While nearly all Muslims believe with their own understanding the Islamic scholars who claim that justice and equity are intrinsically incorporated into Islamic principles and thus the shari’ah (the laws derived from those principles), most countries that claim to be guided by the shari'ah do not reflect these laws of justice and equity, especially not--despite …
Category: misconceptions
I am menstruating, so nail polish obviously.
If you’re unfamiliar with this little routine (since it’s been a while since I’ve written a post like this) long story short(ened): the majority of Muslims believe that one cannot perform the ablution ritual before prayers with nail polish on her fingernails because the polish creates a barrier between her nails and the water, thus …
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Islamic History and the Women You Never Hear About: Women Leading Men in Prayer
"In the early days of the Muslim community, there were women who made the call to prayer, and there were also women who led the ritual prayer not only for women but also for men. In particular, Umm Waraqa bint Abdullah, who was trained by Muhummad himself, acted as the prayer leader for her whole …
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Quranic Verses and Misconceptions: Divorce and Male Privilege
A common practice before the introduction of Islam—and continuing afterward illegally despite severe restrictions by the Qur’an on the gratuities of men in pre-Islamic divorce—was for a man to perpetually divorce his wife, each time pretending to take her back and divorcing her again to coerce her either to surrender her dower for autonomy or …
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Sweater. (and modesty)
When I was very little, I attended Quranic classes at the mosque with other small children. On one occasion, I stood lined up for prayer while the instructor lectured on prayer etiquette. It was midsummer in California. The heat was almost unbearable. My hair was uncovered, but I was wearing a sweater, and I felt …
Guest post at WoodTurtle: “The Right of the Inquiring Feminine”
WoodTurtle, who is amazing and fabulous, (AND JUST GAVE BIRTH TO HER SECOND CHILD, subhan’Allah!! Inappropriate announcement? Suck it, patriarchy! …That has to do with the post. You’ll see) graciously invited me to guest post. If you are interested in reading, please follow the link.
Patriarchal Hypocrisy and Shifts of Privilege: The Qur’an and the Woman’s Perspective
Islam, like most religions at conception, was produced to liberate the oppressed before it was seized by oppressors and weaponized against those who had discovered a restoration of freedom and rights through it. The most striking, recurring incident of this confiscation of perspective and unashamed hypocrisy is the application of verse 2:282 (which calls for …
the fatal feminist 