There is a need for female Muslim superheroes who actually deal with the real-life issues we face instead of fictional supervillains; because let’s face it, half of the things Muslim women have to deal with feel like they’ve been concocted by supervillains. February 10, 2015
According to tribal codes, the penalty for fleeing one’s home without a male escort could be death; running from a marriage—especially taking one’s children with her—could result in an honor killing. March 10, 2015
Men are not the road blocks, men are not our enemies. But the real threat for women are other women. April 9, 2015
I wonder what you see when you pass a lady wearing a hijab in the street? Or when you see a plainly dressed Asian woman trying to manage a number of children as her husband strolls ahead? Some see these women as doormats, submissive and uneducated; others pity them; some even fear them. May 14, 2015
Honor violence sheds light on the larger issues of gender inequality, and lack of free choice for women in some of these communities. Women themselves—not families and tribes—should own their bodies. June 10, 2015
Once a man repeats the phrase talak three times, divorce can then be granted. The process can be much more complicated when it is the woman seeking to initiate legal and final separation. July 8, 2015
While men could meet in the streets, mosques, or dimly lit hookah bars where their most intimate and personal conversations could be drowned out by the din of televisions broadcasting football games or the news, nowhere was it especially acceptable, safe, or comfortable for women to congregate in public. August 18, 2015
Placing hope in my generation of women is a way of validating my own powerful existence. It is necessary for survival. How could I dare to hope for a better future if I fail to believe in the potential of others like myself? September 9, 2015
Without the intense focus of surviving each day, my mind was flailing, seeking out enemies, wrongfully perceiving everything as a threat because that was what it was used to. October 13, 2015
As a first-generation Pakistani American, I wonder whether the collective cultural identity forged by honor societies plays a role in the growing extremism among young Muslim men and women in the West. November 12, 2015
In countries where acid attacks are more common, these violent acts are committed on a daily basis. As many as thousands of women are reportedly attacked each year; the actual number of these cases may even be double, since many go unreported. December 17, 2015
In conflict zones men are celebrated, decorated, and revered for their heroism; women and children are often just referred to as the bystanders of the discord. Yet, the first and the last victims of war are always the women and the children. Due to this, they are also the torchbearers of change and progress. February 16, 2016