Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan, has been murdered. May Allah grant her and the country she loved so much peace. What’s especially disgusting about this news is that, in many outlets, it’s being accompanied by an assessment of the price of goods, stocks, currency, or oil. A woman has been murdered, and all anyone cares about is the impact on money. Estaghfirallah. Updates: The New York Times writes a nasty obituary about her: “…the dance of veils she... Read more
In very recent times it seems that news about violence against Muslim women is everywhere. I was recently directed to a Boston Globe article entitled The Islamist War on Muslim Women by Jeff Jacoby. He describes the many recent incidents of violence, leading to death, against Muslim women in Muslim countries as well as in the West. Reading through it my stomach started turning with disgust. Of course I was disgusted by all the acts of violence against Muslim women.... Read more
This post continues my look at the portrayal of Muslim women in young adult fiction. Marina Budhos is not a Muslim. She is not an immigrant. But the daughter of an Indo-Guyanese father and a Jewish-American mother, Budhos has had a strong interest in the stories of immigrant teenagers. Her book Ask Me No Questions: A Novel, published in 2006 by Atheneum, explores the story of Nadira, a 14-year-old Muslim girl who is an undocumented immigrant from Bangladesh. The book... Read more
Muslimah Media Watch thanks Safiya for the tip! The U.K.’s Channel 4 is airing a film festival this week, titled: “Unveiled: Love and Sex in the Arab World.” (sigh) Nice title. Very original. So we’re guessing that the aim is…to show that Arabs love and have sex? If that is the aim, then it’s not a bad one: love can be a very powerful subject. Movies made sensitively can humanize their subjects by showing the viewer that “these people” love,... Read more
Via the Washington Post. This was originally written by Jessica Dawson; you can see the full article at the website. Jessica Dawson writes a great review of a new photography exhibition about Muslim women in Germany which highlights tensions and Islamophobia rather than assuages them: “‘Muslim Women,’ Sans Context” by Jessica Dawson “Muslim Women in Germany,” a new photography exhibition soon to reopen at the Goethe-Institut, proves much less straightforward than its simple title suggests. Upward of 3 million Muslims... Read more
Khalilah Sabra writes a very interesting essay about sexual violence and Muslim communities. Dr. Asad Khan writes about a few high-profile Muslim women who seek the full development of women’s rights in Muslim communities. Haroon Siddiqui writes about Aqsa Parvez’ murder being used as a tool for “cultural warfare.” He makes some great points about the nature of immigrant families in a new cultural setting. Doha Abdelhamid thinks about what it would be like if she were Egypt’s first female... Read more
By now it seems there is no one who has not heard of Facebook. This ‘social utility’ as they call it has become so popular that people of all backgrounds are taking part, creating their profiles, adding lots and lots of friends, and joining various groups with others of similar interests. To me joining groups on Facebook has become a way to identify oneself; a way to tell people “Look, this is who I am. I’m a (Aquarius, woman, Muslim,... Read more
If you’re looking for Muslim teenagers in young adult fiction, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many good examples. There are plenty of Orientalist novels about exotic Muslim girls in distant lands. A standard example is the narrator of Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (Suzanne Fisher Staples, 1991), who at age 13 is forced into marriage with a man over 50 who already has three wives. Western Muslim women don’t fare much better. Until recently, Jehran of Caroline B. Cooney’s The... Read more
Muslimah Media Watch wishes all of its readers a happy Eid al-Adha! Read more
Browsing in Barnes & Noble yesterday, I came across a magazine I so desperately wanted, despite the fact that I have forbidden myself from spending money until I get my next paycheque (the price tag was too high for me to talk myself into it). Ah, the life of a graduate student! Anyway, the cover attracted me as soon as I looked over at the magazine rack: big, bold Arabic script in white on a striking black background: Alef magazine.... Read more
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