Love and marriage and relationships have been everywhere these days, especially as they relate to Muslims, and particularly Muslim women. After reading a highly gendered, sexist and inappropriate article on the women that men should not marry, which fortunately was tackled by MMW’s Sara in a humorous piece, I decided to take a look into how Muslim women’s love choices (or lack of choice) have been portrayed lately in the media. Starting with the fact that love + Muslim women... Read more
I woke up one morning last week feeling betrayed. I couldn’t pinpoint the source of this overwhelming nausea of deception, but there it was, swimming in the pools of last night’s dinner mixed in with some proverbial bile. Luckily for my body and eternal salvation, I received a quick diagnosis for those feelings of betrayal by writer Ida Lichter, who recently wrote an article for The Australian, later picked up by The Huffington Post [Religion], entitled “Feminists Betrayed Islamic Women.”... Read more
Listen Muslim ladies, it’s the slow-jam Imam — and it’s time that we have a heart-to-heart. [Obligatory soundtrack] If you’re wondering why you haven’t had any success at masjid mixers, or you’re cursing that seemingly wasted subscription at Naseeb, I’ve got some answers for you. Chances are that you fall into one of these categories of ladies unfit for a Muslim gentleman (thanks to my friends at Muslim Spice for bringing this important matter up): You’re using social media: It... Read more
Last week Muslims around the world celebrated Eid ul Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, which is as well the end of the pilgrimage. Especially for this celebration, The National featured the story of Lady Evelyn Cobbolds, who might have been the first British woman to have gone on hajj. Some women in Saudi Arabia have been doing the ritual slaughtering themselves, which is generally done by men. And despite an anti-harassment campaign, for many young boys in Egypt, harassment is... Read more
“Oh Canada […] The true north, strong and free.” – Canadian National Anthem Her eyes met mine sporadically while we stood in the packed subway train in Toronto. It was the month of Ramadan, the month that encourages Muslims to put forth that much more effort – to show sisterhood and warmth to those that we don’t know. There was something about her that made me want to start a conversation. There was an air of unease to her, of... Read more
As you know, last Friday was Eid-ul-Adha, a major holiday for Muslims around the world. Having enjoyed sharing our Ramadan experiences with our readers earlier this year, the MMW team wanted to briefly share some experiences and reflections on this Eid, focusing especially on the role of gender in how Eid is experienced in our respective communities. In this second segment, Eren, wood turtle, Krista and Azra reflect on Eid prayers and holiday traditions in North America. (Update: You can... Read more
As you know, last Friday was Eid-ul-Adha, a major holiday for Muslims around the world. Having enjoyed sharing our Ramadan experiences with our readers earlier this year, the MMW team wanted to briefly share some experiences and reflections on this Eid, focusing especially on the role of gender in how Eid is experienced in our respective communities. In this first segment, Anike and Izzie both reflect on the role of women in cooking and preparing food for the Eid celebrations,... Read more
On a recent grocery store run, my father and I overheard an interesting exchange between two male store attendants about Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year-old activist from Pakistan’s northern Swat region who was targeted recently for her outspoken views on education. While one of the attendants bemoaned her fate, his friend, a young Pathan, speaking with the tell-tale lyricism of Urdu in a Pashto accent, proceeded to comment on how many girls like Malala are being killed by drone attacks in... Read more
Who would choose, on a day dedicated to honouring women in his country, to completely discount all previous work done by its women? That’s exactly what Najib Razak, the incumbent Malaysian prime minister, said during his speech during the National Women’s Day celebration on October 2. In addition to being the prime minister, Razak also holds the portfolio of Women, Family and Community Development – one of the few male ministers in the world (alongside Samoa) to head a ministry dedicated... Read more
Eid mubarak to you all! Many news stories this week did, of course, feature the annual pilgrimage, or hajj, which ends today, Eid ul Adha. The BBC reports that more young Muslims decide to make the pilgrimage, and shares stories of three young British women who did the pilgrimage at a young age. Some female pilgrims from Nigeria have allegedly been raped and assaulted while in Saudi Arabia for the hajj. The Russian headscarf debate highlights the grievances in the Russian Muslim community. Meanwhile... Read more
Muslimah Media Watch
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