Upon learning about the Paris attacks and the #PrayforParis hashtag that emerged, I felt many things – but I was not shocked. Violence does not shock me. As a woman of colour and as an immigrant, it is part of my surroundings. I have become desensitized to violence. If you are like me and grew up in a Third World country that has experienced violence during your lifetime, chances are you understand. Growing up in Latin America in the 90’s... Read more
“Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety, after all it is only in the darkest nights that stars shine more brightly” – Ali Ibn Abu Talib (RA) Only from darkness can we see light. Only from struggle do we understand the roots of solidarity. These days in Toronto, these expressions could not be more true. After the horrific series of terrorist acts in Beirut, Baghdad, Ankara and Paris it can not seem to be anything but dark. Even... Read more
When I first heard the title of Dr. Nina Ansary’s latest book, Jewels of Allah, on the life of women in Iran, I must admit I had to restrain myself. In general I’m pretty wary about labelling women as two-dimensional objects, whether in a negative (‘lollipops’) or positive (‘pearl in its shell’) way. Ansary explains that the title is “meant to convey that women, who have been ordained as inferior [by hardline conservative factions] are in fact the jewels of... Read more
This post was written by Guest contributor Seema Shafei (@seemashafei). I’ll never forget the time a classmate turned to me and said that we couldn’t elect Obama because his middle name was Hussein. You never know, she told me. He could be just like Saddam. If a name could elicit this much fear, a language could start a war. Language is a weapon as much as it is a comfort. It can connect ideas of home to a community, keeping... Read more
Saba Ahmed, the founder of the Republican Muslim Coalition, appeared on Fox News in an American flag hijab. See the BBC news article here (as I refuse to link to anything going to Fox News) and if you want to buy her hijab, Forbes has let us know it is ten dollars and can be bought in Times Square (more here, in Mic) The sad events in Paris last week have led to a series of Islamophobic hate crimes elsewhere. ... Read more
Guest contributor Stéphanie Renée Roy (@LGD_Stephy) interviews Eman El Husseini. It was 2 years ago that I first saw Eman El Husseini’s stand-up comedy. I was then a fairly new convert and Eman impressed me when she spoke so honestly about Canadian experience as a Palestinian Muslim. She began professional comedy in 2006 because she loved making people laugh – but her journey hasn’t all been about laughter. El Husseini has spoken openly of the racism she has witnessed, especially... Read more
This post was written by guest contributor, Fatin Marini (@FatinMarini1) When my blog, “Has Quantico got positive Muslim female roles covered?” was published, the response was overwhelmingly positive. For some who hadn’t seen the show yet, the positive portrayal of a Muslim woman as an FBI agent intrigued them enough that they were excited to give it a try. For those who were already viewers, my post validated their love of the show – so far.. But then came the question:... Read more
Afghanistan In Afghanistan, half of all deaths among women aged 15 to 49 are because of pregnancy and childbirth. A video by The Guardian titled, “The imams, the Taliban and the condoms” follows two imams’ project to raise awareness about birth control methods and women’s health. Australia Susan Carland, an Australian academic, who regularly receives Islamophobic messages on social media, is donating $1 to UNICEF every time she gets them. Canada Fulfilling his campaign promise of gender-parity, Prime Minister Trudeau... Read more
This post is written by guest contributor, Sarabi N. Eventide (@SarabiNEventide) Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), the extremist group in Bangladesh responsible for the deaths of numerous secular and liberal bloggers, is once again attempting to dictate what is and is not acceptable in Bengali media. In its most recent move, the group issued a threat to media companies employing women and insisted that the female employees are in violation of Islamic law, especially the unveiled models in advertisement campaigns. ABT’s threat is problematic for three... Read more
Emma Watson met with Malala Yousafzai in an interview posted online this week. I will let you draw your own conclusions (more sources here and here). Speaking of Malala, U.S. Presidential candidate Marco Rubio named her as someone he would like to have a beer with. The Republican Party, always with its fingers on the pulse! An interesting article about “Lithuania’s Forgotten Muslim Heroes” in the Baltic Times. The Wall Street Journal has an article about barriers to voting in... Read more
Muslimah Media Watch
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