“Ask a Muslim” events have become frequent in the West with the rise of Islamophobia. Now, a restaurant in Melbourne has offered a chance for members of the local community to ask Muslim women any questions they have. As the leader, Hana Assafiri has taken it upon herself to lead group question and answer sessions […]

Valentine’s Day used to be a big day for me when I was a teenager. While the original “cupid” is more than a little problematic and the capitalist, gendered and heteronormative nature of the holiday is absolutely real, in urban middle-class Mexican society it was often considered an “opportunity.” An opportunity to make your feelings […]

The International Rescue Committee recently sent photographer Meredith Hutchison to meet with young Syrian girls in two refugee camps in Jordan and ask them about their hopes and dreams. The project, called Vision Not Victim, saw the girls draw pictures of what they want to be when they grew up, now that they have escaped […]

Tasnim: Ever since the news broke about the Dolce and Gabbana abayas, I’ve heard this debut line described as everything from a “smart move” to an exploitative one, from a “cultural breakthrough” to “cultural appropriation.” What are your feelings about it? Afia: Being a modest fashion industry analyst, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, […]

David Cameron has been accused of stigmatizing Muslim women after he announced plans to help them learn English and warned that migrant spouses who fail language tests may have to leave the UK. Cameron made it to the top headlines, when he decreed that Muslim women need to learn English, and came up with plans […]

Kashif Pasta is the founder of Dunya, a communications agency that aims to bring relatable narratives to South Asian and Muslim communities in North America. He and his team recently produced Zoya, a short film following a high school girl who doesn’t quite expect her peers’ reactions when she decides to experiment with hijab.   […]

Typically, in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north, discussing personal and marital issues, like sex and domestic violence, is seen as going against the grain. However, an Instagram page is changing how Muslim women in Nigeria share personal problems. Hadja Lahbib’s insightful documentary, Patience, Patience, You’ll Go to Paradise!, focuses on Belgium’s Muslim community, where the older generation […]

When I first heard about the solidarity movements happening mainly in the US; the interfaith meeting in Utah,‘Walk a Mile in Hijab’ initiative at a Chicago high school, the Christian professor at Wheaton College, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I kept thinking it’s a nice gesture but was it necessary?  Weren’t there […]

In a recently aired Saturday Night Live skit, comedian Kenan Thompson played host to a gameshow called Should You Chime in on this? In it, contestants (caricatured as having little intellect and even less of a personal connection to the topics presented) had to refrain from weighing in on recent news items. Even when knowing […]

#IWillProtectYou: 8-year-old Muslim girl’s fear of Donald Trump strikes sympathetic chord in Us service men and women. Adults can take Trump’s rhetoric, but not kids, argues the girl’s mother. Maajid Nawaz, the founding chairman of Quilliam, is yet another man offering an unsolicited opinion on whether we Muslim women should wear the hijab. Since the terrorist attacks […]