Voices

What it is like to grow up in Hezbollah culture

POST! This one’s a journey. Sit back. More from the ‘what it’s like to …’ series here, here, and here. ~*~ This is a story and critique of what it was like to be raised in Hezbollah culture. Let me start it at another place: I know a couple who …

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Gender

The bigger lies you’ve been told in denial of Muslim women’s oppression

  I’ve apparently come across this article a few months late. It’s a piece in which a white Western woman, Lauren Rankin, attempts to make the case that it is not Islam that contributes to misogyny and oppression of Muslim women. It is instead patriarchy, and characterizing Islam as a …

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GenderHuman Rights

The bigger lies you’ve been told in denial of Muslim women’s oppression

I’ve apparently come across this article a few months late. It’s a piece in which a white Western woman, Lauren Rankin, attempts to make the case that it is not Islam that contributes to misogyny and oppression of Muslim women. It is instead patriarchy, and characterizing Islam as a violent, …

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Gender

PART TWO: What it is like to be a Muslim woman

For Part One, see here. For more from the ‘what it is like to…’ series see here and here. A defense and rationale for the title ‘What it is like to be a Muslim woman’ can be found here. [Content Note: violence, abuse, abduction] Some nights, I wake up from dreams of …

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FreeThoughtReligion

Listen and judge: an interview on Islam, cultural pluralism, and the future of secularism

http://nothingismere.com/2013/10/28/listen-and-judge-an-interview-with-marwa-berro/ I’ve been meaning to write about the recent Washington DC meetup that I attended with members of the ex-Muslim and secular communities and Richard Dawkins. I’ve also wanted to write a little bit about the goals and struggles of the ex-Muslim cause, but unfortunately haven’t gotten around to either …

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FreeThoughtReligion

4 Mistakes You Make When You Talk About Islam

Hello folks! I want to start off by checking in and and telling you that I had an exciting weekend in Washington DC, where, along with some of my dear and brilliant fellow members in Muslimish and the Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA), I met with secular activists and leaders …

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Gender

How the Hijab Objectifies: Part One of the Hijab Series

This is the first in a three-part discussion about the hijab, suppression, and objectification. In this 1st post, I discuss the hijab as a defense against sexual objectification. In the 2nd post, I will discuss when, where, how, and whether women freely choose the hijab in the most radically agential …

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Ramadan

Why I miss Ramadan…

I miss Ramadan. Not the fasting and praying by any means, but the insanely warm and tingly atmosphere, the food and chattiness and thankfulness. It gets to you. Because the whole city is awake, and even the littlest of your cousins is up at 4am. You sit on chairs beneath …

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FreeThoughtHuman Rights

A call for mercy, because of what Muslims and ex-Muslims share

I wrote a blog post a couple of weeks ago. It was read by tens of thousands of human beings. This would be unnerving in and of itself, but the feedback I received is what really moved me.  It was so resounding that I am still shaking from the grace …

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Gender

What it is like to be a Muslim woman

…and why we know what freedom is. For Part Two of this, see here. For a defense and rationale of the title ‘What it is like to be a Muslim woman’, see here. For more from the ‘what it is like to…’ series see here and here. ~.~ I have keys. …

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