Category: Women

Underwraps: Muslim model agency founder Nailah Lymus says high fashion CAN be modest | Mail Online. Underwraps will represent beautiful Muslims proving that the heady world of fashion does not need to exist at pains with the sanctity of Islamic customs.

West Broward High School girls show support for Muslim teammate – South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com. Most of them will never know what it’s like to be taunted for their faith. They’ll likely never be bullied or physically attacked for what they wear or have racial epithets thrown their way.  But on Thursday afternoon, some members of the West Broward High flag football team took a stand and got a small taste of how difficult life can sometimes be for one of their own.  Before taking the field for their regular-season finale at McArthur High, many of the Bobcats voluntarily donned a…

Being a Muslim and being a feminist are not mutually exclusive by Fatemeh Fakhraie – Common Ground News Service. Ethos – the fundamental spirit that guides my faith– is more important to me than edicts, or strict dogma, and so when religious questions arise, I defer to big-picture themes. One of Islam’s major themes is that of equity and justice. The Qur’an details equitable divorce proceedings, fair treatment of orphans and just conduct when it comes to prisoners of war — situations that differ in details and circumstances in our modern times, but which are often fraught with unfairness and…

American Muslim Women Unveil, And Explain Why : NPR. There are about 1 million Muslim women in America; 43 percent of them wear headscarves all the time, according to the Pew Research Center. About 48 percent — or half a million women — don't cover their hair, the survey found.  The split between women who've covered and women who've never done so has existed for decades. But now a generation of women is taking off the headscarf, or hijab. See also: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135413427/lifting-the-veil

Fencer With Headscarf Is a Cut Above the Rest – WSJ.com. The International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee do not track athletes’ religion, but if Muhammad makes the Olympic team, she would likely be the first practicing Muslim woman to represent the U.S. at the Games.  When she competes, photographers often zoom in on the name Muhammad on the back of her fencing jacket. Her mother, Denise, recently saw such a photo and said, “I realized: my God, she’s representing all of us.

Muslim Women’s Shelter Provides Refuge, Support : NPR. As families come together over the holidays, the victims of domestic abuse are often sequestered in shelters — a situation that’s especially difficult for Muslim women, because few facilities meet their cultural and religious needs.

On the Need to be Ethically Committed to being an American Muslim Woman « Ify Okoye. I find it challenging to reconcile between my belief in my faith as one that within limits is both progressive and pragmatic with one that bears no relation to my lived reality. The Islam I believe in respects and encourages women to be full participating members of society. It’s not one, which seeks to restrict women to their houses and limits their opportunities for spiritual growth and development simply due to their gender. That I believe in the equality of the sexes does not detract from an…

Unveiling the Truth: Why 32 Women Wear the Full-Face Veil in France | At Home in Europe Project | Open Society Foundations. This report from the At Home in Europe Project aims to distinguish myths and misrepresentations surrounding women who wear the full-face veil from the actual experiences and testimonies of the women themselves, by reporting on the women’s backgrounds, their decisions to wear the veil, their daily experiences in public, and their views on the legislation.