By vanessaelshamyDear Jameela Jamil, Simply put, you’re a badass. I, among so many other women, can’t even begin to say how much I appreciate your rawness and honesty. Being that you have such a huge platform, I commend you greatly for using it to help those who don’t have as much of an opportunity to use…
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 vanessaelshamyThe three “F’s” that dictate most of our lives: “Am I a failure?” “How am I supposed to have faith when everything keeps going wrong?” “What am I going to do with my future?” Questions like these are ones we ask ourselves too often. We walk around telling ourselves that we have failed the moment…
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 vanessaelshamyI’ll be the first to admit it – I’ve caught myself saying things like, “I just want to leave the U.S. already,” or “I want to move back to Sweden;I’m over this,” a lot lately. Seems awfully soon for someone who just became a U.S. citizen less than five years ago, I know, but living…
By vanessaelshamyNew Year, New Me(mes), am I right? Fact: there’s no better way to trot your way through the first month of the year than by indulging in some quality memes. Now, I know what you’re thinking. The new year just started! But, there are already so many memes that have us seriously ROFL-ing, so sit…
By vanessaelshamyIf you haven’t taken a scroll down into the depths of the hashtag #MasjidAunties on Twitter, you’re honestly missing out. It’s a goldmine of posts and jokes about exactly what it sounds like – Aunties that somehow are the same at every single Masjid, partaking in their usual antics. It’s simply hilarious, and TOO relatable,…
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 vanessaelshamy“Re-Education Camps.” That’s a fancier, less-harsh sounding way of saying “Internment Camps”. These Internment Camps in China are specifically for Muslims to go through “de-extremization.” What does this mean? This means that China’s government believes that being Muslim means being extremist, and that they need to stop Muslims living in China from believing what they…
By vanessaelshamy“Women of color have always led change. We won’t stop now.” In this case, ‘women of color’ pertains specifically to Black womxn. It’s a very true statement, yet even that they don’t receive credit for. In all honesty, I didn’t even know the March for Black Women – a peaceful protest set-up and run by…
By vanessaelshamy**Trigger Warning: Sexual assault** What’s going on these days with Brett Kavanaugh having been confirmed to the Supreme Court is horrifying, and it’s a perfect testament to how relevant the topic of this article is in today’s society. Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford – one of Kavanaugh’s now three accusers – gave a heart-wrenching account of what…
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 vanessaelshamySocial media is such a prevalent part of today’s society, even in war-torn places such as Iraq, but the type of photos and overall content you post in places like that still matters. To be completely frank, women especially have to watch their backs whenever they post something, making sure it isn’t “too provocative” or…
