Femaid report on Afghanistan and Pakistan, March-April 2005



Children in the notorious Jalozai refugee camp (Carol Mann) By Carol Mann This report was started in an antique Tupolev flying from Kabul to Baku, crossing the rugged mountain landscape so typical of Afghanistan as I was emerging from...

Not without my Maybelline- the advent of Imama Nakia



By Nakia Jackson After attending and speaking at an event at Brandeis University featuring Asra Nomani talking about her latest, Standing Alone in Mecca, the conversation turned to continuing the efforts that had begun on March 18th with Dr....

A Response to Yasmin Mogahed: Servant of God or Servant of Power?



Photograph by Leila Montour, T-shirt design by Hijabman By Ginan Rauf Yasmin Mogahed’s article A Woman’s Reflection on Leading Prayer is a thinly disguised assault on women’s equality and a blatant misrepresentation of Western Feminism. In her article Ms....

Hosay: Caribbean Cultural Expression of a Shi’ite Heritage



"Hosay" Watercolor by Victoria Trestrail By Asad Rizvi Shi’ite Islam, like many religions, has taken on distinctly indigenous forms in the different lands that it has spread. The practices of “popular Shiism” are where the differences are most pronounced....

The Cunning of Con-sensus



By Hussein Ibish In a recent web article called "Islam's Encounter with American Culture: Making Sense of the Progressive Muslim Agenda" Louay M. Safi accuses the Progressive Muslim Union (PMU) of "progressive excesses and provocations" and of "lashing out,"...

Let God be the Judge



Bariza Umar In August 2002 the US and Pakistan began allowing dual citizenship. I was thrilled. I had been born in the US to Pakistani parents, but moved to Pakistan when I was seven. Having lived in Pakistan since...

Decision



Painting by Stephanie Erdel By Fatima Husain If you were a devout Muslim When faced with a dilemma You could pray for Istikhara And sleep over your decision -- In the morning light all would be clearer. If you...

Happy Birthday, My Beloved



Most Honorable and Noble Emissary of God, May the Lord's Peace, Mercy, and Blessings be upon you for all of eternity. Most Noble Messenger, yesterday we marked the anniversary of your birth. I do not remember learning about you commemorating...

The "Baghdad Blogger" Makes An Unsteady Leap To Film



By Zahir Janmohamed Midway through the movie "Baghdad Blogger," Salam Pax records a video journal entry from his hotel in Kerbala, Iraq just hours after a lethal suicide bomb attack killing 143 in the holy shrine of Imam Husain. Pax...

No One Owns Islam



In past Muslim societies distinct from those existing today, advocates of any single interpretation could not successfully claim exclusive ownership of Islam. There were dissenting majorities who were able to withhold recognition from such claimants. This produced a balance of ownership between alternative interpretations of Islam.

The Woman-led Prayer: Views from Europe



By Amine Tais A month after the historical woman-led prayer in New York, the reactions are still pouring from all over the Muslim world. In this article, I want to highlight the opinions of two North-African Muslim intellectuals residing in...

The ‘Non-Debate’ in the Muslim World: Revisiting the Ethics of Difference in Islam. (part 1)



By Farish A. Noor and Dyala Hamzah “What many Muslims forget is that positive social solutions are offered by societies, and change cannot come about unless these ideas are realised through debate and social interaction. What is required here is...

Pope John Paul II: A "prophet" of our times



By Hesham Hassaballa On April 2, 2005, Pope John Paul II, born Karol Josef Wojtyla, died after succumbing to complications of a years-long battle with Parkinson's Disease. His death and funeral was perhaps one of the largest media events in...

An Inner Place of Healing: Combining Focusing and Sufism



Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan By Patricia Omidian In Afghanistan last year, Sharifa (her name is changed to protect her identity), a woman I know, went into the hospital for the delivery of her first child. She is an educated woman, unlike...

How I lost my Religion in the Holy Lands



Elen Ghulam My husband told me a funny story that happened to his friend the hydrologist; let’s call him Jim (not his real name). Jim and another person were doing research on a certain river in BC. The river...

Wedad’s Cavalry



Ahmed put the Sex and the Ummah section in a chastity belt. He then took off for Dubai and forgot to give me the keys. He probably did it to guard against the perverts of the Ox Brigade. Meanwhile Mohja...

Of God, love, and Sheryl Crow



By Hesham Hassaballa Sheryl Crow sings a song entitled, "Light In Your Eyes," and I recently downloaded (legally, thank you very much) the song and burned it on a CD. I absolutely love it. I have lost count the number...

What is Progressive Islam?



The whole Safi clan, in Tehran restaurant, in Montreal. From the left: Roya, Baba, Jacob, Amir, and Holly By Omid Safi The various understandings of Islam which fall under the rubric of ‘progressive’ are both continuations of, and radical...

Socks 2. Methodology Boogaloo



"Socks" by Valerie Neufeld. Ink and colour pencil on paper By Jawad Ali A holy prophet stepped outside He was wearing mismatched socks He came upon a kitty cat Crouching behind the rocks “Aw, just look at you, you...

Silence



By Mirza A. Beg A decent person, I am. Regrets perhaps a few. I love my family, help my neighbors, support my country, even for wars of hubris, in my name. No protest from me, only silence....

The Sweetness of (Written) Intercourse: MWU’s ‘Sex and the Umma’ Column and the Search for Modern Muslim Erotic Expression



Graphic by Saadi Al Kaabi (Iraq) By Mohja Kahf Sex column a Ramadan revelation: The idea for a sex column on MWU! came out of a meditation on the rigors of Ramadan by a fasting Muslim. There was a...

"Please, doctor, save her."



My decision has been made: if my condition is such that there is no hope for my meaningful recovery, then STOP EVERYTHING! No antibiotics, no feeding tubes, no ventilators, no dialysis, no intravenous fluids, no CPR, no shocks, no vasopressors. Please, let me die and return to my Gracious and Precious Lord. I only pray that I am ready to meet Him then, that my sins have been forgiven before my demise, so that I don't get punished for them after death.