Archive for the ‘Society’ category

In Solidarity with Trayvon Martin

Imam Suhaib wears a hoodie in solidarity with Trayvon Martin and gives a friday sermon (khutbah) about racism, civil rights, and the lessons we can learn from the unjust murder of Trayvon Martin.

The Crow Looking In

By Ahmed Zaafran There appears to be a growing trend amongst Muslims today where knowledge is used as a proverbial club that beats down anyone who differs with their line of thinking. Discussions regarding Islamic thought that were once considered sacred and adorned with manners (adab) between scholars, are now left to the internet blogs [...]

Better Opportunities for China’s Farmers

WebbStaff Note: This is part of a series of posts entitled “Muslims Making a Difference,” featuring Muslims benefiting society at different levels. To nominate someone to be profiled, please email their name, contact info and bio to: submissions[at]suhaibwebb[dot]com. By Nada Shawish Muslims Making a Difference: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII Xiyang Village, China—Sha Ximei feeds her [...]

Liberating Minds

We know that prejudice exists in every society; it’s a sickness we encounter transnationally. Unfortunately, despite explicit texts in Islam disregarding race and valuing only the state of our hearts and actions, this disease extends into some Muslim communities. We know some Muslims are even racially biased towards other Muslims. We hear about parents who [...]

Can Muslims be good Americans?

In this video, Imam Suhaib Webb answers the question, “Can Muslims be good Americans?”

Hudaybiya: Islam’s Victory by Nonviolent Resistance

By Adnan Majid Which one event does the Qur’an describe as the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ (peace be upon him) “manifest victory”? The Muslim conquest of the entire Arabian Peninsula, Jerusalem, and beyond The Prophet’s ﷺ re-entry into Mecca and the destruction of the pagan idols in the temple of Abraham1`alayhi assalaam (peace be upon him) [...]

Finding My Syrian-American Identity

By Hajar Abdul-Rahim My father always said, “You don’t understand the price of freedom.” But I do know and understand the price of being robbed of my right to grow up around grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I know the price of growing up nation-less; the price of having no national identity; the cost of not [...]

Hamza and the Lion of Allah

By Aber Kawas There have been pictures and videos circulating for these past few nights of a boy whose face had been cut off in the unrelenting onslaught of Syrian violence. The despairing images of his jawless grimace, dripping with blood and his eyes full of pain have brought awareness, disgust, and outrage against the [...]

Arabism vs. Universal Islam

Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX There is a big misunderstanding amongst much of our immigrant community here in the West. Sadly, this misunderstanding has been passed on to other Muslims and non-Muslims here, thus making it an accepted reality. This series—specifically this article—attempts [...]

Eating Out Healthier

By Rubina Ali Let’s start with a few tips to remember when eating out: Do your research. The smartest way to eat healthy is to go online and look up the nutrition information for restaurants you frequent most. Almost all restaurants will have a nutrition guide on their website and the ones that don’t can [...]

How Watching Pornography Changes The Brain

By Mohamed Ghilan, UVic Neuroscience It is now recognized in neuroscience that the brain is malleable. It changes with our experience and forms pathways and connections that correlate with what we watch, listen to, and learn. From the active engagement in a philosophical discussion in class to the learning of directions in the new city [...]

The Prophet’s Patience with Guidance

We now live a global village; whether on the internet, in one’s own country, or by traveling, people of all different backgrounds are meeting and interacting in a variety of venues. This is a crucial thing for Muslims as it gives us the opportunity to, and indeed also tests us by, representing Islam and calling [...]

Bosnia – Be Part of the MADE Journey

WebbStaff Note: This is part of a series of posts entitled “Muslims Making a Difference,” featuring Muslims benefiting society at different levels. To nominate someone to be profiled, please email their name, contact info and bio to: submissions[at]suhaibwebb[dot]com. Muslims Making a Difference: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII By Sarah Javaid In June 2011, UK-based Muslim organisation MADE [...]

What We Can Learn from Aisha Khan

by Huma Ahmad (jannah.org)  For the last two weeks, Muslims on the internet have been enthralled by a real-life drama playing out before their eyes. On Friday, December 16th, Aisha Khan, a 19-year-old Muslim woman from Kansas City, disappeared. According to media reports, she left voicemails with her family two hours before a final exam, [...]

The Missing Ingredients: Compassion and Gentleness

I was attending the Friday prayer at a certain mosque once. In the back corner, I noticed two teenage girls sitting side by side, whispering and giggling throughout most of the khutbah (sermon). It was slightly distracting, but nobody made a fuss about it—except one older woman who was eyeing them with anger the entire [...]

A Litmus Test for the All-American Muslim Community

By Imraan Siddiqi Talk to anyone in the Muslim-American community, and they are bound to give you a different take on TLC’s new, and now controversial show “All-American Muslim.”  Some say that the show hits the nail right on the head in its portrayal of the entire spectrum of Muslims – from ultra-liberal, to moderate [...]

Boston Globe: With a New Imam, a New Outlook

By Omar Sacirbey | Boston Globe December 3rd, 2011 He grew up as a preacher’s grandson in Oklahoma, attending Church of Christ services twice a week, until the pull of Christianity started to weaken. His teen years were spent spinning hip-hop music as a DJ, but that world came to feel hollow. Then he found [...]

One Jewish Woman’s Fight for Palestine

For Jennifer Loewenstein, April 19, 2002 was a “waking nightmare”. She stood silent at the edge of the camp, in disbelief—and horror. Listening to the sound of wailing, she watched as medical workers lay out the bodies of the dead. The corpses, wrapped in white, were loaded onto the back of a pick-up truck. “I [...]

Should Islam Seem Foreign in a Non-Muslim Society?

Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI |  Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX Some devoted Muslims might answer this question by saying yes because that’s what the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) taught! It is authentically narrated that our beloved Prophet ﷺ said: “.إن الإسلام بدأ غريبا، وسيعود غريبا كما بدأ، [...]

Tensions at Cultural Crossroads

by Ali Shareef As the year 2011 passes its halfway mark, perhaps it is time to reflect on the events of the past 2 years.  Specifically, events that exposed a festering tension between two segments of the American population: Muslims and the rest of the U.S. citizenship. The year 2010 witnessed the hotly debated issue [...]