By Tabia Masoodi, Masroor AshrafThe mumbling in the entire bus was the last thing Zarqa wanted to deal with. She was already tired, stressed, and experiencing pain in her body. Her only focus was getting a seat on an overly-crowded bus to relieve her pain and to find comfort from the gazing of men and women alike. On the…
By Aia JaberIt’s been four years since I first entered my university’s halls, excited about the centuries-old history within the walls of my academic institution. I remember thinking professors were intimidating, and the profession unattainable, but its social value was exponential. These individuals have studied long and hard, beat all the competition to be accepted into their…
By Samirah Aziz“Why do people even give their kids’ a difficult name when they can go with an easier one?” I overheard the other day. Even though the comment wasn’t directed toward me, I felt triggered. As a Muslim living in the United States with an obvious “foreign” name, I know it’s often seen as difficult. I…
By MaliyaMichelle Obama recently launched her new “Get Her There” Campaign in N.Y.C and Muslim Girl had the great honor of attending the event. The campaign will work to advance gender equality, aiming to improve girls’ access to education all over the world and end child marriage. It is a collaboration between three organizations: The Obama…
By Aiyah AdamInfertility is a broad term with a rather simple definition: inability to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse. Perhaps in hushed tones, you’ve overheard the phrase being murmured about a family member. Infertility is a diagnosis that is common, affecting 1 out of every 8 women. Yet, it is one of those conditions that…
By JUMMANAHI spent an entire year after my graduation wishing for this MA, and as soon as I passed my admission exam, I resolved educationism had no place in my life — and so I quit. Back when I was under the influence of educationism, specifically when I first enrolled in my undergraduate degree, my ultimate…
By imaanasimEditor’s note: In this plea to the U.K. government, writer Imaan Asim calls for calm and rational decision making with the betterment of the population in mind. At a time when governments have been scrambling to get organized, forward thinking policies and planning seem to have dissipated into a cloud of unruly panic. It seems…
By imaanasimWe are the inheritors of the scars of Empire, but also the spoils of Empire. These words by Riz Ahmed struck me. Generations of imperialism have yet to wash away, but in our current education system, these scars are consistently ignored, and expected to fade on their own. The story behind the American flag is…
By Tania HajaliA Muslim female artist is a rarity in and out of her community, let alone one with performance art experience in school for film. As odd as I am as a performance artist, I am even more of a walking contradiction outside of my community. I have always been a proud Lebanese, part Sierra Leonean immigrant. Born…
By Sabiha BasitGlobally, more than 130 million girls are out of school, meaning they are not being educated. We all have women in our lives that we care about. How would it feel if your loved one was deprived of their rights, including the right to educate themselves, just because they were female? Unfortunately, this is the…
By Mariam Nouser“You have to be a doctor, engineer, or lawyer.” Us first or second-generation immigrants hear this on a daily basis when we’re nearing the time in which we embark on our career paths. We feel that, as children of immigrants or as immigrants ourselves, our families sacrifice so much so that we could succeed, be…
By manalmoazzam“I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world” – Malala Yousafzai. On this exceptional day, the International Day of the Girl, Muslim Girl’s Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, spent her morning with Michelle Obama and a host of individuals driving real change, at the official launch of the Global Girls…
By SaraFatima al-Fihri isn’t a household name, but she should be, because she founded the world’s first University (which, incidentally, is still thriving today). She was born in Tunisia into a wealthy family; her father was a successful businessman. She also had one sister named Mariam (it is unclear if her mother died young). They were…
By AmaniI received this message from a good friend of mine and it put a smile on my face. I mean honestly, you can always put a smile on my face with activism about the girl-child, but even moreso when that activism comes from men. The story of Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old activist fighting for the…
By Guest BloggerA long time ago there was a young boy named Bayazid Bustami. He was born in Persia, an ancient land of plains, mountains and poetry. Being the only son of a poor, widowed mother, he was the light of her eyes and she rested all her hopes for the future on him. She dedicated her…
