By akhalilA White man who yelled racial slurs at an off-duty Muslim female NYPD police officer and allegedly assaulted her son was arrested on Sunday. While Officer Aml Elsokary, who wears hijab, attempted to drop off her 16-year-old son in Bay Ridge, two white men in their 30s began to harass them. According to reports, one man…
By akhalilBlac Chyna has been on the news a lot lately for losing 20+ pounds two weeks after giving birth to her baby, Dream. Many people wondered if she got surgery, but she shut those comments down by telling her followers and fans that one reason she lost the weight was because of breastfeeding and pumping breast milk—good…
By akhalilWe all love our traditional pies for Thanksgiving. I mean, who can go wrong with apple, blueberry or pumpkin pie? But sometimes, I like to shake things up a bit and make non-traditional Thanksgiving desserts as well. These are some of my favorite non-pie desserts to try this Thanksgiving that are great to make if…
By akhalilJust last week, a bill was proposed to ban the niqab in Georgia. Meanwhile, a Muslim woman in hijab sat as a news anchor in Canada. Ginella Massa is the first hijab-wearing anchor in the country and currently works at Toronto’s CityNews station as a television news reporter. She posted the video of her anchoring on her…
By akhalilIt’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…
By akhalilAccording to a “60 Minutes” interview with Donald Trump, at least two to three million undocumented immigrants will be deported after the President-elect is inaugurated in January. During the interview, Trump said those immigrants who are undocumented with criminal records will be deported immediately. “What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and…
By akhalilIt is day two of waking up to knowing that the President of the USA will soon be Donald Trump. Some of us are still processing this nightmare, others are still in denial and some are moving forward. It’s OK to be angry. It’s OK to be upset. It’s OK to be scared. Many of…
By akhalilI used to be a book worm years ago. During high school, college and post-graduation, I would sit and read for fun. Now that I have two little ones and teaching, it’s difficult to find some time to sit and read. So, on a recent road trip with my family — the kids slept (thank…
By akhalilWhen I was younger, I used to travel to Egypt every summer with my family to reconnect with cousins, brush up on my Arabic, and eat authentic koshary (aka — a bowl of heaven: pasta, lentils, rice all mixed together with onion and spicy tomato sauce.) Every summer, my high school and then college friends would…
By akhalilWith Planned Parenthood turning 100 years old Oct. 16, we talked to one of the board members to learn more about what they have done in Muslim communities throughout the years. Check out the interview with the awesome Donya Nasser, the only Muslim board director at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action…
By akhalilA box of maamoul, a Middle Eastern cookie usually filled with dates, caused panic in Pennsylvania because of the Arabic language written on the box. In fact, a daycare nearby was evacuated and a bomb squad was called in, because, you know – foreign looking cookies are scary. A nearby gas station was evacuated, as…
By akhalilAhmad Khan Rahami, the alleged bombing suspect of the bombings that took place this weekend in Chelsea, Manhattan, has been captured, according to several sources. Rahami, 28, was found sleeping in the hallway at a local bar this morning in Linden, N.J. Millions of residents received a text message from New Jersey police to keep…
By akhalilAbout 10 years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to perform hajj with my family. It was perfect, because hajj season was during winter break and I was in high school, so we got to escape the Midwest winter to embark on a journey of a lifetime. Hajj will always be a memorable experience and…
By akhalilThe Racist Encounter A few months ago, I flew to Dallas to attend my brother’s beautiful wedding. The wedding took place on Saturday, but my brother and his fiancé threw a small party for close family and friends on Friday night. My husband volunteered to watch our little kids so I can spend some quality time…
By akhalilReema Jallaq, 31, and her cousin Fadi Shalash, 25, launched an awesome T-shirt design business called Layali & Co. to raise awareness about Palestine, as well as to contribute to the philanthropic world of giving back to those in need. We interviewed Jallaq to learn more about the company and to find out what motivated…
