Society

Written by Reema Jallaq. — Dear Community, I’m sorry to say this, but we have a huge problem. Well not just here–everywhere in our culture. I know the world seems a bit upside-down right now as we focus on Trump and the status of Muslims, civil rights, and so much more that is important to…

San Francisco is a top tourist destination with tons to do. Having been there five times, I always find it to be an adventurous city. The food, the landscape, the city’s personality – I love it all. If you’re an ambitious foodie like me, you are going to have a blast! Don’t be afraid to…

I’ve always loved to act. Dolls with my sisters, whom we had dance in ballrooms and save the earth from alien invaders. At the playground with my closest friend, turning the slide and monkey bars into the Titanic in high, tinny voices. The stories were endless: Harry Potter infused with Hindi films, play-acting spies, singing…

It’s been almost two weeks since President-elect Donald Trump won the elections–and I’m not the only one who is still feeling down. Many of us are still angry, upset or afraid. I wrote a self-care post here, in case you missed it. Throughout the past couple of days, I thought of Amani’s book: “Muslim Girl:A Coming…

Written by Amanda Sadler.  — On Nov. 8 after sending my children off to bed with visions of positivity and assurance, I stayed awake, eyes glued to the screen that had betrayed my trust with each passing moment, telling me my worst-case scenario was coming true. “Mom, what are we going to do? Does this…

Everyone reading this has probably come across at least one time when a man was comparing women to inanimate objects (usually when talking about why they should cover their body and wear a headscarf). But one of the things I can’t stand, even more than that, is women sharing and promoting those kinds of messages. When I…

In 2014, I moved to Pakistan to marry my significant other whom I met in the United Kingdom. We got married in the company of his family and neighbors in Peshawar, where my husband is from. He and I continued to live in Peshawar with his family until last year, when he finally received his visa…

From time to time, a non-Muslim will ask me if I have been wearing the hijab for most of my life. When I answer that I started wearing it at the age of 20 without telling my parents, and that my mother does not wear the hijab, I see their eyes widen in surprise. My…

Written by Shereen Malherbe.   What is your favorite book? You might be like me and have too many to mention. Of those books, which characters are your favorite? Do they represent you? The answer to this, in the majority of western published literature is probably no. If you are represented, have another look at the…

No one was born knowing they were Muslim. Our Muslim identity is something we’ve created throughout our lives that keeps evolving and changing with us. At some point or another, we experienced something that caused us to realize our Muslim identity, whether it was not being able to eat pepperoni as a child — or celebrating Eid…

Yesterday morning, we woke up to the news that Donald Trump won the general election, making him the 45th President-Elect of the United States. Muslims (as well as Hindus, Sikhs, Mexicans, African Americans, the LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, sexual assault and harassment victims, women, and pretty much any other marginalized community you can think of) have…

Today 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…

I am an African-American Muslim woman. I am afraid to be a woman in this country right now. I will be sexually harassed and it will be okay. I will be catcalled and felt up and it will be okay. I will hear sexist, predatory jokes and it will be okay. I will be caged from…

Being a girl definitely comes with its set of challenges, and being a Muslim girl comes with a few more. Add to that being a Desi (South Asian, from the Indian Subcontinent) in the West, and you’ve likely had some unique struggles at times. 1. Cultural Confusion — Desi Enough? Juggling multiple identities is not easy. Desi…

I’ve only been working in retail for almost three months, but the experience thus far has left me with lessons to take with me for the rest of my life. Here are the top six most important life lessons that have led me to grow as a person in the past three months. 1. Your…