This post was written by guest contributor Emaan Majed. On my grandmother’s dresser, there is a pink tube of cleverly marketed whitening cream. She applies it daily, despite being quite pale, despite claiming to hate the colonizers from whom it stems, despite being a health-freak and knowing that it contains hints of mercury. My grandmother is not unlike many Pakistani women in this aspect. My progressive, liberal, ‘I have never done a racist thing in my life’ aunts each own... Read more
“Let me begin with a story. A story from your history. One that I hope will stay in your minds as you think about our common future.” These are words taken from a speech recently delivered by Justin Trudeau, a well-known Canadian politician, to the thousands of Muslims in attendance at the most recent Reviving the Islamic Spirit convention. I was not in attendance at the conference, but after reading Trudeau’s speech, which he published on the Huffington Post, I... Read more
Last week, Singapore saw the election of its first woman Speaker of Parliament, Halimah Yacob. Halimah started her political career by joining the governing party since independence, the People’s Action Party (PAP), in 2001. She represented the electoral division of Jurong as a Member of Parliament and was later appointed a Minister of State for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (now the Ministry of Social and Family Development) in 2011. However, barely a year after being a Minister of State in... Read more
A number of MMW writers are stepping back over the next few months, so we’re currently looking for a few more people to add to the team. Although the position is unpaid, being a MMW contributor is a great way to gain writing experience, and to connect to an awesome community of Muslim women (if we may say so ourselves!) We’re looking especially for contributors who might have perspectives that aren’t already reflected among MMW’s writers. So if you come... Read more
A report by the International Rescue Committee tells of the sexual violence many Syrian women and girls cite as the main reason for fleeing the country. The ethnic Hazara community in Pakistan, who are predominantly Shi’a, have been attacked for over two decades, but last week’s attack killed over a hundred Hazaras, leaving behind many women and families in desperate conditions. Indonesia has reacted in outrage on the “joke” by high court judge Daming Sunusi, who stated that both victim... Read more
After gaining a few pounds during the holidays, I became convinced that I had to either join a gym or look for an exercise group within my area. It was then that I came across an interesting article that did not only draw my attention, but also troubled me a little. A few days ago the Boston Herald published Jill Radsken’s piece titled “Jewish, Muslim women work together to achieve Slim Peace.” The article discusses Yael Luttwak’s project: Slim Peace.... Read more
I was personally not aware that Malawi had a somewhat significant Muslim population when I read this report by Nyasa Times discussing the trend of sex workers wearing the hijab in certain cities in Malawi. This is because I was aware that Malawi identifies itself as a Christian nation “with no religious conflict”, with the religion being followed by 83% of the Malawian population. Yet as I discovered, a minority of Malawians, 13%, are Muslim. According to the report, sex... Read more
Since apparently all of us over the ripe age of 20 walk around with visible and obnoxiously loud ticking analog biological clocks, it’s no surprise that the issue of marriage is constantly smacked into our faces as though it is the sole defining moment and relationship of our lives. Marriage for Muslim women, whatever shade of practice, belief and color they come in, is a big deal. It may not be a big deal for a particular Muslim woman, perhaps,... Read more
Sri Lankan Rizana Nafeek has been beheaded last week in Saudi Arabia, for allegedly killing the baby of her employer. Her family is hoping to obtain her remains, so that she can have a proper burial. May Allah grant her eternal peace and justice. IPS features an article on the many struggles that Yemeni women (still) face. Al Arabiya reports that “husband killings” by Yemeni women and their relatives are on the rise, as a result of domestic violence and... Read more
Sania Mirza is a source of pride in India. She is the first Indian woman to: Win a WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) tour title of any kind Win a Grandslam Title Surpass US $1m in career earnings She has also won the Arjuna Award, which is the highest sports honour in India, and the Padma Shri, which is the fourth highest civilian award in India; she was named one of the “50 heroes of Asia” by Time Magazine, and named... Read more
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