children

The Grinch lives on

<< From the Altmuslimah Archives >>
I’m irked by all the “Merry Christmas” cards, the Facebook pictures and the stories of my Muslim friends actively celebrating Christmas. This past December they were baking cookies for Santa, trimming trees and exchanging gifts–all decidedly un-Muslim activities.

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I hope you have a BOY!

“I hope you have a BOY,” is a phrase I heard too many times during my pregnancies. I mean…really?  I had my children in 2007, 2011, and 2012; and with each pregnancy came those individuals that not only hoped, but prayed that I would have a boy. These ‘hopes’ and…

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Mike Brown’s life will not be in vain

Mike Brown’s life will not be in vain: A lesson in telling my children the truth   Last night a grand jury did not bring back an indictment against Officer Darren Wilson in the homicide of 18-year-old Mike Brown. Unlike many Americans, I didn’t find out about the decision on…

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Parenting’s wilderness

The fall of my senior year in high school, my mother drove me up and down the state of California for college campus tours with little complaint. It wasn’t until my scheduled tour of UC Berkeley that Mama snapped. We’d made it to Telegraph Avenue. On one corner, dreadlocked men…

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Teaching Kids The Holy Quran – Surah 18: The Cave

In the first book of the Read with Meaning series, Mezba Mahtab employs his celebrated technique of using Legos to tell stories from the Qur’an. This book conveys the story of Chapter 18, entitled “The Cave” (known as Surah Al-Kahf). Mahtab’s creative spin on Qur’anic storytelling is bound to spark the imaginations of Muslim children and adults alike, and is very effective in driving home the lessons of this Surah.

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Talking children, future, and blessing bags with the authors of “Allah to Z” children’s books

I recently met author Sam’n Iqbal and artist Uzma Sabir to discuss the newest children’s book on the block, “Allah to Z: Activity Book.” Meeting at Sam’n’s home, I instantly picked up on the inspiration behind this book: a vibrant home dotted with artwork produced by her three adorable children. Uzma and Sam’n, themselves an energetic pair, sat down to discuss their book.

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