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In Iran, gender mixing can get you arrested. It happened to 150 young people late July at what officials are calling an “illegal birthday party.” Mixed gatherings are illegal in Iran, and deemed “un-Islamic” — in addition to drinking and premarital sex. The consequences of such actions can lead to severe punishment, including execution. The…

So we’re chilling, Amani and I. It’s my first time in New York City, and I’m in love. The streets are beautiful, the people are friendly and the city is so alive. We’re heading back to the Muslim Girl studio to meet with a few of the other writers, and we’re stopped on the street…

An elderly priest is the latest victim of yet another brutal terror attack in France.   Father Jacques Hamel was among a group of worshippers targeted by ISIS early Tuesday. Two men, both armed with knives, stormed the 17th-century church as morning mass ended and forced the church-goers, most of which were vacationers, to become their hostages. After…

The International Basketball Federation, more commonly known as FIBA, is an association of national organizations which governs international competition in basketball. It’s also an organization whose regulations ban athletes who wear religious headgear, including hijab, from playing basketball professionally. In response to many’s discomfort with the rule, FIBA established a two-year preliminary trial allowing religious…

The Islamic Center of Boca Raton, South Florida has served as a polling station for years, and once again was invited to host polling for the Florida Primary elections in August, and the larger General Election in November. However, after an Islamaphobic backlash, Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor, Susan Bucher rescinded the offer, moving polling…

If you have been on social media within the last week, you may have seen this go viral: Farad Afshar originally posted the above picture with caption on Instagram, which was reposted to Muslims of America’s Facebook and @muslimsoftheworld1 on Instagram. His mother was targeted by a group of men after leaving her local Walmart….

Muslim women who prefer the Islamic burkini as their choice of swimwear are no longer welcome at pools in the Austrian town of Hanfield. The public ban, which comes about a month after a similar ruling made in the German town of Neutraubling, was reportedly pushed by far-right political group Freedom Party. “In respect to…

Two Muslim men on their way to taraweeh prayer at a mosque in Minnesota were shot after a man shouted racist slurs at them. CAIR-MN reported that the men were dressed in Islamic attire, and that the incident was not treated as a hate crime. The incident took place early morning on Wednesday. However, the…

To beard or not to beard? That was apparently not the question for one Muslim police officer in Manhattan. 32-year-old Pakistani American Masood Syed was recently suspended without pay after refusing to trim his beard shorter. A written notice was presented to Syed by his supervisor the day before the suspension demanding his beard, the…

One of Bahrain’s top Shia clerics is the latest of at least 250 people to have their Bahraini nationality revoked in the past two years. The decision was taken in response to a request filed by Bahrain’s interior ministry who had accused Sheikh Isa Qassim of creating an “extremist sectarian environment” and encouraging “sectarianism and…

A severed pig head’s gift basket was left outside a Quebec City mosque in Canada earlier this week. A worshipper of the Islamic cultural centre in Ste-Foy discovered the special delivery as he was leaving in the early hours of the morning. Attached to the basket was a handwritten note with the phrase “Bon appétit.”…

Being a refugee is difficult enough, what with trying to learn a new language and get used to a different culture, all while bearing the physical and emotional pain of escaping a war-torn country. Rather than finding welcome cookies or letters from their neighbors, recently, a Syrian refugee family found a hateful, unwelcoming note on…

It’s been over a week since news broke of one man’s horrific shooting spree in an Orlando area nightclub. While disturbing details continue to emerge about 29-year-old gunman Omar Mateen, the communities that have been affected are just beginning to deal with the aftermath of the terrible events. However, the nearly 40,000 Muslims who reside in…

Recently, a Swedish Newspaper reported that a student in Sweden was denied a summer job because she wears hijab. The girl was going to work at a factory that said covering hair with a veil was against their hair covering policy. This particular company had a hygiene policy that included hair being covered–but with a hairnet, not…