Before we even knew how many innocent lives were lost in the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando on Sunday, many were already rushing to lay blame. Media commentators, politicians and bystanders alike speculated out loud. Anyone who could do something like this, many agreed, couldn’t be one of us. Our kind could never be capable of such inhumanity. It must be a Muslim, a maniac, an immigrant, an other. And while the gunman claimed to be Muslim, and according to an ex-wife at least, appeared to have had bipolar disorder—he was also an American, born and raised.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Listening to Domestic Violence Through a Wall →
“Bitch, I’m gonna kill you!” he yelled, so loudly that it woke us up in the apartment next door. There were no more words after that. The bangs and crashes spoke for themselves. My husband, Matthew, and I had never heard any fighting from Angela’s (not her real name) apartment before. We called the cops right away. After that, my instinct was to run to her rescue; Matthew’s instinct was to beg me not to follow mine.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: H&M - Where Pseudo-Sustainability Meets Diversity Porn →
The world’s second largest fashion retailer recently made a deliberate move to attract members of the world’s second largest religion, and people have taken notice.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: The Sisterhood of Generation I (Adult Children of Immigrants) →
I’ve never met Raquel Cepeda in person, but we come from the same family. That is, the family of adult children of immigrants with our feet in two or more lands, inextricably torn between the lands of our ancestors and those of our descendants. Cepeda’s latest project, Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina, is a memoir that combines storytelling, science and commentary. Like Cepeda, the book is an unorthodox amalgam, but it works. In fact, in many respects, that’s why it works.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: 15 Days Left To Stop North Carolina’s Gay Marriage Ban →
North Carolina has the dishonorable distinction of becoming the first state to put an anti-gay marriage amendment on a 2012 ballot.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Will Saudi Women Lose Their Virginity En Masse If They Start Driving? →
My first thought is “no,” followed by a swift “none of your business.” But that wasn’t the conclusion of a recent report prepared for Saudi Arabia’s legislative assembly by a well-known academic. He predicted that if Saudi women were given the right to drive, those who had never had sex would quickly start losing their virginity as easily as they might their car keys.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: You Can Protest with the Women Liberating the Middle East →
On the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, a group of feminists from across the Middle East have joined together as Women United for the Future of the Middle East to call for regionwide demonstrations in support of women’s rights. They’ve drawn support from the likes of GlobalSister.org, Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press and Nawal Al-Saadawi, as well as Iranian American women’s rights activist (and former political prisoner) Esha Momeni, who had this to say:
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Muslim Dating Ads: What’s With the Racism? →
Among other content, Islamic Horizons, the bi-monthly publication of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), runs personal ads. There are two sections: “Seeking Husband” and “Seeking Wife.” The personal ad below appears in the latest edition under “Seeking Husband,” and it is one of only two ads (among ten) in which a woman is seeking correspondence for herself. (The others are written by parents and a lone uncle.)
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Childless by CHOICE, Get It? →
I don’t want kids. Never have. I consider birth control the greatest invention of the 20th century and I’ve been taking it religiously for nearly a decade. No pregnancies to date, and in the rare event of one I’d be first in line at my local abortion clinic before that zygote even mildly resembled a human. I’ve given a great deal of thought to parenthood—arguably more than many who ultimately pursue it. And recognizing the enormous responsibility, commitment and sacrifice involved, I respectfully refuse to reproduce.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Better Muslim Than Gay →
Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about how much my people are under attack in America today. The thing is, though, as an American Muslim, I don’t really feel under attack. Annoyed? Sure. But attacked? No.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: State Department Dining, Muslimah Style →
I recently accepted an invitation to attend a dinner at the State Department hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in honor of the holy month ofRamadan. The dinner itself, which takes place on Tuesday, September 7, is a formal iftar—the meal eaten every evening after sunset when Muslims break the fast during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This iftar is a welcome and gracious gesture by our government to honor and respect this sacred time of year for all Muslims.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Meet One Kick-Ass Saudi Woman →
I’m no proponent of violence, and as a Muslim my faith teaches me to avoid it whenever possible. Still, in the face of oppression, my faith also teaches me that it is not only an option to stand up for myself but a sacred duty. In short, slap me in the face and you can be assured that I’ll slap you right back. And if you’re falsely using my religion to justify slapping me in the face, expect me to slap you that much harder.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Boobquake and Brainquake: Why Not Both? →
Last week, Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi–Tehran’s Friday Prayer leader–shook the patience of women worldwide by claiming that promiscuous and immodest women were responsible for earthquakes. Yes, you read that right.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Hissa Hilal Fights “Fatwas” With Poetry →
A talented Saudi poet, Hissa Hilal, has become the breakout star of the popular game showMillion’s Poet–Abu Dhabi’s version of American Idol, but featuring poets instead of singers. Hilal describes her poetry, which she says “has always been provocative,” as a “way to express myself and give voice to Arab women, silenced by those who have hijacked our culture and religion.”
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Islam’s First Feminist →
Countless Muslim women around the world today are standing up and demanding their rights to freedom and equality under both secular and Islamic law. These feminist jihadists can be found in every corner of the globe. From France to Afghanistan to Sudan, brave Muslimahs are refusing to be told what they can and cannot do, say or wear.
Read MoreMs. Magazine: Waging a Worldwide Feminist Jihad →
Few things frustrate me more than being told that I don’t look like or can’t possibly be who I know I am. But as a loud and proud peace-loving feminist jihadist, I can’t avoid the accusations: “You don’t look like a Muslim”; “You can’t be a Muslim and a feminist!” and worse yet, “There’s no such thing as a peaceful jihadist.” In an effort to set the record straight, I am dedicating this and blog posts to come to my sister feminist jihadists.
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