|
|  |
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Rafia Zakaria Indianapolis, IN
Rafia Zakaria is an attorney currently completing her doctorate in Political Science at Indiana University, where she is the John Edwards Fellow (2007-2008). Her research focuses on Muslim identity specifically as it relates to Sharia law initiatives and multiculturalism in Western states. She teaches courses on US Constitutional Law, Political Philosophy and Islam and Politics. Rafia also works on the Middle East Country Group of Amnesty International USA. She is the Associate Executive Director of the Muslim Alliance of Indiana and a Board member of ibtida, (an NGO that builds schools in rural Pakistan) and ANAA, an NGO dedicated to advocacy for female victims of violence in her native Pakistan. In addition to being Associate Editor at altmuslim.com since 2006, Rafia is a weekly columnist for Daily Times in Pakistan, she writes frequently for US and international publications, her work has appeared in Frontline India, The Nation, Reason, Arts and Letters Daily, and numerous other publications. |
|
 | | Human rights Dr. Aafia’s appeal By Rafia Zakaria, February 19, 2010 The aftermath of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s conviction nearly two weeks ago in a New York courtroom has seen several protests in her home country of Pakistan. On February 13, students from universities all over Islamabad congregated at Aapbara Chowk and demanded her release, while pointing out the silence of human rights groups. A day earlier, Lahore’s Liberty Chowk saw students and faculty members of several educational institutions come together to protest against Dr. Aafia’s continued detention. Many other protests have been witnessed since the verdict was announced. ( 2 comments) |
 | | Virginity devices A woman’s burden of proof By Rafia Zakaria, October 14, 2009 A new "virginity device" sold from China and marketed to Muslims in Egypt and elsewhere has conservative clerics up in arms. But what should be discussed is the hypocrisy that burdens women with proof of virginity while the men involved are ignored. Because of this, thousands of widows, divorcees and rape victims in countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are forced to live lives at the very margins of social acceptability. ( 60 comments) |
 | | Violence against women Abuse, asylum and America By Rafia Zakaria, July 31, 2009 A new policy by the Obama Administration has provided an opportunity for abused women, including those under threat of death from karo kari, to claim asylum in the United States. Concerns about notions of Western patriarchy should be seen in the context of the lack of options that hundreds of thousands of women, from Mexico to Pakistan, currently have. ( 1 comment) |
 | | Talibanization The privatization of Pakistani women By Rafia Zakaria, March 11, 2009 Sexual crimes have been mainstays of Pakistani politics for nearly all of its sixty-one-year history and have been used to legitimise all sorts of regimes. This gives the Taliban ample room to justify yet another repugnant episode in the history of Pakistani women. ( 3 comments) |
 | | Religion and the state Burqa and citizenship By Rafia Zakaria, July 22, 2008 To first exclude a minority through racism and xenophobia and then turn around and castigate those same immigrants for the "failure to assimilate" seems like a redundant and malicious policy ( 33 comments) |
|
|
|
|
|
Produced in
partnership with
| 
|
|
|
|
|
Search altmuslimah
|
|
Subscribe to newsletter and feeds
|
Multimedia 
|
Editors' blog
Conceptions of sexuality among American Muslim women - Ten AltMuslimah members/readers gathered on Sunday, February 21, 2010, with the goal of discussing the nature of Muslim women’s sexuality, and how American Muslim women’s social needs may be different. Whether formal or casual, the group agreed in the value of women’s support networks, especially considering the rising prevalence of domestic violence in our communities. A quick brainstorm of ideas brought up the possibility of periodic casual women’s nights, which are actually common in more active American Muslim communities. (March 1, 2010) ( 1 comment) |
News briefs for week of March 1, 2010 - This week Washington, D.C. women storm the men’s section of a local mosque, a women in hijab is fired from her retail position in California, a women’s terrorist group is said to be uncovered in Egypt, Malaysia looks to hold a conference on women’s caning, Pakistani women’s clothing is highlighted, and Iran’s first female Olympic skier is profiled. (March 1, 2010) ( 0 comments) |
News briefs for week of February 22, 2010 - Saudi religious police crackdown on Valentine's Day merchandise, Three Malaysian women are caned for extramarital sex, Saudi to permit female lawyers to argue cases, New Jersey Muslim man throws baby over a bridge, and Baltimore sixth-graders go on a field trip to an Islamic center. (February 22, 2010) ( 0 comments) |
News briefs for week of February 15, 2010 - This week, death threats for dehijabing in Spain, a ballet showcasing Muslim women’s historical accomplishments, France continues the burqa ban debate, a Pakistani woman is recognized in California, Muslim scholars question full-body scanning and Obama names an envoy to the Muslim world. (February 15, 2010) ( 0 comments) |
News briefs for week of February 8, 2010 - This week, a study finds that abstinence-focused sex education in American schools can persuade youth to delay sexual activity, sixteen-year-old Turkish girl buried alive for talking to boys, French authorities deny citizenship to man who forces his wife to wear a full veil, and female government leaders have done little to advance women's rights in Southeast and South Asia. (February 8, 2010) ( 2 comments) |
|
Readers' blog
Will you be my (halal) Valentine? - Why does Valentine’s Day spark such contentious debate among American Muslims across blogs and social networking sites? What underlying emotional buttons does this commercialized cultural holiday push among American Muslims? While other holidays, such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, generate a few tired and tepid discussions centered around the idea that “everyday should be Mother’s and Father’s Day,” Valentine’s Day, like the very concept of romantic love it celebrates, generates much more passionate responses. These debates touch on many topics including what love means or should mean to Muslims, the relationship between culture and religion, and the current state of romantic relationships among Muslims. (February 22, 2010) ( 1 comment) |
Living up to the legacy - By historical account, being a Muslim female meant being virtuous, loving, knowledgeable, and empowered by her faith. Well it’s centuries later and although we cite to the legacy of Islam, we fail to live up to it or keep the legacy alive. (February 4, 2010) ( 1 comment) |
Bridging literacy and cultural gaps in Pakistan - In addition to bridging cultural and socioeconomic gaps, the American International School System in Pakistan acts as an experimental model and incubator by incorporating some of the education reform principles advocated by grassroots organizations, education specialists and writers, and governmental agencies like the Ministry of Education. (January 3, 2010) ( 1 comment) |
Islam and manhood - The infamy of Islamist terrorism over the past decade has created an image of the Muslim man as intrinsically prone to violent behavior, even if directed toward the self rather than the other. The image of the angry, flag-burning, chanting Muslim man has come to symbolize male violence. However the photos fail to explain that, firstly, the anger, in many instances, is justified, secondly, that the chants rarely spill over into to physical violence, and thirdly that violence is not exclusive to Muslim men. (December 25, 2009) ( 5 comments) |
It’s not about the niqab, it’s about credibility - The question, which we all should consider now is why Al-Azhar scholars are not obeyed by the public any more? The simple and direct answer to this very complicated question is because Al-Azhar lost its credibility in the eyes of Egyptians. (October 17, 2009) ( 4 comments) |
One woman’s journey toward pleasing Allah - Understanding the purpose and reasoning behind abaya is not something a Muslim girl learns the day she is born. For many, like myself, it was a slow and steady journey; one that required much research and reflection. (September 25, 2009) ( 4 comments) |
|
|
