By Maliya NazEssma Bengabsia is a hijab-wearing Arab-American Muslim woman of color and was sexually harassed at BlackRock. BlackRock is an American multinational investment management corporation based in New York City. Bengabsia studied finance at NYU Stern School of Business and is an intersectional feminist who adores those who have paved the path for her, including Rep….
By Maliya NazAs a Pakistani, and as a Muslim, it is my responsibility to speak of the injustices that exist within my community and to raise awareness about the underprivileged people in my country. The wealthy and powerful have the economic and political upper hand that lead them to assume that their wealth and power gave them…
By Maliya NazThis year has been a lot of things — including groundbreaking as far as elections have gone. We are seeing more and more Muslim representation in government. Check out the Muslims who won their races and will now hold office as elected officials below. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib (and the rest of “The…
By Maliya NazAshura is the tenth day of the month of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. It marks three historical events: the day Nuh (Noah) left the Ark, the day that Prophet Musa and his people were liberated from Firawn, and the day Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet, was martyred. In a Hadith narrated by Imam Muslim,…
By Maliya NazThe terrorist who murdered 51 Muslim people in New Zealand faces a life in prison, possibly without parole, after his sentencing hearing began on Monday morning in Christchurch, the city where the attacks took place. Brenton Tarrant has pleaded guilty to 51 murder charges, 40 charges of attempted murder, and one charge of committing a…
By Maliya Naz“Today every person shall have what they have earned. There will be no injustice today and verily Allah is swift in his accounting.” — Quran, 40:17 In Omar Suleiman’s recent video, “Justice in the Court of Allah,” Suleiman talks about the recent hearing of the Christchurch attacks. For, this will be the first time the…
By Maliya NazThe Peace Studio, led by peace educator Maya Soetoro of the Obama Foundation, islaunching a new campaign, 100 Offerings of Peace. This project brings over 10 countries together with both known and emerging creatives in visual, performing, literary, spiritual, and musical arts to generate new works about what peace means to them, how they practice…
By Maliya NazPenny Appeal is a well known Muslim charity that works in over 30 countries around the world. Penny Appeal was operating illegally in Gambia. The Gambian government conducted an investigation, and found cases of sexual abuse and exploitation of orphan children in their care. On August 12, 2020, the Gambian government closed down the Penny…
By Maliya NazThe United Arab Emirates has become the first Arab country to reach a deal on “normalizing relations with Israel”. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Israel and the United Arab Emirates “agreed to the full normalization of relations.” In other words, the UAE supports Israeli commitment to further annex Palestinian land and other areas in…
By Maliya NazIf you use Instagram or even scrolled through your Instagram feed in the last 24 hours, you’ve probably seen black and white selfies of women captioned with the words “challenge accepted,” along with the hashtags #womenempowerment and #womensupportingwomen. As I stumbled upon these photos, it was difficult for me to understand what the “challenge” was…
By Maliya NazThe first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are often referred to as the best ten days of the year, and a second chance after Ramadan. This is a special time to remember God, and spend extra time doing good deeds. In Surat Al-Fajr, Allah says, “By the dawn; And [by] the ten nights.” (Qur’an 89:1-2) According…
By Maliya NazOn June 14, 2020, the constitutional court in Belgium issued a ruling banning headscarfs from universities. This declaration means that hijab-wearing women don’t have the right to get higher education. Some will, unfortunately, give up on their dreams, and some will be forced to remove the hijab to get an education. In the wake of…
By Maliya NazDartmouth College graduate student, Maha Hasan Alshawi, is on a hunger strike in response to how the college has handled her allegations of sexual misconduct against a professor. Maha is a first year PhD student at Dartmouth’s Department of Computer Science. A group of Dartmouth students and community members gathered outside the college’s administration building…
By Maliya Naz“And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know it.” [Quran 2:42] As Muslims, it is our responsibility to listen those who have experienced racism or oppression. Recently, the Muslim community is becoming more aware of the injustices that exist within our society through social media. But we have…
By Maliya NazAmmi catches me weeping again tonight. She sits by me and asks me why I am crying. I tell her our people are dying. “A Kashmiri baby was forced to sit on the blood-soaked body of his grandfather. Indian armed forces dragged Bashir Ahmed from his car and shot him dead in front of his…
