I was nine years old when I made one of my first major pleas of repentance to God. It was Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. Kids are not required to fast until they hit puberty, but even in kindergarten, I hated being left out of Ramadan and begged my parents to let me fast. To put an end to my whining, they told me that if I didn’t eat anything between my meals, it would count as a “half-fast.”
Read More
I am a hard playing, Pakistani Canadian football (soccer) playing & coaching, energetic wife, Mama and ardent cat lover plus coffee drinker living in fabulous Toronto, Canada. Who are you? I am a hard playing, Pakistani Canadian football (soccer) playing & coaching, energetic wife, Mama and ardent cat lover plus coffee drinker living in fabulous Toronto, Canada….
Read More
During Ramadan, everything turns upside down. You eat breakfast before dawn; the first signs of anger and temptation suddenly also become the first reminders of restraint; and your experiences of community, if they involve communal prayer, involve more silence than chatter.
And for some of us, your nights become your days.
Read More
What brings comfort to my heart as a mother? I long for the day when my kids want for themselves what I want for them – pure hearts, faith, health, open minds, great character and the drive to succeed. Many of these things come through the guidance and opportunities we give as parents. Unfortunately, often times the inequality of opportunities creates unequal results. One of the reasons I started Connecther is to find like-minded women who share these passions and to support the amazing work they are doing to create opportunities in their communities.
Read More
Giving birth is, in so many ways, an act of faith. It involves a kind of radical trust in our bodies that I equate with tawakkul, trust in Allah, the One who made our bodies. For me, being a doula is also an act of faith. A doula is someone who supports and comforts a mother in childbirth, building a relationship with her over the weeks leading up to the delivery and sometimes continuing to support a new mother in the weeks that follow.
Read MoreIn the few weeks before my father was diagnosed with advanced-stage primary live cancer, I remember my first realization that something was wrong. The nature of primary liver cancer is that it progresses silently with little or no symptoms for years.
Read MoreAs a parent of two, and a full time lawyer and editor of this site, life is often a blur for me. Further weighing down on me are memories of my father–the epitome of busy-ness, who accomplished more in a day than many do in a lifetime. He left a legacy of tremendous accomplishment, with “accomplishment” defined not just in self-serving terms, but also – primarily – in giving back to the community, and living a life of gratitude and submission to God. And, somewhere in all of that, to also be a dad.
Read MoreI’ve been through my share of cross-generational challenges, but lately I have met a place of rapprochement as I remember the things my parents have taught me, directly and indirectly, about relationships. Their wisdom has its roots in a land and culture so far away that the advice doesn’t always translate to the millennial ways of the Starbucks-drinkers and instant-satisfaction seekers. It is a wisdom that cannot be found in HuffPost articles, Buzzfeed lists or Facebook shares.
Read More
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.
Read More
When Teaching Children About Religion, Focus on Spirituality Asma T. Uddin Asma T. Uddin is founder and editor in chief of Altmuslimah, an online magazine. She is also legal counsel at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and a legal fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. UPDATED…
Read More