I’m a resident in Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto and, on July 2nd, I started my first shift as a doctor. It was a 26-hour shift that included a night jam-packed with running between sick patients while thumbing through my textbook to make sure I didn’t miss an important investigation or treatment. As […]

Last Saturday, the city where I live in Western Canada held its annual Pride Parade. This year and against all odds, the first member of my mosque participated in the parade. Sister Sarah (a pseudonym) decided to participate in the parade after years of struggling with reconciling her faith with her sexuality. She decided “to try […]

This post was written by guest contributor Maria Salman. In 1992, a young woman gathers the courage to pen a deeply personal journal entry for a teacher. She finally breaks the silence over an earth-shattering secret that she is the survivor of childhood sexual abuse committed against her by two male family members. Fast forward […]

This post was written by guest contributor Rana Nazzal. I had the honour of speaking with three local Ottawa artists about their identity as Muslim women in relation to performance arts. A few years ago, I noticed a dramatic increase in the presence of Muslim women on stages in Ottawa, particularly in the fields of […]

“Let me begin with a story. A story from your history. One that I hope will stay in your minds as you think about our common future.” These are words taken from a speech recently delivered by Justin Trudeau, a well-known Canadian politician, to the thousands of Muslims in attendance at the most recent Reviving […]

After gaining a few pounds during the holidays, I became convinced that I had to either join a gym or look for an exercise group within my area. It was then that I came across an interesting article that did not only draw my attention, but also troubled me a little. A few days ago […]

At Muslimah Media Watch, many of our posts are critical of the way Muslim women are portrayed in various films, literature, and news articles—Muslim women (and other racialised women) are not given the space and time to share their personal stories of struggle and triumph on their own terms. Women’s stories are often mired with […]

Last week, the Toronto Star reported on the first helpline in Canada specifically for Muslim women. The project stems from the Women’s Resource Centre, which is part of the Mercy Mission organisation. At the moment, this program is only available in Ontario, specifically in the Toronto area. Noor Javed, the author of the article, interviewed […]

“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 […]