Tag Archives: Muslim
A centuries-old Jihad: Women of the Abrahamic faith traditions strive for justice and fight sexism in religion
By Saleha Jabeen
Weeks before Easter Sunday of 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina was elected to be the 266th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, is the first non-European man to lead the Catholic Church- the world’s largest Christian denomination amounting to over 1.1 billion people and constituting about a sixth of the global population. Among the church’s faithful, there are over hundreds of thousands nuns and women laity throughout the world.
Muslim fraternity dispels stereotypes about Islam and Muslim men
By Dartunorro Clark
You don’t have to go far to find harmful stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs in the mainstream media. In fact, there is a name for those stereotypes—billionaires, bombers, and belly dancers—known as the “three B syndrome,” coined by Mazin B. Qumsiyeh, author of 100 Years of Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim Stereotyping. In addition, these images have been excessively saturated over the years in American culture and media, especially in post-9/11 America. As Qumsiyeh explains, the U.S. needs a “demonstrable enemy who will not go away,” and Muslims and Arabs have consistently been that enemy.
Why are so many innocent Muslims labeled as terrorists?
By Heather Elawawadh
Why, when most people think of terrorists, do they assume Ahmed, Mohammed, and Nader and not Aaron, Michael, or Nathan? Not every terrorist is of Arab descent or even a Muslim, but to many people in America, if you have a foreign sounding name that could be Middle Eastern, you are automatically thought of as being a “potential terrorist.” Too many Americans continue to perceive Arabs and/or Muslims as terrorists, therefore causing severe injustice to the entire group.
A passion for change: An interview with Noor Tagouri
By Dartunorro Clark
In December of 2012, 19-year-old Noor Tagouri became a bona fide internet celebrity. This happened when she posted a picture of herself sitting at an ABC News anchor’s desk, proudly wearing a hijab and a bright smile. The photo then spread across social media and gave Tagouri the attention she wanted. But unlike other internet celebrities, Tagouri focuses her energy on encouraging others to fearlessly live their dreams, breaking stereotypes and detailing her journey to becoming the first Muslim hijabi news anchor and talk show host on American television.
V-Day and the rise of orientalist feminisms in America
By Maryam Arain
I will never forget the first time I saw a performance of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues. My sister had invited my entire family to see her participate in her college’s rendition of the critically acclaimed play. I left the performance feeling invigorated, empowered and inspired, completely ignoring all of the many legitimate criticisms that my pious Muslim mother attempted to bring my attention to at the time.
Women in hijab: Uncovering discrimination in the workplace
By Heather Elawawadh
America is supposed to be the land of the free, home of the brave, where dreams come true, and where religion can be practiced openly. If only those words were true.
How is it possible to be free and brave when society is too afraid to let you? One would think religion would be one of those topics where the decision to practice is personal.For Muslims this is not true, more precisely Muslim women who choose to dress modestly and wear a hijab (headscarf).
Piers Morgan fails to challenge Ed Koch’s bigotry
By Scott C. Alexander
On the night of Friday, February 1st, 2013—while watching CNN—I witnessed two men of some prominence disgrace themselves on national television. And the worst part about the whole affair was that neither of them appeared to realize what he was doing.
Mosque disputes in the quest for religious freedom
By Nasir Almasri
As the U.S. goes into its 237th year as a nation, we are reminded of the struggle for freedoms that ultimately led our Founding Fathers to declare independence. Unfortunately, the struggle to maintain those freedoms continues today, as proposals for places of worship – whose creation are protected under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act – come under scrutiny in neighborhoods across the United States. As the Department of Justice shows, groups of all faiths have struggled in disputes with local zoning boards, but none more so than the Muslim community in America.
You can’t possibly deny the existence of Islamophobia, Mr. Schanzer
By Dima Ansari
According to Jonathan Schanzer, in his review of Nathan Lean’s book, The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims, “Islamophobia is simply a pejorative neologism designed to warn people away from criticizing any aspect of Islam.”
Noor Tagouri: Actively changing perceptions of Muslim women
By Noor Salahuddin
“This has been my dream ever since I was a kid.”
Noor Tagouri, a 19-year-old college student, wants to become the first Muslim hijabi anchorwoman in America. Two weeks ago, she was a relatively unknown entity on Facebook who posted a picture of herself sitting at the presenter’s desk at ABC News. Since then, Tagouri has become somewhat of a celebrity, with nearly 7,000 subscribers to her official Facebook page.
