I'm brimming with excitement in introducing our fourth guest writer, Jessica. A doctoral candidate in theology who is specializing in the history of Islam's interactions with other religions, Jessica's approach to research and history is nothing short of refreshing--and thorough. She routinely debunks commonly held misperceptions, including the idea that history becomes more progressive as …
Guest Post: Polarized Realities: Living a Theo-secular Purgatory in the Workplace
Zeina Shaaban is a graphic designer with interests in English and creative writing. Her approach to Islam is graced with wisdom, serenity, knowledge, and understanding. Those of you who have read this website for quite some time might be familiar with her; you've met Zeina before, and, as she has been a friend very close …
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Guest Post: Muslim Women and the Politics of Authority. Or: How to Determine a Woman’s Right to Speak on Islam
I'm pleased to introduce the author behind Orbala, Pashto for firefly, who, despite being a PhD student of Islamic Studies with emphasis in gender, sexuality, and Islamic law, is still overlooked as qualified to discuss Islamic jurisprudence, undoubtedly due to many of the factors explored in this post. Deeply inquisitive and refreshingly demanding, Orbala has undertaken the task of …
Guest Post: Ending Systemic Discrimination Starts with Individual Acts
Sarah Elizabeth Pahman, a masters level social worker licensed & certified in advanced practice social work, is experienced in trauma counseling and advocacy for survivors of sexual violence, sexual abuse, trafficking, and interpersonal violence. She is interested in trauma-informed care and has passions in empowerment & social justice within our communities. Based in Chicago, Sarah …
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Women in the Media: the “Stay Away from Your Friends” Trope
There's a "category" of women on television and in the movies, typically contrasted with another "category" of (the good kind) of woman, whose sole depiction of being "wrong" for the male lead involves her behavior toward his male friends: she's cold, distant, isn't enthusiastic about his spending time with them, in general appears to disapprove …
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discussion of language with amina wadud
By popular demand, I'm writing a post about tea with amina wadud, who prefers (as I confirmed while I spun around in her bedroom) that her name be spelled with lowercase letters, like bell hooks. My auntie amina is currently visiting Indonesia and Malaysia, but before she left she gave me a copy of Domestic …
Eid (al Adha) Mubarak
There is a saying--in Farsi, I think--that one tells their dearest friends. It means, "May I be sacrificed for you." I think it is why, when his father asked him if he would die, Isma'il said yes. To God, he said. May I be sacrificed for you. This, like any act of love, was misconstrued. …
the fatal feminist 