Category: External Links
‘What if my daughter is afraid of her?’
By Jenn Hardy Not too long ago, if I saw a woman walking down the street with her face covered by a niqab, I would feel it was my duty to glare. As a non-religious feminist, I had decided that a woman who covers her face is oppressed – that she is uneducated, and that
Reflections of a Non-Muslim
By Erin Smith On April 21, 2011, I donned hijab (the headscarf worn by many Muslim women) as a participant in International Scarves in Solidarity Day, an event organized both in response to legislation banning various forms of Islamic clothing, as well as in support of women’s right to dress as they deem appropriate, whatever
A Bronx Tale
Near the corner of Westchester Avenue and Pugsley Street in Parkchester, just off the elevated tracks of the No. 6 train, Yaakov Wayne Baumann stood outside a graffiti-covered storefront on a chilly Saturday morning. Suited up in a black overcoat with a matching wide-brimmed black fedora, the thickly bearded 42-year-old chatted with elderly congregants as
At 27, new imam represents a homegrown American Islam
By Tim Townsend ST. LOUIS – At just 27 years old, Asif Umar is the new imam of Daar-ul-Islam mosque, the largest mosque in the St. Louis area. The son of Indian immigrants is devoted to the city’s sports teams, marking the end of Ramadan with a St. Louis Blues hockey game. He also represents
Muslims Struggle to Find Suitable Candidate
By Ambreen Ali The presidential candidates of both parties are competing for cash and votes on every front, with one possible exception. Muslim Americans, particularly conservatives, say they feel slighted this election cycle. Rather than court Muslims, Republican candidates have been competing for the toughest stance on national security and openly discussing whether Muslims should
Rumi Khan: 12-Year-Old App Creator
There are now more than 500,000 iPhone apps, and one of them is the creation of Rumi Khan, a 12-year-old student at Newark Charter School. The Delaware Department of Education recently recognized Rumi’s efforts to create and distribute “Dare to be Square: The Adventure of the Red Square.” Rumi designed the game, wrote the code
Milestone at University of Michigan
Although the population of Muslim students is growing, there are only about 30 Muslim chaplains at colleges across the country. This semester, the University of Michigan became the first public university with an endowed position for a Muslim chaplain. “Muslims need to rely on somebody through times of hardship,” says Mohammed Tayssir Safi, who was
Separate ‘Shariah’ Law System
A new study based on interviews with more than 200 North American Muslims over four years concludes that a recent spate of state laws banning “sharia law” from the court system may be an overreaction to a non-existent threat. Oklahoma, Tennessee and Louisiana each passed laws or referendums to ban state judges from considering sharia
Three Biggest Biblical Misconceptions
By John Shelby Spong The Bible is both a reservoir of spiritual insight and a cultural icon to which lip service is still paid in the Western world. Yet when the Bible is talked about in public by both believers and critics, it becomes clear that misconceptions abound. To me, three misconceptions stand out and
Exhibition at British Museum
By Karen Armstrong Ever since the Crusades, when Christians from western Europe were fighting holy wars against Muslims in the near east, western people have often perceived Islam as a violent and intolerant faith – even though when this prejudice took root Islam had a better record of tolerance than Christianity. Recent terrorist atrocities have
