By AZMIAThe United Kingdom’s National Union of Students (NUS) has elected its first Black Muslim woman as the president, Malia Bouattia. Naturally, in the last few days, her election has stirred up quite the controversy. Bouattia first came to the media’s attention after speaking against an NUS motion “to condemn the IS and support Kurdish forces fighting…
By akhalilIbtihaj Muhammad, a fencer who will represent the U.S. in the Olympics, was named one of the 100 most influential people by TIME. She will be the first American in hijab at the Olympics. Here’s an excerpt from TIME about her: “Today Ibtihaj is one of the best fencers in the world—and an observant Muslim…
By Khalood KibriaLast year, 31-year-old British Muslim chef, columnist, and author, Nadiya Hussain, won the sixth series of BBC’s The Great British Bake Off, making her the first ever Muslim to win the competition. During her acceptance speech, Hussain, who is a hijabi, said, “I’m never gonna put boundaries on myself ever again. I’m never gonna say…
By Guest BloggerFor Muslims in Nepal, worldly affairs look bleak at times. Nepal’s Islamic minority suffer from discrimination, economic and social disenfranchisement, and a lack of educational access. But that didn’t stop one sister from defying the odds, and doing her thing. Meet Mohna Ansari, a Muslim sister from Nepal, who fought her way through an unjust system, became…
By emanThe only person who can understand how awful it is to workout in a non-breathable hijab is…well, a Muslim woman who wears hijab. For those of us who’ve played sports, we’ve made do with the icky feeling of a sweaty hijab post workout – because really, what other choice did we have? But one British…
By Khalood KibriaThe Swedish Basketball Federation has submitted a permit to a Stockholm-based basketball team Huddinge, allowing one of the players, 17-year-old female Muslim Noha Berhan, to participate in games with her hijab on. Up until 2014, the the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had banned basketball players from wearing hijab during games, stating that the religious garment…
By Shanzay FarzanThe Transgender community within the Muslim Ummah may seem like a new development, but has been around for centuries. The call for more inclusive spaces for fellow Trans Muslims, however, has been steadily rising. Mahdia Lynn, an activist and leader to step up to this call — has been involved in establishing such a space…
By yusraContrary to popular and societal belief, Muslim women everywhere have made history and have become revolutionary game changers and leaders. Some (ignorant) people might say, “Whaaaa? So you’re saying that Muslim Women AREN’T the silenced and oppressed powerless women hidden in the burqas like I think they are?” Yes, ignorant person, that is exactly what…
By sarahsahimInternational Women’s Day provides a great opportunity to celebrate women for being the fearless, badass, creative, outspoken, and talented people we are. Unfortunately a lot of the conversation is focused on white women’s contributions to the artistic landscape, and well, they aren’t the only women in the world. Luckily for those of us seeking a…
By Shanzay FarzanSouth Asian women are making headlines again — this time on space. Pakistani-American Quantum Astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala, the Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Associate Head of the Physics Department is a member of the team of scientists that discovered gravitational waves. The announcement on Thursday was…
By Guest BloggerRuba Odeh of Canton, Mich., is a 34-year-old wife, mother of four girls and a pharmacist to boot. So when she heard about the current lead poisoning crisis in Flint, Odeh felt the need to act. “It hits close to home — Flint isn’t that far away from us,” she said. “But just in general,…
By Zoha QamarAfter Stephanie Kurlow freely decided to convert to Islam in 2010, she immediately faced a much more suffocating choice. Despite a dance career that stemmed all the way back to her second birthday, the aspiring ballerina unwrapped the silk ribbons of her pointe shoes and tucked away her professional dreams after realizing no local studious…
By Guest BloggerAs the lead poisoning crisis in Flint, Mich., continues to play out, a lot of people are still wondering; how could something like this go on for so long without anyone knowing? While the government denies any previous knowledge, there is at least one person who’s been trying to warn people about the consequences of…
By Hasnaa MokhtarAs the first female Saudi journalist to work in Arab News’ all-male newsroom in the late 1980s, Faiza Ambah knows how it feels when the state and cultural norms force a woman to wear the hijab, even if she does not believe in it. But as much as she is against coercing Muslim women into…
By MariamShortly after beginning our conversation, Rose Hamid cut me off in an electric flurry that would come to define her voice throughout our conversation; “I’m so sorry,” she said, “I just remembered that I haven’t prayed fajr, can I call you right back?” Hamid, the 56-year-old American Airlines flight attendant who made headlines on Friday…
