Last week, PBS aired the premiere of Solar Mamas, an inspiring documentary of one woman’s journey to transform her life after being offered the opportunity to become a solar-energy engineer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGMgHZ1WzxA Rafea Ehnad is a 32-year-old mother, and a second wife to an unemployed husband; she lives in one of Jordan’s poorest desert villages. With […]

The decision that women could not enter the Haji Ali dargah, a Sufi shrine, just off the coast of Mumbai, India, has caused international outrage. While some claim that this is just enforcing Islamic law (according to some, women should not visit graves), others were worried that other shrines would soon follow suit. On Thursday […]

“When someone wants to be an artist, because they cannot let what’s going on around them stay the same, achieving fame in the world of art becomes unimportant.” –Alma Suljevic I am a lover of all art forms, including cinema; the Women Make Movies initiative, and the kind of varied and thought-provoking cinema they help […]

My review of the Half the Sky documentary for MMW last month made little mention of any redeeming aspects of the film. On the whole, I felt that the film was sadly overshadowed by the American actresses—and George Clooney!—who accompanied and provided commentary for the Nicholas Kristof production. It became more about the celebrities than […]

Love and marriage and relationships have been everywhere these days, especially as they relate to Muslims, and particularly Muslim women. After reading a highly gendered, sexist and inappropriate article on the women that men should not marry, which fortunately was tackled by MMW’s Sara in a humorous piece, I decided to take a look into […]

I woke up one morning last week feeling betrayed. I couldn’t pinpoint the source of this overwhelming nausea of deception, but there it was, swimming in the pools of last night’s dinner mixed in with some proverbial bile. Luckily for my body and eternal salvation, I received a quick diagnosis for those feelings of betrayal […]

Listen Muslim ladies, it’s the slow-jam Imam — and it’s time that we have a heart-to-heart. [Obligatory soundtrack] If you’re wondering why you haven’t had any success at masjid mixers, or you’re cursing that seemingly wasted subscription at Naseeb, I’ve got some answers for you. Chances are that you fall into one of these categories […]

Last week Muslims around the world celebrated Eid ul Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, which is as well the end of the pilgrimage. Especially for this celebration, The National featured the story of Lady Evelyn Cobbolds, who might have been the first British woman to have gone on hajj. Some women in Saudi Arabia have […]

“Oh Canada […] The true north, strong and free.”  – Canadian National Anthem Her eyes met mine sporadically while we stood in the packed subway train in Toronto. It was the month of Ramadan, the month that encourages Muslims to put forth that much more effort – to show sisterhood and warmth to those that […]

As you know, last Friday was Eid-ul-Adha, a major holiday for Muslims around the world.  Having enjoyed sharing our Ramadan experiences with our readers earlier this year, the MMW team wanted to briefly share some experiences and reflections on this Eid, focusing especially on the role of gender in how Eid is experienced in our […]