In Pakistan, a court has freed a mentally ill woman who has been held without trial for 14 years on allegations of desecrating the Qur’an. Muslim Voices reports that a Saudi sheikh has called for only Muslim women to work as maids in Saudi Arabia. More from the Los Angeles Times. Muslim women in the […]

Raaz for MMW: I found Nomad Diaries a wonderful introduction to the lives of Somali women living in the United States.  There were times where I was reminded of my own immigrant grandmother and mother as I read about Nadifo’s life. As I mentioned in my review of Nomad Diaries, I am not familiar with […]

“This is the true story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, work together and have their lives taped,  to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.” Those words have forever ushered in MTV’s “real” drama-filled saga, The Real World. The Real World has long been known […]

This was written by Beverly M. Weber for Muslimah Media Watch. “She became a victim of Islamophobia and xenophobia.  She responded with dignity and exemplary civil courage.” – Plaque in memorial to Marwa el-Sherbini, located in the foyer of the Saxony Provincial Court The murder of Marwa el-Sherbini in July 2009 sparked an intense, long-overdue […]

My parents sent me to an Islamic school from the age of five to thirteen; it was their effort to keep me safe from the dangers of succumbing to the evils of “Western decadence.” During that time, we were a captive audience for many kinds of experimental lectures meant to keep us on a clearly-defined […]

Muslim girls at the London School of Fashion examine faith and fashion. More on “Islamic fashion” here. Spain’s parliament rejected a proposal to ban the niqab, while Syria has banned the niqab from educational facilities. Sumbul Ali-Karamali explores the burqa ban from an American perspective. More on the Syrian ban here. On how garment factories […]

Noorain Khan’s piece on bad burqa puns, which MMW reposted yesterday, came as I have been coincidentally trying to pull together an explanation of exactly what is wrong with headlines that use these puns.  (For those unfamiliar with the structure, here’s an easy formula:  “behind/beneath/under/beyond” +”the” + “veil/hijab/burqa/niqab.) Read her piece first for a great list […]

This post was written by Noorain Khan, and originally published at Jezebel. Every time news about another hijab/niqab/burqa ban hits the press, editors rejoice: this is their chance to coin THE ultimate veil pun. Problem is, there’s simply no such thing as a good veil pun. Plays on words that seemed clever in 1996 (or […]

It is said that in Islam, marriage is half the faith.  Yet marriages are increasingly breaking down in divorce or marriage in name only, and examples of healthy marriages in keeping with our deen are becoming scarcer. I was curious to read Suzy Ismail’s When Muslim Marriage Fails–I wondered, do Muslim marriages fail for the […]

While the front pages of newspapers feature Muslim women in flowing black abayas, burqas, and chadors, the often thrown-aside life and style sections are offering a very different picture of Muslim women: stylish! “Hijabistas,” trendy up-and-coming Muslim designers (predominantly from the U.K.), and fashion-forward hijabis are appearing on the covers of fashion and entertainment sections […]