Years ago, I polled 30 women on their experiences as non-working wives (also referred to as housewives, homemakers, and —when applicable, stay-at-home moms). 23/30 women said they experienced a sense of worthlessness. Some attributed that sense of worthlessness to society, some to their spouse/spouse’s family, some to their family of origin (parents, etc.), and others […]
As I geared up to watch a commentary on the latest female rappers’ music video I could not shake the feeling that it was a waste of time. It may sound strange that I would even watch such a thing but I *love* social commentary. I love to hear smart people analyze society including media. […]
In verse 4:34 God tells men to use physical discipline as a last resort in dealing with marital conflict, “…advise them; [then if they persist], forsake them in bed; and [finally], strike them [lightly]. But if they obey you [once more], seek no means against them”. In verse 4:3 God tells men to only marry […]
Men don’t have a special hotline through which they exclusively get to speak to God and for God. Women too often live in fear that men will wield religious rhetoric to force certain behavior on them —you must do x lest God is displeased with you. But when did we as women begin to believe […]
Tall teenage boys are asked if they play basketball. Tall slender women are told they should model. People with different body types are assumed to be different types of people. These assumptions imprint on us ideas about who we are and who we should be. Some ideas are harmless, others simply annoying, and still others […]
As a linguistic student of Arabic, I recently learned that women and men are not opposite so much as they are complementary. The idea that one could feel opposite from one’s biological gender is actually nonsensical, linguistically and in reality. Men and women are different, but not so categorically that one can feel as though he or […]
If you’re like me, which you might be considering you’re reading this blog. You spend a lot of time “up there”. You know, up in the sky where the birds live —have you ever noticed that? When I’m deep in reflection I find my head moving upwards towards the sun. We spend a lot of […]
“The age of consent to sexual relations is not firmly established in classical Islamic law…” What does consent look like in Islam? Many Muslims have wondered since the consent conversation began to gain ground on college campuses and increasingly in social media discourse. Within non-Muslim discourse the conversation on consent is ill-defined and ongoing —is […]
Woman in long sleeve ankle length body-con dress —Quranic reminders —Family photos of a friend you’ve never met —motivational quote —Islamic event this Saturday! If Neil Postman, author of Amusing Ourselves to Death, thought TV was bizarre —“We’ll be back with a quick look a molestation,” a quote he pulled from a Daytime talk show […]
Many will suggest writing a list of “must-haves,” “nice-to-haves,” and deal breakers when looking to get married. While this may be good advice from a practical standpoint I think it’s also important that we also tell a story of how we’d like our marriage to look, the texture and feel of our day-to-day shared existence […]
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