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

In the midst of the Islamophobic outbursts of 2010, a time when the future looked bleak and our aspirations suffered a blow, this inspirational story of a small Muslim community in the Arctic captivated hearts and gave us hope. Read More »

We’ve all been there at least once. In the corner of a dusty and briyani-debris ridden floor. In the windowless basement. On the second floor, inaccessible balcony with frosted viewing windows. In the front room of a house, with boarded up windows and a tv projection. In a barren false room with a tv projection. Behind a curtain. Under the stairs next to the janitorial closet. Behind a wall. In the room across from the morgue. In the back, past the garbage collector, up the fire escape, down a long hallway, up the narrow stairs, and finally into a room that doubles as a classroom and has 20 screaming Sunday school kids. Read More »

Several weeks after Eid al Fitr and before Eid al Adha, it’s a good time to analyze the recent media embroglio about women and Eid prayers in South Africa. The ways in which South African Muslims interact with the media has changed drastically in the last few years with the rise of social media, and this has reflected itself especially in what has been called “the desktop gender jihad” (women using the internet to fight, lobby and advocate for their rights). Read More »

I recently finished a great book, Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun, and thought it would be interesting to contrast some of what is in the book with masjid 'speaking' experiences. Berkun's book offers interesting discussion on public speaking itself, observations, and then a few tips and tricks. Read More »

Khutbah given by Abdul Nasir Jangda in Dallas: "With the much needed surge of youth oriented activities in Muslim communities and Masajid, we need to make sure we prepare ourselves to embrace troubled youth and not hold their past against them" Read More »

"Do not prevent the maidservants of God from the mosques of God" (Hadith). What we have to understand is that women are not prevented from praying in the mosque only by words, but also when they are not afforded reasonable access. The female companions of the Prophet (S) enjoyed this access during his lifetime. In order to open doors of spiritual opportunity for our sisters, it is, therefore, sometimes necessary to put aside our preferences. Read More »

Alhamdulillah, Bayyinah is proud to introduce the DREAM program – a ten month long, full time, powerful Arabic program that is to provide students in the United States an opportunity to obtain a high level of Arabic education without having to travel abroad; a level that before this program has long been an unfulfilled dream. Read More »

The Friday after my Penalty Box post was published, I went to salat'l-jumu'ah at a hotel. The usual space was reduced by a third due to a scheduling conflict with another group's event. I wish I had a better picture to show you because despite the impromptu nature of the setup, it was one of the best setups that I've ever experienced. I was struck by a few things that made my heart overflow with thankfulness and happiness and my eyes overflow with tears: Read More »

We did not leave jahiliyyah in order to be treated poorly and with injustice by our brethren in faith and to remain quiet. We left jahiliyyah and entered into Islam with a statement on our tongues coupled with belief in our hearts and the actions of our limbs. Yet day after day, we are asked to tolerate the injustice and inequity manifested in the poor treatment of women and children in so many of our communities. Read More »

We have all observed dysfunctional Islamic organizations. But what is at the heart of this dysfunction? While every community and group has its own unique set of circumstances, there are 5 specific issues that are relevant across the board. This article analyzes those 5 dysfunctions in light of Islamic organizations in hopes that we can tackle them and improve. Read More »