The perfect Muslimah.  She is shy and retiring.  She covers from head to toe in voluminous black clothing, uncovering nothing of her face and only one eye to see her way on the road.  She walks silently and with gaze downcast.  She avoids talking and laughing so as not to allow the sound of her voice to fall within the hearing of a non-related man.  She keeps to the shadows, emerging from her home only rarely.  She allows her... Read more

So, now that we know that domestic violence is not allowed in Islam, what do we do about it?  Well, if I were Empress of the World, I would make proclamations and put up signs on every street corner making it a crime for a man to hit a woman.  I would put on TV programs 24/7 to teach the truth of Islam and make it required for men and women to watch and learn.  I would require every Muslim... Read more

So this morning I’m dragging my way through the morning routine, waiting for the coffee to brew, helping the kids find socks and reminding the two elementary school boys that yes, they do have to wear underwear as they are dressing for school.  I was up way too late last night.  It seems my husband and I have our best discussions late at night, after the kids are in bed and the house has finally settled down to silence.  We... Read more

  Okay, after I frantically deleted a raft of comments from my blog (positive, negative, and caramel-covered nutball), I felt a lot better and more at ease.  I didn’t want my comments section to blow up into a holy war Islamophobe-fest.  There are so many nice, thoughtful Muslims and non-Muslims – including you, Lew – but there are some instigators whose only desire is to foment hate, and I have neither the time nor desire to run herd on a... Read more

I don’t get out much.  Happens when you’re a work-at-home mom of five children, three cats, and one Egyptian hubby who loves my home cooked food.  Much of the information I get about the ‘outside world’ comes from TV and my Facebook feed.  A few days ago my wall started lighting up with stories about a sheikh – still unidentified and possibly imaginary – who supposedly said that female Muslims should not be allowed to handle cucumbers, zucchini, or other... Read more

As Salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah. Work piled up on my desk (and on the floor, and in the closet, and out in the storage shed), a house full of sniffling, dry hacking, post-nasal-dripping children, more scandalous news than you can shake a stick at, and still I can’t think of what to write about.  An amusing anecdote about the children?  My ire at Lowe’s pulling commercials from “All-American Muslim”?  Joy over having plenty of coffee in the house?  My brain... Read more

As Salaamu Alaikum (Peace be upon you) Okay, this next bit that I just wrote I really hesitated to post.  It’s a fictionalized account of one side of a telephone conversation about a Muslim named Aisha.  I want to say beforehand that I know there are many many good Muslim marriages, and there are wonderful cross-cultural marriages (such as my own) where the husband and wife are loving, dynamic, confident about themselves, and who tackle the world as a team. ... Read more