Six years ago I was compliant. I would quietly use the side entrance reserved for women to walk into the mosque. I would find an inconspicuous seat in the back row and dutifully listen to the Imam’s sermon, which usually advised that when problems arise in our home or community,…
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I am a single woman who is not able to drive. A combination of sensory processing and anxiety issues means that I have never felt fully in control of a car and have learned from experience that it’s safer for both myself and others if I’m not on the road….
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Civil rights activist Linda Sarsour uses the start of Ramadan, a time of reflection, to reflect on what it means to be Muslim in America today. Islam prescribes this month of fasting, and as with many, my favorite place to be during Ramadan is the mosque in the evenings… The…
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Update 6/15: What happened when the protestors were invited inside the mosque to join the prayer? Jason Leger, a Phoenix resident wearing one of the profanity-laced shirts, accepted an invitation to join the evening prayer inside the mosque, and said the experience changed him. “It was something I’ve never seen…
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We used to want to go to mosques and community centers. As early immigrants, some 30 odd years ago, those structures served as a place where you found people like you. It’s where you met friends and availed the opportunity to give your children a piece of the culture you grew up…
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The recent Twitter conversation #HijabAndMihrab about women’s complicated relationships with mosques triggered a host of feelings for me. I have a complicated and difficult relationship with my local mosque. While I benefit from praying in a congregation, I can’t deny that as a woman and a convert, I often feel…
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If you’re upset at the concept of women creating their own space, then you truly have no idea how marginalized, isolated and emotionally, psychologically and spiritually abused many women are in our community – because of our community. If you’re angry, I hope you’re even more angered when you hear of…
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Dr. Aslam Abdullah is the Imam for the Islamic Society of Nevada (ISON) in Las Vegas. He discussed his experiences with and perspective on domestic violence within the Muslim American community with altmuslimah editor Najiyah Khan.
Muslim millennials joined host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani on Huff Post Live to discuss the exclusivity of many American mosques, as captured in the upcoming film “UnMosqued” by Ahmed Eid.
More and more American Muslims find themselves at odds with the culture in their mosque communities, particularly as many of these places of worship retain strong ties to homelands that self-identified American Muslims may not relate to, say many of those interviewed in “Unmosqued.”
<< From the Altmuslimah archives >> The Tumblr blog “Side Entrance” describes itself as a collection of images “from mosques around the world, showcasing women’s sacred spaces, in relation to men’s spaces,” showing ”the beautiful, the adequate and the pathetic.” Sarah Farrukh talks to project founder and community activist Hind Makki about the significance of the collection and its implications for mosque reform.
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