By Shahana HanifNot long ago I joined hundreds of New Yorkers to celebrate O’Shae Sibley’s life. We surrounded the Brooklyn Mobil Gas Station at the intersection of Coney Island Avenue and Avenue P, where O’Shae Sibley’s murder occurred when he was stabbed to death. With trans leader and activist Queen Jean on the megaphone, we repeated O’Shae…
By Guest BloggerIt’s time we talk about reverts, and how we are often shunned by those who are born into Muslim because we aren’t the “right” ethnicity or from the “right” family when trying to marry. I’m 40, and white. My ex and I met at work 10 years ago. And on my end, it was butterflies…
By Suhana Ganchi“Medical school isn’t free.” “If I follow my dreams, will my family be satisfied?” “I have made many mistakes in my life, can’t make another one.” “Why can’t I find a good guy at the age of 28?” “I’m not in love with her. Should I still marry her since everyone is pressuring me?” “Can’t…
By Zahabiya Yahya“What does freedom mean if we accept the fundamental premise that humans are social beings, raised in certain social and historical contexts and belonging to particular communities that shape their desires and understandings of the world?” — Lila Abu Lughod, Do Muslim Women Need Saving? The complicated relationship between feminism and anthropology is eloquently described by…
By GameelahNouman Ali Khan, the founder of a prestigious Islamic school in Texas, held status in the Muslim community for many years as a famous teacher and sheikh on YouTube, beloved by many, including women. However, he wasn’t the man he portrayed himself as. A few years ago, he was exposed as having multiple affairs with…
By Vanessa ElShamy“I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality, and fraternity.” – B. R. Ambedkar Islam teaches all of these things — liberty, equality, and fraternity — but they’re not always shown by Muslims, especially not equality. Islam is a diverse religion with people all over the globe converting to Islam every year, but sometimes it’s…
By MG StaffAs Muslims, we are blessed with a religion that addresses mental health and emotional complexity directly, and with grace and love. Sometimes Alhamdulilah (all thanks be to Allah) is the only word that can sum up the fervor of spiritual gratitude, a word that can say “truly, I’ve been blessed.” However, it doesn’t have to stop…
By aishasalehOne of the problems with being a part of a minority that is continually criticized and demonized by the media is that as Muslims, we find that we are constantly on the defense: “No we are not all terrorists,” “This is my country, too,” “Please, stop bombing our people,” etc. The reason why this is…
