By Dena Igusti“What’s your name?” It’s a simple question to ask anyone if you’re trying to get to know someone or be polite. But for Muslims, it means a world of a difference between story-telling and stereotyping, as Syrian-American poet Amal Kassir explains in her TEDxMileHigh Talk, “The Muslim on the Airplane.” Kassir describes how in media,…
By Dena IgustiI love myself I love you I tried to protect the both of us 2 truths, 1 lie More like 3 truths, 3 lies
By Dena IgustiTurkish police are still searching for the shooting suspect who opened fire in front of and inside one of the most popular Istanbul nightclubs during New Year’s celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding 69 before fleeing. According to CBC, the gunman shot his way into the Reina nightclub around 1:15 A.M., more than…
By Dena IgustiHow To Leave A Man and a Country If a man and a country love the regions they can make on your body, but not the regions you’re from They don’t love you If they think they can save you from the regions you’re from By drawing up borders on your body with…
By Dena IgustiSince the beginning of the presidential campaign in 2016, we have definitely witnessed an increase in hate crimes against Muslims, in particular Muslim women. Within the hundreds of legitimate cases filed regarding hate crimes, it is hard not to look at the very few people making false allegations, such as the recent claim of an…
By Dena Igusti“No means no, Yes means yes No matter where I go, However I may dress.” This is one of the common mantras that circulate in social media and activism. It has been used to emphasize the importance of sexual consent and stresses how there is no justification for rape. While it is true that despite…
By Dena IgustiOn Thursday night, 18-year-old Yasmin Seweid was on her way back from an event at Baruch and was on an uptown No. 6 platform at the 23rd St. and Park Ave. stop at about 10 P.M. when three drunk white men started harassing her. As she boarded the train, three men started chanting “Trump!” and…
By Dena IgustiMuslim Student Associations (MSAs) are often formed to raise awareness and understand Islam on college campuses. They are also meant to create safe havens for Muslim students and to create a sense of community among Muslim students in largely non-Muslim colleges. However, many MSAs often deter Muslims from joining due to their toxic environments. Whether…
By Dena IgustiHouses You asked me why I did it Why I hurt you I wanted to tell you You were a fire in the kitchen A gas leak A flooding bathroom A disaster that happened In what I was supposed to call home A realization that there is danger In a structure I thought was…
By Dena IgustiDespite being the race of the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesians typically aren’t regarded as Muslims at first-glance. Here are some things we gotta deal with as “the odd ones out.” 1. Facing fetishization AND Islamophobia The hijab just becomes a switch for what kind of prejudice you face. Hijab off: “Wow, you’re…
By Dena IgustiTonight. My country does not love me Tonight I know my country never did But tonight I will love the boy next to me, My mother who sent me a text this morning The woman who hugged me as I broke down, And everyone else I can fill in the spaces Between my heartbeats Tonight…
By Dena IgustiToday is the end of the 2016 presidential campaign, and boy, has it been stressful. In the midst of the election, the people we need to focus on aren’t the candidates. Rather, we need to focus on the people affected by this campaign: minority groups in America. Both parties have been guilty of harmful language…
By Dena IgustiOn Oct. 26, the Canadian Parliament passed an anti-Islamophobia motion in light of recent attacks on mosques and Muslim communities in Canada and around the world. Although not a law, the motion condemns all forms of Islamophobia. The motion was adopted after 70,000 Canadian citizens signed an online petition condemning Islamophobia. The petition was launched…
By Dena IgustiLike mosquito bites, Regrets nip at you when You least expect it, Leave you red and searing. Sometimes, they’re small And go away after a few days, Like the time you smiled too wide And your braces somehow got Caught in your friend’s sweater. Sometimes, they’re big And swell so much that You want to…
By Dena IgustiRecently, a Latina student at a university in Boston said that her professor on Thursday handed back her paper and told her, in front of the class, “This is not your language.” After looking at more of the comments, the professor left on her literature review, Suffolk University sociology major Tiffany Martínez noticed that the…
