The International Rescue Committee recently sent photographer Meredith Hutchison to meet with young Syrian girls in two refugee camps in Jordan and ask them about their hopes and dreams. The project, called Vision Not Victim, saw the girls draw pictures of what they want to be when they grew up, now that they have escaped […]

Izzat. It’s Old Rei, the language spoken by Scholars before the Martials invaded and forced everyone to speak Serran. Izzat means many things. Strength, honor, pride. But in the past century, it’s come to mean something specific: freedom. – Sabaa Tahir, An Ember in the Ashes  Recently, and in tandem, I read Sabaa Tahir’s An […]

Tasnim: Ever since the news broke about the Dolce and Gabbana abayas, I’ve heard this debut line described as everything from a “smart move” to an exploitative one, from a “cultural breakthrough” to “cultural appropriation.” What are your feelings about it? Afia: Being a modest fashion industry analyst, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, […]

I am not a Star Wars fan. I actually fell asleep marathoning the first three (Episodes IV, V and VI) with my sons. But I was excited for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And it was for one reason; the diverse cast. A female lead! A Black StormTrooper! A Latino pilot! Yes! Sign me up. […]

For this article, I will refer to aforementioned United States presidential candidate as DT. I do not wish to contribute to the searchability of his name, nor do I wish to spend more time typing his name than necessary.    On January 8th, Rose Hamid and her friend, Marty Rosenbluth attended a  DT rally in […]

Engy Abdelkader raises questions about when Muslim women are celebrated, pointing out that “Muslim women are often celebrated as courageous when pushing back against legal, social and cultural norms within their faith communities.” But what about other situations, such as protesting racism, or fighting to be allowed to wear a long skirt in school? ModMarkit, is a pop-up […]

At first Soumaya Ghannoushi’s article “Muslim women and the militant atheists” caught my eye; later, it became part of my very entangled personal thoughts on the intersections of gender, religion and secularism. Ghannoushi presents a critique of liberal-atheists, who, very much like right-wing Westerners, have had much to say about hijab, Muslim women and Islam. […]

I am assuming David Cameron’s ‘plans to “help” more Muslim women to speak fluent English’ were supposed to come across as a positive move? How can this education programme be seen as anything but positive when learning the country’s language is such an important tool for empowerment and social inclusion? Several commentators have made this […]

Islam and the Future of Tolerance is a dialogue about the possibilities of reforming Islam between Sam Harris, neuroscientist and New Atheist, (one of the Four Horsemen of the Non-Apocalypse), and Maajid Nawaz, a former Islamist turned reformist. As the book details, the idea for this discussion began in the wake of an Intelligence Squared […]

As a piece of advice to women writers, I might say “don’t read the comments”. It prevents triggering and exposure to abuse.  Another piece of important advice to, well, anyone, would be CHECK YOUR FACTS. Particularly when writing about Muslim women in sport. As a Muslim woman and a Sports Activist who writes, I dedicate […]