Descriptors like “visionary,” “game-changer” and “innovative” are commonplace in all the tributes being written and posted about Apple guru Steve Jobs. For me personally, the word I choose to describe Steve Job’s life’s work, in relation to me and my family, is possibility. Glorious, wondrous, hopeful possibility. ()

For the contemporary American woman, Islamic wealth distribution system is like a fairy tale from a far away land. It’s a tale that they are not supposed to hear. Yes, the inheritance I received from my father was half of what each of my brothers received, but it was all mine. I am not responsible for anybody or anything, and my husband is still responsible to provide my bread and butter. << From the AltMuslimah Archives >> ()

Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai was an extraordinary woman. As the world mourns an indefatigable champion of human rights, democracy, and the environment, I am heartbroken at the loss of the woman I most admired, the woman from whom I learned some of life’s most valuable lessons. ()

In December 2010, in a small house located in Sarbande Chakush village in the Juzjan province of Afghanistan, a 14-year-old girl named Aziza was abruptly awakened by loud banging on the front door in the middle of the night. A group of armed men, headed by Haji Daadullah, one of the most influential and powerful figures in her village, awaited Aziza's father as he opened the wooden door. The men attacked her father, entered the house and kidnapped Aziza. ()

Erum al-Howaish, like many young women from conservative Saudi Arabia, expects King Abdullah’s watershed decision last Sunday to allow women to vote and run in elections to be the start of a new phase of women’s rights reforms. ()

When Saudi student Sarah Abdul- Mohsen asked the salesman for a nude, 32C padded bra, she didn’t expect an argument about her cup size. After all, Abdul-Mohsen was wearing the mandatory black cloak and veil that disguise her shape, in a kingdom where custom forbids men from looking intimately at women. “He told me, ‘No, you’re not a C,’” Abdul-Mohsen, who was buying the bra for a cousin, said in an interview at a Ramadan meal for women in Riyadh. “I felt disgusted. It felt very degrading.” ()

This past May, a Kuwaiti activist named Salwa al-Mutairi ignited a firestorm of controversy by suggesting a radical solution to her country’s growing concern about adultery and premarital sex: why not import “sex slaves” to satisfy lustful Muslim men? Her proposal drew a torrent of criticism, but al-Mutairi remained undeterred, and even went a step further by claiming that her idea was Islamically legitimate. Muslims across the world fiercely rejected her proposal, insisting that al-Mutairi was not only wrong, but also ignorant of the basic tenets of Islam. In truth, however, her idea is not nearly as “un-Islamic” as its critics suggest, and their response reflects a widespread inability to engage with the Islamic tradition. ()

With the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Muslims and non-Muslims alike are reflecting on what we, as Americans, have achieved since that fateful day -- and all that is still left for us to do. For Muslims, this conversation is happening at multiple levels, as we struggle to make sense of not just the socio-political issues facing our faith community, but also the deeply personal, spiritual questions 9/11 has posed for us as individuals. ()

A decade and a day ago, you could describe a guy as being tall, Muslim, from the Bronx, and no one's eyes would start darting. Back then, the word "Muslim" was merely an adjective. Today it's an accusation. An allegation. An affront. ()

The new reforms outlined in the June 2011 Moroccan constitution can be grouped in three major categories: separation of powers, independence of justice, and good governance. However there are other key reforms that have gotten less attention but will have a major impact on Moroccan society, including a recognition of Morocco’s multicultural roots, a greater recognition of gender equality and more freedom of speech. ()

With the anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching and the awareness that terrorism is still a real threat for the United States, we should consider what we might do differently to make our country a safer place. Looking back on the last 10 years, one thing is clear: the violence of terrorism cannot be defeated with more violence. Afghanistan and Iraq are convincing proof of that; both countries remain ravaged by terrorism and al Qaeda forces seem much more resilient than the architect of the war on terror, George W. Bush, ever imagined. ()

Yogyakarta, Indonesia - Perhaps surprisingly, women’s issues have become a top priority on the major political and theological agendas of the Indonesian Mujahideen Council (MMI). MMI is a radical Muslim umbrella group alleged to have links to Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant organisation in Southeast Asia which has initiated a series of violent attacks against US targets and allies in Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines since 1999. ()

Since the enforcement of France and Belgium’s bans on face veils (“niqab”), the countries’ policemen have been assigned a singularly difficult task: making sure that Muslim women behave. Police are required to detain and fine Muslim women covering their faces illegally in public. The French police send some of these women to citizenship classes where they can learn the appropriate way to exhibit their spirits of liberté and égalité, while in Belgium offenders can also be jailed (sans face veils, of course)... ()

The United Nations recently established UN Women to champion gender equality and empowerment of women. In its first major report “Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice,” UN Women highlights both the global plight of women seeking justice and the amazing progress women have made in the past century. Particularly enlightening aspects of the report are the coverage of women in Muslim countries and the accomplishments of Muslim women’s rights groups. ()

Despite a myriad of other domestic problems, Saudi Arabia's rulers go to great lengths to enforce the self-defeating practice of effectively banning women from driving - despite the lack of a religious basis and the female success stories found elsewhere in the Muslim world. ()