By Amani Marie HamedRamadan is here, and while everyone is gushing over how much Baraka they’ll receive and how many new recipes they’ll be bringing to potluck iftars, I’m just anxious. Not excited, I’m agitated. I feel like someone stuck a milk frother in my brain and now I can’t get rid of the sound of the vibrating…
By Amani Marie HamedTrigger warnings: rape, murder, abuse, genocide, war. It begins, as anything does, slowly, and with whispers. We sit around, watching the news, and muttering, “This can’t happen. Not to us.” But it can. Slowly, and with whispers behind closed office doors, men in crisp shirts straighten their ties and decide. We cower in our…
By Amani Marie HamedDuring the week, I work as a nanny to several little girls. This year, my “Middle Little,” as I call her, painstakingly glued 100 beads to a piece of paper to commemorate 100 days of school. In many ways, my kindergartener accomplished more that day than Drumpf has during his first 100 days in the…
By Amani Marie HamedIn a video created by UNICEF, ten-year-old Ansam, born blind and displaced from Damascus by Syria’s six-year-long civil war, stands among the ruins of her country. She walks out into the sunlight and begins a song, in a voice that rings like crystal, about the destruction and heartbreak that has for so many years destroyed…
By Amani Marie HamedIf you have read any of my articles or have known me in person for any length of time, you will know that I love the X-Men. By far my favorite comic book universe, the X-Men have been with me since childhood. This lovable band of misfits, mostly teenage mutants and societal outcasts, have helped…
By Amani Marie HamedAt Muslim Girl, we writers and contributors treat each other like family. We are a sisterhood. Communicating with our fellow Muslim Girl sisters can be tricky, but using a forum with different sub-forums we have found a way to flesh out stories, share achievements and news, and discuss life and religion in a safe digital…
By Amani Marie HamedMuslim women are superheroes. We uplift one another, and the communities that surround us. We put ourselves on the line for justice and peace. We create love, light, and beauty in a world where war and hate cast shadows everywhere. Through our sisterhood and our activism, we are spreading that light and that power throughout…
By Amani Marie HamedI look forward to the Oscars almost every year, and after last year’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy, I was especially excited to see so many films made by immigrants, Black artists, and people of color rightfully earn nominations. Though I watched enthusiastically, I hardly expected the night to be as amazing and impactful as it was for…
By Amani Marie HamedI want to cut off my breasts and bury them in the dirt. I want to cut out my womb and burn it. If I can’t have or nurse children, will you stop treating me as though I am just a vessel? I want to starve myself so thin that my stomach goes flat and…
By Amani Marie HamedWhen I saw the news that a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, M.O., had been vandalized, I hoped it was a prank, a misprint, and old photo that had been misused. I was heartbroken, and instantly remembered a scene from one of the first movies in my filmic education. The last time I had seen such…
By Amani Marie HamedAt last, after weeks of bringing you doom and gloom in the era of 45, I have some good — nay, great news. Several bright minds have connected with the aim of empowering and amplifying Muslim voices in America, and I could not be more excited. The American Muslim Storytellers Grant is a crowdfunding effort…
By Amani Marie HamedI don’t generally watch the Super Bowl, but I’m glad I did today. More specifically, I watched for the commercials. Now, to be clear, these organizations are advertising. They want your moola. Your cash, dough, cheddar. But this year, several companies figured that if they were going to fork over a mountain of money to…
By Amani Marie HamedAfter Trump signed his executive order on immigration restriction, colloquially called the “Muslim Ban,” immigration from the countries of Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan halted faster than you could say #NotMyPresident. Above: Jewish refugees await entry to the U.S. (From the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.) Above: Syrian refugees journey to Europe….
By Amani Marie HamedI live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have always known that from Humboldt to Los Angeles, Californians — and especially Bay Area people — have a history of getting out for protests. Berkeley marched against the war in Vietnam. San Francisco demanded LGBTQ rights and marriage equality. Oakland is the heart of Black…
By Amani Marie HamedIf you haven’t heard of Cris “Cyborg” Justino Venancio (formerly Cris “Cyborg” Santos), you need to look this badass woman up right now. A decorated MMA fighter and UFC featherweight, Cyborg recently released a video of herself training while wearing a hijab. Along with the video, she released a statement of solidarity, not only with Muslim…
