! Voting begins today! You can show us some love here. Read more
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