Friday Links | September 2, 2011

Friday Links | September 2, 2011 September 2, 2011

It’s been a busy Eid week, readers. We’re sorry to divert from the normal Friday links, but are presenting a shortened version this week. We’ll be back to our regular programming next week!

A Latina fights stereotypes in her own community about what happens when a woman converts to Islam:

“As soon as I started wearing [the hijab] I got a lot of stares,” said Fikri, 27, who was raised as a Christian in East Harlem’s Thomas Jefferson Houses and became a Muslim seven years ago.

“Even my own Latino people feel like I betrayed them,” she siad. “They see me veiled and they think ‘she’s under [her husband’s] grasp’ and that’s not the case. “This is not a bad thing. I’m not oppressed. I’m very comfortable. I just want people to know that I’m the same person.”

 

Sixteen-year-old Arriza Ann Sahi Nocum is the first Filipina Muslim to win the prestigious Zonta International Young Women for Public Affairs Award. And she’s donating part of her $4,000 prize money to help educate other Muslim women:
“Amid the celebration of the Eid’l Fitr, I lament and continue to be disturbed by the problems affecting the Muslim society in the Philippines, especially the sad plight of Muslim women and children. I am donating part of the US$4,000 prize from Zonta Foundation, which was given to me for my educational advancement, to the Kristiyano-Islam Peace Library (Kris) to finance its literacy programs.”

 

An Eid celebration turns ugly in a New York amusement park:

Fifteen people were arrested Tuesday at an amusement park in Westchester County over a fight that started after a group of Muslim women wearing hijabs werent allowed on a ride restricting any head gear.

At one point, a small group of women upset they couldn’t ride a rollercoaster went to park managers to ask for a refund. According to officials from the park, the patrons were offered refunds, but then some men and women started arguing with each other, the statement said, “to the point that park security had to intervene.”

Feel free to leave links to stories about Muslim women from this week in the comments!


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