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  • asma 3:03 pm on February 16, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    The prophet (saw) said: “The sun and the moon are two signs from amongst Allah’s signs and they do not eclipse because of the death or life of anyone.” Although October was designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month back in 1995 by leading organizations across North America, for Muslims February seems to be a pivotal month for raising awareness of the presence of Domestic Violence in the Muslim community. The tragic death of sister Aasiya Zubair Hassan on February 2009 served as a catalyst for the birth and rebirth of programs and organizations addressing this social evil.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 1:33 pm on February 1, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Something decidedly medieval is in the air in Saudi Arabia. Fears of black magic and curses cast by Indonesian domestic helpers have spread across the country, and Saudi employers increasingly feel the need to hire private investigators to check their domestic workers for suspicious behavior and evidence for witchcraft. Investigators, mostly foreign women from neighboring countries, are paid to search for photographs, hair, or clothes belonging to the employers before the domestic helpers are repatriated, reports Arab News. The employers do not do this themselves because they feel it is immoral and something Islam prevents them to do.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 6:49 pm on January 18, 2010 | 1 Permalink | Reply

    Women in American mosques are loud and messy. They allow their children to run free. They socialize and chatter during khutbas. They rush out after the prayers and don’t participate in cleaning or re-organizing the space. They wear inappropriate clothes, allowing their scarves to slip off their heads, and dousing themselves with strong perfumes. They insist on coming to the mosque while menstruating, and pollute the consecrated space with their unclean presence. These stereotypes about women in mosques are commonplace and especially prevalent in American mosques.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 10:26 pm on December 23, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Omer Subhani seems to largely miss the point of the Muslim Public Affairs Council piece on child marriages, which was posted last week here on Altmuslimah. Especially considering that both MPAC and Mr. Subhani staunchly oppose the horrendous practice, it would be immensely more productive if we could channel that agreement to defeat injustices in our communities. Our intent with this report is to shine a light on the issue as one that we must all confront head-on.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 12:39 pm on December 18, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    For the 50th anniversary of the Barbie doll, Italian designer Eliana Lorena created over 500 Barbies for an auction hosted by Sotheby’s for Save the Children. The dolls were fashioned to represent women from all over the world; three are meant to be from Islamic cultures, and are covered to varying degrees – one wears hijab and full-body covering, while the other two wear face- and full-body covering (niqab and burqa).

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 2:14 pm on December 8, 2009 | 3 Permalink | Reply

    The Islamic definition of zina, with the consensus of all schools of thought, is the process of sexual penetration in an unlawful relationship. The manifestation of a pregnancy does not serve as evidence that a woman or a man has committed zina. In this regard, the application of hudood laws represents an extreme misapplication of Islamic law.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 12:22 pm on December 3, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Muslims face many a challenge when forbidding evil, and often lack the wisdom and sincerity to do so effectively. We might be quick to judge the new sister in our community who does not wear hijab, but fail to admonish the veteran sister who attends the study circle and backbites. Or we might stand against the brother who sells liquor, but will not speak up against the religious leader who commits wrongdoings.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 1:44 pm on November 27, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) in India exemplifies the reality that women’s rights movements face in addressing the numerous issues and challenges of both the struggle of women and the upliftment of entire communities to which women belong.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 10:52 pm on November 16, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Muslim male privilege is a reality that cannot be denied. It is not as simple as Muslim men enjoying greater space, comfort and accessibility in the mosque; the ramifications extend further. Muslim men dominate the leadership positions in the mosque and in the world of scholarship and can abuse their power to preach sexist interpretations of Islamic law and tradition in order to further control women.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 1:56 pm on November 10, 2009 | 5 Permalink | Reply

    I want my kids to be aware of what happens in society, where the dangers lie, what we expect of them, what Islam expects of them, and the fact that other families (both Muslim and not) might have different rules. I understand that this might mean resisting peer pressure, but when has that been a bad thing? It builds character and strength.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 9:03 pm on November 2, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    In two recent reviews of the book “Islam Needs a Sexual Revolution,” by Seryan Ates, one found her suggestion that the Muslim world could mimic the West’s sexual revolution both inaccurate and implausible. The other felt that Ates should fall back on more than just her personal experiences when trying to persuade the reader of the imminence and importance of a sexual revolution.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 3:16 pm on October 30, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    In August, four scholars and a small group of Jewish and Muslim emerging religious leaders met to discuss the story of Joseph in the Qur’an and in the Bible. Here are four reflections, by two Muslim women and two Jewish women, about the significance of Zuleikha in the story and in their respective traditions.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 3:15 pm on October 30, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    In August, four scholars and a small group of Jewish and Muslim emerging religious leaders met to discuss the story of Joseph in the Qur’an and in the Bible. Here are four reflections, by two Muslim women and two Jewish women, about the significance of Zuleikha in the story and in their respective traditions.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 1:19 pm on October 27, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Our Stories, Our Lives is an anthology of a diverse group of women in Bradford, England, offering a glimpse into their lives and their struggle to reconcile their Muslim identities with their British ones. With the media’s daily onslaught against the image of Muslims, coupled with the assumptions about so-called conflicting alliances (Islam versus the West), a “proud British Muslim” would sound like an oxymoron to many. But it isn’t, and talking to many Muslims in Britain will tell you just that.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 5:46 pm on October 7, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply

    Preachy as she is, Aunty Mohja is not out to convert you to traditional Islamic dress, only to that root of its ethos that’s a basic right and blessing for all. Her to-do list is pragmatic, tailored to a secular American populace. Observant Muslims, be prepared that her Rules will not, therefore, be up to hijab standards. And to the midriff-baring girls Aunty Mohja sees at the Mecca Mall in Amman, Jordan, don’t throw the baby (of basic decency) out with the bathwater (of the veiling you choose not to do).

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 10:45 am on September 28, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    There is obviously no single definition of masculinity in Islam, due to the diversity of cultures and contexts in which the religion is practiced and interpreted. It remains nebulous which precise aspects of the Muslim world’s image of masculinity come from Islam and which are rooted in culture. What counts is what constructions of the Muslim male people perceive to be Islamic.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 10:24 pm on September 24, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    President Barack Obama’s national call to service was heard and answered by many Muslim organizations and communities to re-capture the American spirit in the post 9/11 era, to stimulate interfaith activities to be more action-based, and to help re-build local economic landscapes in the wake of the recession. Although these are signs of charitable maturity within the Muslim community, it is still essential that all Muslims catapult these issues to the forefront of their human service agendas.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 10:19 am on September 23, 2009 | 15 Permalink | Reply

    By Asma T. Uddin

    Louise Cankar, an assistant professor of sociology at Marquette University, recently published a book in which she argues that, while anti-Muslim suspicion existed prior to 9/11, 9/11 created an environment in which hostility toward Muslims could thrive and their political and social exclusion could be legitimated by both the government and nativist Americans. While Cankar’s discussion in her book, Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim American Experience After 9/11, is, as a whole, thoroughly fascinating, if not depressing, her research regarding gendered dehumanization stands out as especially troubling – though also suggestive of where we may find solutions. Cankar’s dissection of the gendered patterns of dehumanization identify gender as a critical area for cross-cultural dialogue. She lays out three patterns in particular of gender dehumanization.

    Continue reading at City of Brass.

     

  • asma 3:42 pm on September 14, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    The choice to divorce requires us to ask difficult and legitimate questions, and listen to each other’s honest answers in order to make a decision about what to do when they have run out of ideas to repair the relationship. These questions reflect the difficulty of the decision, and its effect on the multiple areas of their lives. There are no easy answers, and sometimes no perfect solutions, when these dilemmas are on the table.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 2:49 am on September 12, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: altmuslimah,

    When my husband finally makes his way down the stairs, my frustration abates and he and I sit across from each other and share our early morning meal. We speak intermittently and keep one eye trained on the clock to ensure we finish our food by the time dawn prayers begin. Despite the sparse conversation and the hurried meal, I enjoy the feeling that we are both beginning our obligatory fasts together, as a unit.

    Continue reading on Altmuslimah

     

  • asma 11:44 pm on September 9, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply

    Check out this piece on Altmuslimah by Mayim Bialik:

    As part of Altmuslimah’s efforts to explore gender themes that Islam has in common with other faiths, the star of ‘Blossom,’ Mayim Bialik, reflects here on how her Jewish faith and its concept of modesty (tzniut) changed the way she dresses.

     

  • asma 11:40 pm on September 9, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    The purpose of Altmuslimah’s visual campaign is to present Muslim men and women multi-dimensionally, figuratively speaking. The collection highlights the literary contributions of empowered Muslim American women; telling portraits of tenacious Muslim females, young and old; warm, loving Muslim men; the purity of spiritual devotion; and the dynamics of positive gender interaction in Islam.

    The importance of the campaign is highlighted by Louise Cainkar in her recent book, Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim American Experience After 9/11:

    (More …)

     

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