By Lily Syahirah RamlanAddiction to pornography begins when a person finds pleasure in the unrealistic act of sexual intercourse portrayed on screen. The moment the brain releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin when associated with pornography and masturbation, it will become extremely difficult for people to end their bad habits and try to replace them with good…
By Rokia HassaneinExactly one day before my 11th birthday, I got my period. Here’s what I found out when I learned what a period was, and what it meant for me as a Muslim girl, other than its monthly occurrence. I couldn’t pray when I had my period. I couldn’t fast when I had my period, but…
By Mariam NouserOh, boy. So, here’s the short answer: Yes, we can be intimate with our spouses in Ramadan. No, not all the time. Many people ask what is prohibited for us during the time of Ramadan. The fact of the matter is, we must abstain from acts such as sexual relations, eating, and drinking from dawn…
By aishasalehBeing a Muslim-American, just like being a part of any minority community, comes with its own set of unique experiences and expectations. The aspects of the Muslim-American experience that I don’t think are discussed nearly enough, considering just how much they affect our daily lives, are the warring sexual extremes that actively define Muslim and…
By Guest BloggerThis is difficult to write and a sensitive topic to write about, but I do so to connect with any reader who has been through something similar, and for the brokenhearted who choose to sit with their pain sober to get through it (honestly, you’re strong as ever if you choose to confront the pain)….
By manalIn my last column, I discussed the importance of the conversation around sex from a personal perspective. Yet as powerful as the personal narrative may be, it is always important for us to look for the collective good and what benefits the community at large. For it was the combination of personal and community needs…
By manalFor most of my life, I avoided difficult questions that seemed to pit my gender against my religion. I could not truly wrap my head around everything from the permissibility of marrying four wives to the concept of “what the right hand possesses.” I knew in my heart of hearts that my love for Islam…
By manalWritten by Manal Omar For more than 40 years, I have read article after article about the virtues of abstaining from food and drink for the mental, physical and spiritual self during the month of Ramadan. Yet little has been discussed on the benefits that come from the requirement to abstain from sex. Well, that…
