MuslimMatters.org Discourses in the Intellectual Traditions, Political Situation, and Social Ethics of Muslim Life

As many of us are aware, there is much out there about Muslim women. We seem to hear about how Muslim women are oppressed, beaten, tortured, manipulated, brainwashed, and mere pawns of men. Wars are fought in order to liberate us and laws are passed to protect us from our own choices. Well, it is high time Muslim women are given the opportunity to speak for themselves. Read More »

“I had a really hard day today”, Maria explained to me over the phone. “I see lots of overdose cases, but today I was shocked to find out two Muslim girls, around 13 years of age, were found helping each other in a double suicide attempt.” Read More »

“Are you insane? Do you have any idea about driving?” The milk truck driver yelled in Arabic at my husband as he bent down to pick up his fender and shake it in my husband’s face. My husband, a convert from the farmlands of Illinois, had just made a left turn into the entrance of our chalet along the coast of the Red Sea outside of Cairo. He was well aware of the insanity of Egyptian driving yet had not realized the true extent of its danger. Read More »

Terror struck Alexandria on New Year's Eve, taking innocent lives from amongst the Christians and Muslims, both. Muslim Matters' Hebah Ahmed was in the city and sends in her feelings and the mood in the country as the tragedy unfolded. Read More »

Alya Nuri is a 10-year old American Muslim, author, and motivational speaker. She started her writing career at the tender age of 7 and has recently published a 4 book series called “Things Every Kid Should Know”. Her books target a younger audience and aim to educate and promote prevention of smoking, alcohol, drugs and bullying. Alya is a homeschooled 7th grader and loves reading books and working for the welfare of the poor and needy. She has written 10 articles and wants to continue writing more books for the betterment of youth. Her future goals include public speaking and coaching kids. Read More »

e can blame the 9/11 terrorists, the Quran-burning pastors, the professional Islamophobes, or Fox News for the horrible perception of Islam and the suspicion of Muslims. Though, at the end of the day, only we can challenge that view through our consistent, daily interactions, one neighbor at a time. Read More »

I don’t know about you, but life can be a real roller coaster. Some days, I wake up and think, “This is going to be a good day, insha'Allah.” The kids are listening without talking back, food tastes particularly good, people seem unusually positive and supportive, time for worship is plentiful and beneficial, life is good. Then, the downward spiral of the roller coaster begins. Suddenly the storm clouds come out and crisis sets in. Read More »

I used to exhibit a certain reactionary pattern that seemed to arise whenever I entered a Masjid or Muslim gathering. It was this pesky little habit of immediately taking in my surroundings and making a mental note of everything wrong that I could perceive. I turned from one unknowing victim to another, ticking off all of the Islamic violations they were committing according to my personal pedestal of judgment. Read More »

External influences have crept into the Muslim worldview, resulting in many Muslim women struggling with their roles as mothers. Many women are told their worth and self-respect come from their degrees and careers rather than from a well-raised child. For a woman who is raised to work, submitting to her role as a mother can be very difficult and sometimes impossible. This article explores the struggle many of these women face and why the best response is to simply submit. Read More »

I often ask myself if I was alive during the Civil Rights Movement, if I would have cared enough to march with my African American brothers and stand up against the inhuman practices of segregation when I was not yet the target. Read More »