France’s Jessica Houara

July 28, 2015 By shireen

This article, co-authored by Laurent Dubois (@soccerpolitics) and MMW’s Shireen Ahmed, previously appeared in Sports Illustrated. A recent special issue of the French Surface Football Magazine includes this portrait of national team player Jessica Houara-d’Hommeaux. The photograph is an invitation, even an incitement. In contemporary France, the discussion about and policing of what Muslim women do and don’t wear is a national obsession, one of the most electric and illuminating debates in the contemporary Republic. Houara’s striking portrait forces one to think through the layers of... Read more

Is Islamophobia Real?

July 27, 2015 By tasnim

A few weeks ago, I was meeting a friend of a friend for the first time. Now usually, my name gets transformed into Tamsin, or Tasmeem, or Tasmeen (the last two have quite unfortunate meanings in Arabic). In this case, the person I was introducing myself to said “Oh, like that creepy ISI woman.” I wasn’t sure what this referred to. Cue explanation that there was a character named Tasneem on season four of the TV show Homeland, a creepy... Read more

Where The Undesirable Go

July 22, 2015 By eren

This post was originally published on the writer’s blog. I left the mosque many years ago. I think the last straw for me was seeing female teachers and preachers telling us that women should not be in positions of leadership; that they should stay home and care for their children; or that a woman’s nature is _____________ and therefore, she does not belong in the public sphere. One day I just walked away and did not look back. Yet, once... Read more

Review of Brick Walls by Saadia Faruqi

July 21, 2015 By tasnim

Brick Walls by Saadia Faruqi is a collection of seven short stories set in Pakistan, featuring a diverse cast of characters, from Asma, a widow struggling to feed her child, to the priveleged Rabia, who finds that wealth does not always protect women, to the precocious ten year old Nida, an aspiring cricketer who is not put off by being told that “only boys can play cricket.” Subtitled Tales of Hope and Courage from Pakistan, the stories reminded me of... Read more

Eid Mubarak

July 17, 2015 By tasnim

We at Muslimah Media Watch send our very best wishes to our readers this Eid al-fitr! We hope you had a beautiful Ramadan, and a joyous first day of Eid. Read more

There is Baraka in Receiving the Gift: On Eating Disorders and Choosing Not to Fast

July 16, 2015 By Guest Contributor

Editor’s note: The writer of this piece wishes to remain anonymous. This piece is a follow-up to one published last year, and contains discussions of disordered eating. A few months ago, I was having a conversation with a friend about how hard Ramadan was for me last year. “You know,” she said cautiously, “the exemption from fasting for health reasons applies for emotional and mental health too.” Her observation was more of a revelation than maybe it should have been. ... Read more

A Ramadan of My Own

July 15, 2015 By tasnim

A couple of years ago, I bought my first bike. I had a bike as a child, but since I inherited it from my sister it wasn’t technically mine. I loved that battered old thing, used to spend long hours finding all the slopes in the vincinity and rushing down them as fast as I could. Then I grew up and put aside childish things. And that was how bikes were seen where I came from – toys, not means of transport. Cycling... Read more

Reflections in the Kitchen

July 13, 2015 By Azra

Another Ramadan. It’s hard to believe there’s little over a week left. It’s been yet another blur of a month with 17 hour rozas: sehri, work, nap, make, iftaar, sleep, with prayers and reading Quran interspersed throughout the day. Repeat. It’s been another year of not making it to the evening tarawih prayers and little inspiration at the Jumaah prayers I’ve attended. In my life at this point in time, Ramadan is far more a time for personal reflection and... Read more

Friday Links

July 10, 2015 By tasnim

Following Malak Kazan’s lawsuit, the Police Department has announced that it will be implementing a new policy for women who wear a religious headscarf In case you haven’t had enough, here is another story on Muslim women fashion bloggers breaking stereotypes The BBC asks how London’s young Muslims view the 7/7 attacks, interviewing a group of teenage girls who barely remember the events. A Spanish woman has been arrested by police in Lanzarote on allegations she recruited teenage girls for Islamic... Read more

My “Anti-Social” Ramadan

July 9, 2015 By Izzie

I moved from India to the USA two months back, and my life has completely changed, as expected. Before Ramadan started, because of the very long days and the fact that I was the primary caretaker of my 1 year old (like most mothers are), I worried if I would be able to fast. With God’s grace, I have been able to till now. All the Ramadans that I remember from my past are when I had busy schedules outside... Read more