When you’re a poor kid from a poor family, and when a priest pays attention to you, it’s a big deal. How do you say no to God? – “Spotlight” Ever since I saw the trailer months and months ago to when it finally opened, Spotlight was a movie I had to see for two reasons: It focused on the tremendous investigative journalism work done by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team – a throwback to the kind of journalism I... Read more
He’s got nothing left to prove, nothing left to lose. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to hearing what President Obama has to say in his very last State of the Union Address. And, judging from the line of VIP and other guests, religion will be up front and center. Two employees of CAIR (Council on Islamic-American Relations), an organization viewed with suspicion by the government in the past, will be there at the invitation of lawmakers... Read more
I am flummoxed and flabbergasted by the events of the last two weeks. – Professor Larycia Hawkins Wheaton College has begun the process of firing Professor Larycia Hawkins over her statements about Christians and Muslims worshiping the same God, after she donned a headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims at the start of December. The story broke in the news media and in social media earlier this week, with the Chicago Tribune reporting that the political science professor received word from Wheaton... Read more
In the last five years of managing the Muslim Channel at Patheos, I’ve tracked and produced articles and op-eds on the biggest issues Muslims in America and beyond are discussing, living, engaging in and battling over. That comes on top of nearly 10 years before that of working as a journalist and editor on the “Muslims in America” beat for other websites and publications. So, I have a fairly good idea of what stories and issues will be big, what... Read more
My sister-in-law called me up out of the blue last week, talking to me for 20 minutes in a breathless catch-up of things going on in the nation, in the world, about the current climate for Muslims and Muslim women, about what I was hearing and covering through work, about our daughters, about something that just had happened to her that day: A friendly colleague where she worked (she’s a teacher and just joined a new school a few months... Read more
Is the question really about whether Islam and Christianity can identify with each other? Or if Allah is the same as (or similar to) the God? Or if a political science professor at a private liberal Christian evangelical college has the right to don the hijab (head scarf) for Advent in solidarity with Muslims? Or if wearing that hijab is the right demonstration of solidarity with Muslims and Muslim women? Let’s backtrack a bit. Professor Larycia Hawkins, a political science... Read more
Most days I get the kids up, make their lunches, drop them at the bus stop/take them to school, come back home and get on my laptop to start my day’s work as the Managing Editor of Patheos Muslim, one of the faith channels at Patheos.com. It’s all largely behind the scenes work – watching what the latest news stories are, covering the issues Muslims in America are facing, facilitating discussions, talking with the writers and bloggers on my channel,... Read more
It seems like every day is a “Designated Day,” marked so as to draw awareness to a cause, illness, culture, group of people or what have you. Sometimes they scroll by so fast on my news feed that I miss things, like December 3 was World Disability Day. What does that mean? World Disability Day? According to Daysoftheyear.com: Disability Day, or the International Day of People with Disability, is a day that has been promoted by the United Nations since 1992. The aim... Read more
This was the logical next step. Rabia Chaudry, the most vocal and dedicated advocate for Adnan Syed (sentenced to life in prison for the 1999 death of Hae Min Lee), has written a book that will be out in September of 2016 about Syed’s case. In an exclusive article in EW.com: Rabia Chaudry, co-host of the podcast Undisclosed, and the person who initially brought Syed’s case to the attention of Serial’s Sarah Koenig, has written a book called Adnan’s Story: Murder, Justice, and The Case That... Read more
The whole week’s been a rather downward spiral, starting with the horrible attacks in Paris and Beirut. The continued violence in Syria, Iraq, Myanmar and so many places around the world. The evil known as Daesh, or ISIS. And the ensuing, predictable yet scary, Islamophobia that has followed. All on top of a huge backlash against Syrian refugees. But that’s another post. But life keeps on moving, and the things we commit to — our families, jobs, children, activities, volunteer... Read more
Muslimah Next Door
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In