Shhhhh… good women are quiet. My mother was a beautiful woman, she never complained. Denial is a silent violence that aims to make invisible a trauma maybe evident or not, to make it acceptable as normal and allow the… Read More ›
Muslim Spirituality
Rape, Community and Healing by Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente
During my last months in Cape Town I have been facilitating a series of workshops on Rape, Gender Justice and Culture of Consent. I am blissful for the opportunity to teach and learn with a group of people with whom… Read More ›
Shariah is not a Law by Esther Nelson
I will never forget the day Nasr Abu Zaid (1943-2010), an Islamic Studies scholar and teacher extraordinaire, told me, “Shariah is not a law.” In spite of his assertion, many people—both Muslims and non-Muslims—are convinced that Shariah is synonymous with… Read More ›
Earth-Spirituality in the Qur’an and Green Muslims by Lache S.
There is some very helpful guidance in the Qur’an for how we should and should not treat the earth. In my exploration of Qur’anic verses on the environment, I have found a great deal of Earth-love that I want to… Read More ›
Offering My First Khutba: On Imaan & The Divine Presence by Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente
For the last 6 weeks, I’ve been living in Cape Town, South Africa. This has been a blessed opportunity to grow, to gain more knowledge, and to reach outcomes that are beneficial both for my work as an activist and… Read More ›
Reconstructions of the Past: Hafsa bint Sirin (“Introduction”) by Laury Silvers
This blog and those to follow will be taken from an academic talk I gave on the life of the early pious worshipper, scholar of Qur’an, Hadith, and their legal meanings, Hafsa bint Sirin (d. ca. 100/800). I used some… Read More ›
Nature: The Best Muslim and My Favorite Muse by Jameelah X. Medina
Now that spring is upon us, it started me thinking about the beach. I love the ocean. Like me, lots of people get that back-to-the-peaceful-womb feeling when looking at the ocean. As I thought about the ocean, I realized I… Read More ›
Queer in Islam and a Theology of Dissent by Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente
Most of the time, when we talk about being “Queer in Islam,” we identify the term with a hermeneutics developed by or on behalf of LGTBQI Muslims in order to allow their inclusion in religious spaces and recognize their agency in matters of… Read More ›
The Power to Interpret for Myself by Jameelah X. Medina
My father always encouraged us to interpret scripture for ourselves. We read text, learned mainstream interpretations, and then he would ask for our authentic self-generated interpretations delivered in the form of book and chapter reports due to him. Growing up,… Read More ›
Are the Gods Afraid of Black Sexuality? by amina wadud
This was the title of a two day conference recently held at Columbia University. At one point on the first day, one presenter asked if there was anyone who is not Christian. Two hands went up, sitting side by side:… Read More ›
No Ramadan Gloom and Doom by amina wadud
The first blog I read about Ramadan this year was full of the usual self-righteous pontification that takes this occasion to remind people to do such and such at this or that level. Who is the target audience for such… Read More ›
Enlivened Truth by Safa Plenty
My joy is rebellion, and so is my passion, my excitement, and even my sexuality, but only here where truth is kept secret. Where joy exploding in my vocal cords and coursing through my limbs is silenced or censored looked… Read More ›
Pride: Honoring the Immigrants and the Helpers by Laury Silvers
It is World Pride in Toronto this year. The city is filled with people from everywhere celebrating the gorgeous spectrum of humanity and the right of all human beings to live with dignity. In honor of World Pride and happy… Read More ›
Dr. Debbie Downer Discourses on the Lives of Early Pious and Sufi Women by Laury Silvers
I’ve been called a downer because I take what seems like a jaundiced perspective on the early history of pious and Sufi women. There is a tendency in some scholarship, and nearly all contemporary popular treatments of these women’s lives,… Read More ›
A Not So Ideal Deal: Perspectives On Sexism In “Islamic Marriage” by Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente
One topic that emerges from the discussions I have with other Muslims and people in general relates to marriage. Starting with, I don’t agree with marriage. Not because I think married life is negative but because, under the prevailing patriarchal… Read More ›
Muslim Feminism: On Finding Meaning in the Struggle by Jennifer Zobair
I threw Catholics under the bus at a book reading. I didn’t mean to and, as a former Catholic, I felt awful about it. I was promoting my novel, Painted Hands, about dynamic, successful Muslim women in Boston. During the… Read More ›
Religion is Good Counsel by Kecia Ali
Last week I received an email out of the blue about a book I published seven years ago. The greeting was polite. The body of the email managed to be simultaneously critical and vague. The writer began by noting that… Read More ›
Storytelling to Restore the Sacred in Our Lives by Najeeba Syeed Miller
I was recently offering a workshop to a group of Muslim educators from all types of ethnic, racial and community backgrounds. One of my points in the training on conflict resolution was the importance of story telling,the many ways that… Read More ›
The Crying of an Ant: Finding a Theory of Change by Najeeba Syeed Miller
Qur’an 27:18: Till, when they came upon a valley [full] of ants, an ant exclaimed: “O you ants! Get into your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you without [even] being aware [of you]!” – 27:19: Thereupon [Solomon] smiled… Read More ›
Beyond “Liberal” Female Piety or “Women Read the Qur’an Too” by Amy Levin
I’m a teacher’s assistant for an undergraduate course at New York University called, “What is Islam?” The other day in class, my professor asked the students whether or not the Qur’an is considered a “book”. Fraught with anxiety over inheriting… Read More ›
Hidden Spirituality: The Life of a Muslim Family By Najeeba Syeed-Miller
The following is a guest post written by Najeeba Syeed-Miller, J.D., Professor of Interreligious Education at Claremont School of Theology. She has extensive experience in mediating conflicts among communities of ethnic and religious diversity, and has won awards for her peacemaking… Read More ›
