Modern Muslim life beyond the headlines.
By Sarah Huxtable MohrWe all know that the environmental crisis facing our planet is one of the most urgent issues of our generation, and for the near future. Whales are washing up dead with hundreds of pounds of plastic in their stomachs; rain that is falling from the sky is saturated in micro-plastics; there’s a lack of clean…
By Mariam Nouser“Why do you wear the hijab?” “Why did you take it off?” “Why do you wear it like that?” Muslim females like myself are sick and tired of hearing this. The flurry of questions I got when I started wearing the hijab the first time in July 2013 was astounding. Of course, I recognize my privilege…
By sanaharharaWorking in corporate America as a woman of color demands much needed time for reflection. I used to be insecure about many things, mainly the plethora of reasons why I felt I didn’t fit in certain work situations. To this day, I partake in conversations faced with individuals who seem unnecessarily passive-aggressive, and as someone…
By nadamousaI remember zoning out in my 10th grade classroom, as all good students do, when my eye fell upon this poster, with a quote written in bright yellow letters, making it almost impossible to ignore: “Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become…
By Deqa M. AbdiDisclaimer: This article is in no way meant to subsitite for medical or mental health advice from a trained and educated mental health professional. Muslim Girl encourages those who need help to seek it, and encourages the use of resources such as therapists, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and trained mental health professionals. You should never…
By Pegah SmileyDisclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MuslimGirl.com. Coming to the United States was…challenging, to say the least. Having parents that grew up in the Middle East, being Muslim, being a girl who looked so different from…
By Catriona Sophia Rose Rodgers-MurrayKuffar. Beautiful. Cross-dresser. Brave. Strong. Confused. These descriptors comprise just a few things I’ve been called in the last several years. I hope that through this article, I can succinctly paint a picture of my religious journey as a queer hijabi, and how my sexual orientation and gender identity have informed my journey towards the…
By lunaazzureTrigger Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide, abuse, and miscarriage. It may be difficult for some to read. It feels like yesterday. Staring at the ceiling in the dark, trying to sleep after excitedly texting my best friend twice to tell her about how I finally finished a project she encouraged me to start,…
By sanaharharaI have a challenge for you. Google “Bollywood actors and actresses” in one tab. Now open another tab, and type in “Indian people.” Now I want you to compare the two. The chance that you see a similarity in the complexion of the actors and actresses, and the citizens of India are slim to none….
By noorfedalaAs per my own experience, one of the major issues Muslim women who live in non-Muslim countries face is whether they should observe the hijab (via wearing a headscarf) or not. Now this question is not necessarily related to whether the family is strictly religious or not. Sometimes, it’s mainly related to how dangerous or…
By Noha AlgahimiOn the 1st of February,1960, four Black college students sat, nervous but determined, at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, patiently requesting service. As the “Greensboro Four” expected, they were largely ignored. But the next day they came back, supporters in tow. For six months they staged the same protest, drawing a larger crowd…
By Mariam TanvirWith so many bad things going on in the world, it would do all of us some good to take Mr. Roger’s advice on “looking for the helpers.” And it’s uplifting to see that this time around, the helpers are a group of people who aren’t always cast in the best light: the Ahmadiyya Muslim…
By Pegah SmileyWhat is beauty? How do we make standards for something that is literally based on a human being’s perception, and differs from everyone else’s? How do we judge “beautiful”? What makes certain features supposedly “not beautiful”? Why are some of our typical attributes viewed as flaws? And why on earth do we care so much…
By Sana HarharaI’m sitting here, contemplating a great many things, as my younger brother commands dusty buttons to take actions of killing villages and children on his game controller. In Urdu, my mother yells and him to turn the volume down, and for me to get up and prepare dinner, as a girl should do. In that…
By Marwa Diaf“A” is a 33-year-old woman in Florida living with lupus. In between her hectic life as a social worker and a newlywed, she has had to battle debilitating chronic pain. Given Florida’s restrictive rules surrounding opioid medication, “A” suffered through her crippling pain for years before she came across a potential solution to her day-to-day…
