Editor’s Note: MMW’s Shireen previously wrote a piece on Nike’s Pro Hijab, which can be found here.   In the Spring, Nike announced the upcoming release of its Pro Hijab. Yet, I’m suspicious of the company’s intentions. Earlier this week, MMW Shireen wrote a piece describing how Nike’s narrative around its first sports hijab erases the long […]

Three years ago, Tasnim, Eren and I wrote reviews of “Do Muslim Women Need Saving?” by Columbia University Anthropologist, Dr. Lila Abu-Lughod. After reading the book, we all felt it was an intelligent and necessary analysis of how Western societies often perceive Muslim women, not only in the Global South but in the West, too. […]

A few years ago, a friend of mine pulled me over at a conference I was attending on sports and politics. “Shireen, how do I get a place at the table? There is never a space for me,” he said. I stopped what I was doing and looked him squarely in the eyes: “Build your […]

Brown women fiercely running, jumping and giving championship level side-eye. All of this is set to intense music and certainly an effective method of drawing in viewers- particularly from a corporate giant like Nike. The Nike brand has reached all corners of the earth and the Middle East and North African (MENA) region is no […]

On a recent trip to the United Arab Emirates, an image of the Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) – flanked by a security team- captivated mainstream media. Camilla was photographed leaving the Emirates Palace Hotel and the picture was released by Clarence House, her official residence. As The Huffington Post described it: “In the image, the […]

In Copenhagen, a swimming club has recently started offering female-only sessions to allow more girls the opportunity to swim. Since it began, the program has drawn around 246 girls of non-Danish origin (interestingly, it is much more difficult to find information on whether any girls of Danish ethnic origin also take part). The numbers are […]

Austin, Texas prides itself on the mega-popular South by Southwest (SXSW) festival that is a celebration of arts and tech cultures through interactive sessions and meetings. According to the SXSW website, participation in this festival helps with ‘fostering creative and professional growth alike’. Having very recently been in Austin and despite my hesitations about the […]

As a piece of advice to women writers, I might say “don’t read the comments”. It prevents triggering and exposure to abuse.  Another piece of important advice to, well, anyone, would be CHECK YOUR FACTS. Particularly when writing about Muslim women in sport. As a Muslim woman and a Sports Activist who writes, I dedicate […]

Last week as I perused through Twitter, an article in the Guardian caught my attention. It was on a young British-Somali woman in hijab playing soccer. The picture was captivating and I was eager to read the piece by Vivek Chaudhury. It was a story of a young woman who loves football, supports Chelsea FC […]

A Singaporean news channel produced a series of Youtube videos featuring selected athletes with disabilities, or para-athletes. One featured athlete is Aishah Samad, a shooter who had to have all four of her limbs amputated after going into septic shock and contracting gangrene in the hospital on the way home from a trip to China. […]