“Divorce is on the rise in the Muslim community,” said Imam Mohamed Magid. “We have seen an increase in divorce from people married for a while and those married for a short time,” he said, adding that Muslims across the board are getting divorced in higher numbers.
Read MoreWhenever I encounter Asra Nomani’s works or see her in an interview, I usually wonder,“What is her point?” I don’t say this derisively. Is she trying to speak about gender inequality among the ummah? Is she trying to deal with gender norms in her own South Asian community?
Read MoreRespecting Muslims means recognizing, on a foundation of human dignity, the humanity—and thus also the diversity—among those who are followers of Islam. It does not mean agreeing with every single one of them on every issue, which would mean simultaneously accepting contradictions. The recently released film The Stoning of Soraya M. is a case in point.
Read MoreHigh Fashion, Oscar Wilde once said, “is a form of ugliness so unbearable that we are compelled to alter it every six months.” Western women are slaves of fashion. Muslims, meanwhile, answer first to God.
Read MoreWe are citizens of this land and as a religious minority we need to figure out how the secular law accommodates our needs. If secular law fails to our religious requirements, then the effort should be focused towards modifying secular law to accommodate our needs and the needs of other religious minorities we are ethically, morally and socially aligned with.
Read MoreI wish Muslim women didn’t need their own part in Barack Obama’s Cairo speech earlier this month. Many wondered whether Obama would take the safe route and avoid women’s rights. But that would have given a free pass to the denial and defensiveness of too many Muslims about the abuse of girls and women committed in the name of our religion.
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Young American-Muslims find themselves walking the tight rope between conservative Muslim traditions and liberal American culture. Because of this, Gen X and Gen Y Muslims are well-positioned to pave the way for change. Nearly all have “dated” vicariously through non-Muslim friends. Simultaneously many take their faith seriously and have a sincere desire to propagate it.
Read MoreAsra Nomani’s new documentary, The Mosque in Morgantown – airing tonight on PBS – exemplifies the great American and Islamic tradition of questioning authority. But although Nomani is certainly one such challenger, Nomani seems to undercut her own objective and isolate herself as an outlier in the community by imposing her approach on others who share her views.
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Launched in April 2009, Beauty and the East TV is an effort by American Muslim Samira Atash to build bridges between both Muslims and the West and between Muslims in America and elsewhere around the world.
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The Doha Debate on Muslim women’s marriage rights succeeded in illustrating that marriage and female rights are complex issues that involve many aspects of culture, religion, social status, and society.
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