By vanessaelshamyWe are a week into Ramadan, and what a whirlwind it has been. No, Ramadan isn’t just about not eating or drinking during the time the sun is up. It’s also about abstaining from impurities, living as frugally as possible, performing extra prayers for ourselves and for others, etc. However, most people probably know Ramadan…
By vanessaelshamyThank you to everyone who made this year’s Muslim Women’s Day — our third annual one — a huge success! With all that’s been happening in the world lately, particularly with all the bigotry, religious intolerance, and hatred that’s being spewed on a daily basis, it was nice to see lots of support and good…
By vanessaelshamyAt the start of this week, Bernie Sanders announced that he is running for the office of the President of the United States for a second time. Along with that announcement, Bernie also announced that his 2020 campaign manager is going to be Faiz Shakir, a progressive, Muslim advocate, and National Political Director of the…
By vanessaelshamyWhat does it mean to be thankful as a Muslim? Does it have to mean something different than it does for other people? Personally, I think the concept of “Thanksgiving” (if we’re not talking about the horrendous background of the holiday), is a great one. I don’t see an issue celebrating it as a Muslim,…
By vanessaelshamy“Honestly, is this actually a real headline?!” was my exact reaction after reading a headline about Lena Dunham being chosen to adapt a story about a Syrian refugee. And that’s exactly how Alia Malek, a popular Syrian-American author, among many others felt about it as well. In a Buzzfeed article about the situation, it’s explained…
By vanessaelshamyYou won’t normally catch me watching UFC fight night, but the latest match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor got quite interesting to say the least. Nurmagomedov dominated McGregor during the fight itself, but what happened afterwards is what most people are talking about instead, effectively overshadowing Nurmagomedov’s win. Immediately post-match, a brawl occurred, causing…
By vanessaelshamyThe Bold Type: Three fierce women take on New York City together while writing for a global women’s magazine called “Scarlet.” Through their adventures, they explore their sexual identities, the subject of love, and fashion. All this takes place on the Freeform’s relatively new show, The Bold Type. It’s actually based on Cosmopolitan magazine, dealing…
By vanessaelshamyIntersectional feminism: a term that, while seasoned, is just now getting the time in the spotlight that it needs. While feminism advocates for women’s rights and equality between the sexes, intersectional feminism goes even deeper than that. It’s the understanding of how women’s overlapping identities — like race, class, religion, sexual orientation, and ethnicity — all come together…
By vanessaelshamyIlhan Omar gets our #Firestarter superlative in our first-ever #MGTop8. The #MGTop8 highlights fearless changemakers that are making an impact on elevating Muslim women’s voices. To view the rest of our #MGTop8, click here. Gunshots rung out one night as attackers broke into the Omar family home, destroying walls with bullets and leaving lasting imprints of the…
