Dating is like a blank page. One that, as a writer, I have to contemplate for a little while before beginning. Apparently, one also has to be “trained” in dating. A friend of mine told me that it takes a few dates with different men, to get back into the “dating mode.” As I replay the events that led to my first dating experience after my partner passed away, I can’t help but also remember my teenage dating days.... Read more
This month’s Radical Love column is a video essay recorded live at Common Grounds in Santa Ana, California. It begins at 2:48. “This is what it means to be an immigrant living in California, smuggling seeds in Ziplock bags from the motherland or buying trees from the underground market for the illegal fruits & vegetables that tasted like home.” — Read more by Tanzila, here. Tanzila Ahmed is an activist, storyteller, and politico based in Los Angeles. She can be heard... Read more
Did you know that Love InshAllah and Muslimah Montage host a Twitter book club every month featuring (mostly) Muslim women authors? We recently featured Rafia Zakaria and G. Willow Wilson, and today we’ll be chatting with Love InshAllah anthology contributor and debut novelist Aisha Saeed! Have questions about her novel Written in the Stars, publishing books, or writing YA? Join us using the hashtag #1001Stories at 11 am PDT. Our next book club is on May 19th at 12:30 pm PDT, featuring Alana Raybon... Read more
My first New Orleans story is about death. “N’awlins is below sea level,” my taxi driver tells me on the drive from the airport. “You dig three feet down, you hit water. There’s no way folk can bury bodies six feet under. So we have these cemeteries where we bury our dead above ground. And this,” he gestures out the window as we turn a corner and emerge to a view of tall mausoleums on either side, “this is called... Read more
Eds. Note: Hayah shared part one of her story – “Love. Loss. Forgiveness. Love.” – about finding love as a divorcée, but ultimately deciding to part from Dedan because of religious differences. Here, she shares part two of her story, in which she dances at Dedan’s wedding. Oh, how we danced! When Dedan and his beautiful bride stepped out of the car towards the wedding hall, oh, how we danced! I couldn’t help thinking that it was a strange synchronicity that I happened... Read more
A friend once told me when I was going through a tough time that nothing is permanent. As a person of faith I know not even death is permanent. That piece of advice has helped me when I stumble into fits of melancholy. I remind myself when I’m having one of those days where despite my best efforts, sadness or frustration or anger keeps blocking my path, that this day won’t last forever. But one thing I have also learned... Read more
Now that I’ve managed to sit through my very first scary movie without wetting myself, I’m feeling pretty brave, and dare I say, excited for another. It’s the first time in my life where I’m actually looking forward to watching a scary movie as opposed to digging my heels in with a big fat no. Hey, look at me – all grown up. In case you’re wondering, the movie was The Conjuring. I’m not saying I’m suddenly into scary movies,... Read more
He said my name like a ghost. A whisper from behind. A quiet wind hot and hollow. He said it lazily and slack mouthed, not parting his full lips wide enough to let every letter through. He said it without the sigh of relief at the end that it needed to sound familiar, like it was not so sweet it could make his eyes water. I should have known. I should have known what kind of man he was when he held his... Read more
Eds. Note: Please welcome our newest writer Laura P.! Look for her column Integrity of Heart the second Wednesday of every month. “Will you marry me?” I’m usually very good at avoiding situations like this. But I didn’t expect a proposal from a Muslim guy I only saw waiting for the bus in the morning. “Sorry, I’m not interested, but thanks for asking.” “OK, cool.” Fortunately, he seemed to accept that and didn’t bring it up again, because I’d already... Read more
Please welcome writer Eren Cervantes-Altamirano whose column Flirting with Fate and other Disasters of an Intersectional Muslimah will appear the first Thursday of every month. Her piece below, written in July 2014, sets the stage for her new column here at LoveinshAllah.com Perhaps it is absurd of me to think that Ramadan will ever be a time of peace and refection. From the moment I converted, my patience, my love for Islam and my faith have been constantly tested. Beyond the struggle... Read more
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