ISLAM SNIPPET OF THE MORNING: Women and scarves…. There was a kerfluffle involving the First Lady of the US during the recent trip she and the President made to Saudi Arabia. Mrs. Obama did not wear a scarf when she was in the Kingdom. Reaction ran the gamut from “meh” to “she disrespected our culture!” (from Muslims having the vapors) to “she took a stand for feminism” (from non-Muslims misunderstanding what feminism is). Here’s the lowdown from a real-life scarf-wearing... Read more
A Fiction Story: There once was a man who worked in a senior care facility. He was a simple man without much education, stolid and dependable. The care home was not the worst of its kind; it served as a dumping ground for incontinent grandmothers and irascible old fathers with failing memories. Relatives came and went, mostly around the holidays, entering patient rooms in a flurry of forced good cheer after having sternly reminded the children not to wrinkle their... Read more
Okay, my dear Muslim brothers and sisters, I’m going to write about a topic that many of you will feel conflicted about. It’s TV. Ah, the television, that miracle window into a wider world. Most homes in the US have more than one TV, and oftentimes we have it on from daybreak until bedtime. Muslims watch TV. Okay, no problem. There’s news (though usually biased against Muslims, it can be useful sometimes). There’s sports, there’s food television, there are nature... Read more
Sisters! Do not turn off your brain when you become Muslim. Okay, it is time for some tough love here. First of all, let me tell you about me, just a bit. I have been Muslim for twenty-one years, by Allah’s Mercy and Grace. So believe you me when I tell you I have been there, done that, seen that, shaken my head at that, clucked my tongue at that, and walked away in disgust at that. Okay? I consider... Read more
This is a hard post for me to write. I”m a white American. My heritage here in the US goes back all the way to Revolutionary times, with ancestors arriving mostly from the British Isles. I’m white, pale, pasty, European, don’t-stand-in-front-of-the-fridge-when-taking-a-picture-white. I live in the suburbs of a typical American town with my husband, five kids, six chickens, and a cat who is currently sleeping off a food coma on the sofa. I live a modest life, but compared to... Read more
Dear Gaza, I’m sorry. I apologize on behalf of the United States of America. First of all, that moniker is not accurate. In a nation of over 300 million people, you can be assured that we rarely agree on anything. We are certainly not united on the issue of Israel’s holocaust in Gaza. Yes, holocaust. I am co-opting that word and using it for something other than the Nazi holocaust against the Jews of Europe. Because what’s happening in Gaza is... Read more
This Ramadan has been subdued for me, to say the least. The offensive in Gaza, with all the requisite pictures of dead babies and videos of explosions scrolling across my feed, has invaded my mind to such an extent that it affects how I go about my day. In the broad sense, there is nothing wrong with that, because if we Muslims are not horrified and saddened by the plight of our brothers and sisters, then we really are missing... Read more
As Salaamu Alaikum. I have had some Muslim friends asking questions about certain rules and regulations in Islam. Specifically, it was asked “Why don’t we women pray or fast during our menses?”. Now, the short answer to that is “God said so”. It is agreed upon by all the scholars that the teachings in the Qur’an and in the Sunnah (the way of Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) indicate that women are not to pray... Read more
As with many other non-Muslim holidays, many Muslims look upon Memorial Day with mixed feelings. Of course, it’s not just us; a lot of Americans have mixed feelings, wanting to honor those who have died in service to the country, but conflicted because so many of those deaths were unnecessary because the wars or conflicts were misguided and mis-fought. When American soldiers, sailors, or Marines have gone to countries where Muslims are the majority and have shot them, bombed them,... Read more
Okay. Not being one to shy from controversy, I’m back to write about marriage again! Yay! I got a LOT of response on my Facebook wall over the status update regarding marrying men who come from a very different culture. I would say it was about 80% “You go girl!” and 20% “You are backbiting!”. It is a very emotional topic and one of the most important topics in our Ummah here in the West. We have the luxury of... Read more
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