By Amani Marie HamedJoss Whedon, a pillar of modern science-fiction and creator of such cult-classic TV shows as “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly” once said: “The greatest expression of rebellion is joy.” This could practically be the mantra of the all-diverse, all-inclusive Universal Fan Con, which met and exceeded it’s Kickstarter goal well under the Jan. 12…
By Amani Marie HamedLet’s be honest: We all hated 2016. This year was an emotional roller coaster, a swirling tea-cup ride in which your tea-cup is a dumpster full of wet garbage (which is also somehow on fire). Here’s a list of 10 things we absolutely hated that deserve to be left behind as we exit this clown-filled…
By Amani Marie HamedIf you’re a Muslim girl and you’re on social media, you’ve probably seen her demonstrating self-defense moves tailored for Muslim women in a post-Trump election America. In a series of simple videos, Zainab (Zee) Abdulla, a slight young woman wearing a hijab, shows off Muslim Girl might and demonstrates that you don’t have to be big…
By Amani Marie HamedIt was Jummah (Friday) prayer, and as Imam Tahir Anwar gave the Khutba at the Muslim Community Association, the congregation, myself included, meditated upon thankfulness. I looked around at the congregation of women and my heart swelled. Such a diverse group of women had come together for this Jummah prayer. Young and old, newly arrived immigrants…
By Amani Marie HamedOn Nov. 8, the world held its breath, and on Nov. 9, that breath was released in cries of shame, outrage, and fear. Reading and analyzing our President-Elect Donald Trump’s plan for his first 100 days in office, to begin after inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017, I can only echo those cries of deep regret…
By Amani Marie HamedWatching the protests at Standing Rock, N.D., I was initially heartened by the enormous cooperative effort by Native Americans and allies working together to protect natural resources for millions of people. However, as the protests have continued, I have come to the grim realization that we as a nation are living in the iron grip…
By Amani Marie HamedRecently, an Aer Lingus flight leaving Dublin for Berlin forced a passenger to disembark, and reminded me why I am so proud to be Irish. While I am used to writing stories about Muslims being abused by TSA or removed from flights simply because they look or sound Muslim, this time I get to write…
By Amani Marie HamedBy now, if you haven’t viewed Marvel’s “Luke Cage” in its entirety, I’m going to assume you’re living under a rock. Poor you, under your sad little rock, missing out on the greatest comic series ever made. (Yeah, I said it.) There are tremendous SPOILERS ahead so if you haven’t seen the show, the WHOLE…
By Amani Marie Hamed#MuslimGirlProbs is our weekly link roundup of headlines, stories, events, and situations that make us want to rip our hijabs off. 1. MuslimGirl brought attention to Mental health awareness week: http://muslimgirl.com/31512/mental-health-one-dimensional/ http://muslimgirl.com/31528/islam-allow-abuse-children/ 2. National Poetry Day, October 6th, 2016. http://muslimgirl.com/31544/space-islam/ 3. TIME magazine features a verse from the Quran on their cover, along with photos…
By Amani Marie HamedNote: It’s important to clarify that the author equates minority groups and political figures in order to engage discourse that is meant to enlighten from an alternative perspective. Systematic oppression is, in reality, a complicated issue. As such, it cannot entirely be equated fully when working with varying factors in individual oppressed groups. We feel it is important to…
By Amani Marie HamedThey lurk among you. They live in your neighborhoods. They attend your masajid. You might be sitting next to one RIGHT NOW. What are they? They’re “Wallah Bros:” AKA the “Haraam Police,” AKA those dudes who have to say “Wallah” after every sentence. Wallah. You’re in luck. While you could spend the rest of your…
By Amani Marie Hamed#WallahBroWednesday is a feature where we respond to Facebook messages, love letters, creepy propositions, and downright absurd requests from those who are “single and looking for a wife, insha’Allah.” We talked about this type of dude last year, but let’s have ourselves a refresher. “Wallah Bro” – Noun. A man who says women in hijab should not…
By Amani Marie HamedI and other LGBTQIA+ people and allies who know anything about Dubai’s dubious history of sexism, exploitation, and capitalistic neo-fundamentalist philosophies are appalled, but sadly not shocked that YouTuber and makeup artist Gigi Gorgeous (Gigi Loren) was detained at Dubai International for being transgender. The vlogger and model who became famous several years ago for documenting…
By Amani Marie HamedI had several titles in mind for this piece: -“Stupid things people say to me because of the heteronormative patriarchy.” -“GTFOutta my Uterus.” -“No, seriously, I don’t want kids and I am not insane.” – “REPEAT AFTER ME: A woman’s worth is not determined by her willingness or ability to reproduce, how often she reproduces,…
By Amani Marie HamedI’m a feminist, and I hated the new Ghostbusters flick. I will let you know up front that I am not a fan of sequels or remakes of classics and iconic films like Ghostbusters. The day anyone decides to remake Jaws is the day I give up on Hollywood. That said, I went into this…
