Muslim Women In History

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 8:00 PM

A cosmetics company has released a new line of permeable nail polish in line with Islamic religious restrictions, reported a website on Monday. 

Inglot Cosmetics mastered a nail polish that allows water vapor to pass through to the nail, effectively negating the need to remove the color before washing oneself pre-prayer, the India-based Deccan Chronicle said.

The new line called O2M will allow Muslim women the freedom to paint their nails as “ there is nothing intrinsically wrong with wearing nail polish,” explains Mulim professor Mustafa Umar, “the real issue us that the (traditional) substance forms an impermeable barrier over the nails preventing water from getting underneath.”

Muslim women are required to remove nail polish before prayers in order to properly observe the washing rituals beforehand.

Some have resorted to stick-on nail polish that can easily be removed and reapplied accordingly. 

The new line will solve these issues as it is made from a polymer used in some contact lenses, which allows oxygen and moisture to reach the nail itself.

Did you know that some of the greatest Islamic scholars such as Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Imam Ibn al-Jawzi, Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Imam al-Dhahabi, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali and many other great Imams and scholars had female teachers? Even though it is not widely known, thousands of female scholars have enriched the Islamic tradition through out history. Shaykha Fest is intended to honor the legacy of female Islamic scholarship and draw attention to contemporary female scholars. At Shaykha Fest we will embark on an exciting journey into the past and learn from contemporary female scholars, thinkers and activists from around the world in a nurturing, non-cultural and inclusive atmosphere. Shaykha Fest in essence is a celebration of life, love and sisterhood. Come and join with us so we can revive this tradition together.

Event Venue: Crownplaza Hotel, South Brunswick/Monroe, New Jersey.

Event Date: Sunday June 16, 2013

Event Duration: 9am to 7:30pm

Thanks to insaniyat for showing this to me!

Hip Hop Hijabis needs your help to meet their goal.

Donate &/Or spread the word!!

A feature documentary about ‘Poetic Pilgrimage’. Two Muslim converts promoting women’s rights through music. And finding their own voices on the way… 

We have lots of great footage but need your help to finish the film!

We receive all donations, regardless of whether we reach our target, and this will enable us to begin the editing process. The more edited material we have, the better our chances of success when applying for additional funding. If every visitor had donated £5 we would be way beyond our goal by now, so even small contributions really do count!

One problem with being a woman of colour is that many people think I need to be saved.

Saved from myself, either because I couldn’t possibly have the strength to fight the supposedly awful oppression I constantly live with; or because I’ve been brainwashed into being blind to that oppression.

Saved from all the men in my life who couldn’t possibly value me as a human being and who would never listen to what I had to say, even if I did manage to speak out from under the heavy weight of oppression.

Saved from my society, which is structured to keep me in my place and to deny me any ability to fulfil my dreams and ambitions.

Such are the narratives surrounding me. These narratives were formed without my consent, and without any consultation. Such narratives deny both my own agency and the work I do in my community.

Such narratives are used by those who want to take actions in the name of liberation. These were the narratives used to colonise India, the country of my birth. Atrocities against women were cited as a reason to wrest control of the country from “ignorant savages” (who incidentally had a history of civilisation well beyond that of their colonisers), and to bleed wealth from that country.

These narratives were used (among other things) to justify the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, resulting in the bombing and killing of thousands of innocent civilians, including the very women they purported to want to save. These are the narratives used by warmongers who are calling for the invasion of Iran.

I don’t deny that there are significant problems for women in these countries. There used to be the practice of suttee, or widow immolation, in India. In parts of Africa, there is female genital cutting. In northern Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan, it’s access to education. And there are many more issues besides, for women in all parts of the world.

I understand that people want to do what they can to stop these practices, to improve the lives of these women, because they care.

But if that caring leads to actions that worsen the lives of women, then what is it worth?

Read More

Sheila Musaji is the founder and editor of The American Muslim quarterly journal (1989–1995), the Muslim Resource Directory of America (1990,1992), and most recently The American Muslim online publication (since 2001)

I agree with Pipes on one statement in this article - “Western provocateurs and Islamist hotheads have found each other, as confrontations occur with increasing frequency.”  True enough, extremists on both sides are feeding off of each others hatred.

His analysis and solution to this problem, however, is irresponsible and beyond the pale.  The solution to escalating violence and hate speech is not more hate speech.  The solution to violence is not more violence.  Some extremist Muslims react violently to hate speech directed at Islam and the Prophet (and all Muslims are hurt and offended by such hate speech), so Pipes is encouraging a collective punishment of all Muslims by increasing the attacks on Islam and the Prophet.

As Nick Lowes of Hope Not Hate said “We are entering a very dangerous period where ‘Counter-Jihadists’ and Islamist extremists are feeding off each other’s extremism to justify their own activities.” 

Read More

October 6, 2012 — 7 AM To 1 PM

SisterSpeak’12 is a an interfaith event which aims to educate the public about the role and status of women in Islam and speak of ways to end domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women in our community. The Abraham Alliance and UGA Muslim Student Association are working in collaboration with the Baitul Salaam Network, Inc.-International, insh’Allah.

Facebook Link

Anti-American protests continued throughout the Muslim world today, sparked by a video that insults the Prophet Mohammad. Host Michel Martin looks at the heated debate about freedom of speech, Islam and American values with Dalia Mogahed of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and Dr. Zuhdi Jasser of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy.

Dalia Mogahed  is an American scholar of Egyptian origin. She is the Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, a non-partisan research center that provides data and analysis to reflect the views of Muslims all over the world. She was selected as an advisor by U.S. President Barack Obama on the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

About two weeks ago, my bulging eyes nearly met my falling jaw when I came across a flood of tweets in my feed about the Saudi Industrial Property Authority, “MODON,” building an all-woman city to boost the country’s economy and productivity all while ensuring that no one gets a hickey from the opposite sex in the process. I’m not going to lie or even attempt to hide the fact that I was extremely excited at this prospect; the possibility for the emergence of a matriarchal society challenging Saudi gender mores seemed a little too awesome for me to even consider this as what others deemed another brick in the gender apartheid wall. And, as per usual when it comes to anything about Muslim women’s bodies in cruel, cruel Muslim countries, the media went into an uproar about this story.

Then, however, my dreams of matriarchal bliss and womanly fortitude were dashed by what turned out to be – su-freakidy-prise – extremely poor and sensationalist journalism. As Al-Arabiya, a Saudi-based publication, would point out within days (August 15^th) of the story breaking and going viral: no one actually seemed to have read the press release being cited beyond the headline:

“The subhead of the press release, set in italics, reads: “Al-Ahsa 2nd Industrial City will create job opportunities for both men and women.”

Yes, both men and women.

The second paragraph clearly states that the city “is not intended for women only.”

MODON clarified the issue further on Tuesday.

“It’s a city like any other city, where men and women work. But special sections and production halls will be reserved for women within the factories,” the Authority told Al Arabiya English via Twitter.”

So, what the hell happened that seemingly led some of the top online media to rabidly become illiterate? Read on at Muslimah Media Watch