Marriage

The positives and pitfalls of online dating

Throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, Christian and Muslim communities have historically discouraged dating. Religious values and cultural pressure both demand that men and women do not spend time together until they are ready to get engaged, usually to a partner who they don’t know very well. Of…

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Something Special (an excerpt)

Editor’s Note: Most people think the term a “Muslim romance author” is an oxymoron, but Islamic history reveals that stories of a romantic or sensual nature are very much a part of our tradition. After all, sexuality, love and marriage are as much a part of a Muslim’s humanity as they are…

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A woman is Qawwaam, too. How did we miss that?

“Men are the qawwamoon (protectors and maintainers) of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they [the men] support them [the women] from their [the men’s] means.“ Qur’an 4:34 Most Muslims, and perhaps even some non-Muslims, are familiar with this contentious Qur’anic verse. The Arabic…

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Always the Elephant

The elephant in every room Into which I stride All eyes on Miss Never the Bride Walking down the lonely aisle of life Holding a wilting bouquet of pride Faith in God, Hope in community lost Receiving judgment, hurtful thoughts, Wrecking ball stares Pity for a state no one cares…

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33 and Single: Faith and Finding Love

I’m 33-years-old and still single. Well, the “still” is the lamentation some Muslims in the community add when they describe my status. The Muslim culture, not unlike most others, abides by a set of expectations when it comes to women, marriage and motherhood. A woman’s identity is strongly braided with…

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Secret marriages, spiritual abuse, and our Scholars: An introduction to “Not all Marriages are Equal”

Note: This piece is an introduction to Dr. Mohammad Fadel’s scholarly article on Islamic marriage, temporary marriage, secret marriage and polygamous marriage.   Sometimes even holy men have their wicked schemes. Over the past few months, my colleagues and I have learned from multiple sources about a set of Muslim celebrity-scholars…

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