By Jessica DaqamssehAuthor’s note: This poem is a reflection on the significance of daughters in Islam, and how children are signs of divine love. The poem is named for my own daughter, and is one reason why we named her “Nora.” Her name was chosen as an indicator of Allah’s blessings being showered upon us like a…
By Fatima AkhlaqDear Mom, There is something that I have been meaning to tell you, and here it goes… I understand that we play an important role in each other’s lives, but I feel I can’t be as up front with you about my feelings as you are with me, sometimes. I feel that just because you…
By yelenalelIt was getting dark outside. Mayra knew that the clouds would bring the night a couple of hours earlier, and was hurrying to finish laundry. Several years from now, the young mother would witness the last nuclear bomb being tested outside of her window in a small town Semipalatinsk, and be the first one on the…
By Maysoon KhatibSometimes when I’m in the midst of a roaring, thunderous, straight from the gut laugh, I pause and look around. I’m taken aback at that exact moment because it’s not my laugh I hear–it’s the echo of my own mother’s sound of amusement. And when it happens, I transcend time, going to a place back…
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…
