From the time I entered kindergarten to the day I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I have been educated in public schools. I always assumed that I avoided the pressures of conformity by not attending a private school, and particularly a private Islamic school. I believed that my education through…
Read MoreOn March 6, 2017, the Trump Administration issued a new executive order with regard to immigration into the United States from seven majority-Muslim countries, which will go into effect on March 16, 2017. This order repealed and replaced Executive Order 13769, implemented on January 27, 2017. The purpose of this…
Read MoreArt helps create and sustain social and political transformation. Sometimes that transformative power is more about the artist than the art—or, in the case of Mahershala Ali’s Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor in Moonlight, about national recognition for that artist. Ali’s win gave the spotlight to his performance, yes,…
Read MoreLast November, my journal was filled with pages blank from neglect. Donald Trump had just won the presidential election, and although writing often paves a way to truth for me, this time, I could manage only one sentence: I’m scared. I’m scared had hummed over the last two decades of my life: I had…
Read MoreBefore the elections, we were told that our fears of a Trump presidency were unfounded, that we were overreacting, and should have faith in humanity. But in recent days, less than two months after the election, we hear stories daily that are horrifying and heartbreaking. We hear stories of Latino…
Read More
With all the stories on the Internet it can be difficult to always stay in the know. To help, we’ve searched the web for interesting pieces of news, videos and tips to help you start off your week on the right foot. 1. First Ever Muslim-Friendly ‘Modest’ Fashion Week Held In…
Read MoreAll-Girls I am visiting the all-girls boarding home outside of Guadalajara, Mexico where I’d once spent two years volunteering. Located at the end of a bumpy, cobblestone street in a town whose name literally translates to Farm City, this internado has no internet or cable, its only television stationed on a rolling…
Read More
I am an American Muslim veteran. I was raised in America, and I joined ROTC (the Reserve Officer Training Corps) while in college. I followed in the footsteps of generations of men in my family who have served proudly and with distinction in the military. Many of my family members…
Read MoreAngelina Jolie has become one of the most recognized spokespersons for the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (“UNHCR”). She has been volunteering for the UNHCR since 2001, and has donated millions of dollars and gone on more than 50 field missions. Jolie’s work has focused extensively on Muslim refugees, and having witnessed firsthand the…
Read MoreWe landed at JFK Airport on a sweltering August day twenty-seven years ago. Me, my two younger brothers, and my parents – arriving to stay with a relative in Staten Island until my engineer dad could find a job. From Pakistan my parents had migrated to Saudi Arabia, and at…
Read More