muslim roundup

The kids are in bed, the Hubby is away on travel and I have a bowl full of popcorn and a bag of chocolate at my fingertips. Yes, you read that right — an entire BAG of chocolate. This can only mean one thing: it’s time for a Muslim roundup!

It’s a super badass muslimah version of the roundup this week. We’ve got real superheroes, rockin’ muslimahs, some motherhood badassery, and of course, hijab.

Enjoy!

Ilwad and Iman Elman, inside the Elman Peace Centre. Photo credit: Michelle Shephard, Toronto Star.

1) Real life superheroes live among us.

With hijab fatigues blazing, Canadians Ilwad and Iman Elwad are helping rebuild Mogadishu, Somalia by taking on gender violence and the militant group Al-Shabab. No small feat for these two amazing sisters!

According to the Toronto Star, about three years ago, Ilwad and her sister left Canada to join their mother in promoting women’s rights and to help run the Elman Peace Centre, a rape crisis shelter.

Iman joined the military and is now Commander for a battalion of 90 men. And while the capital is no longer a war zone, she continues to fight and lead security operations outside the city. Remarking on this success, she humbly explains:

“Being raised in Canada, I was taught you’re no different from any guy, you’re equal, you’re the same,” she says. “When I went into the military they said, ‘You can’t do that, it’s not your job.’ I wanted to break some of the stereotypes here.”

These two sisters are so beyond badass that someone better help me come up with a word that means more badass than badass.

It also seems that superhero powers run in the family. Before his tragic murder, their father was a well-known peace activist, cared for orphans and ran community programs. And their fabulous mother, Fartuun Adan, recently received an International Women of Courage Award from the U.S. Department of State for her humanitarian work.

They’re already saving the world, so the only thing I can say is that I’m keeping you ladies in my dua’as. Well done and keep up the good fight.

Random Stars rockin’ out.

2) No bad veil puns. No subtle allusions to women unchaining the shackles of oppression. Just five women from the United Arab Emirates rockin’ out to Deep Purple. The FIRST band of fantastically fierce Emirati women to belt out heavy metal chords on their electric guitars.

All thanks to Ms Small.

Brought together by their English teacher, these students from the Higher Colleges of Technology at Al Ain, had little to no experience with drums, bass or guitars — but now according to The National, they “perform at a variety of college events such as graduation ceremonies and National Day celebrations.”

Lead guitarist Hamda Al Ghaithi played piano and guitar for two years before hearing about the band:

“I met Ms Small and she told me about how the girls wanted to play and make a band. At first I didn’t like rock because I was studying classical guitar, but I prefer rock guitar now. I hope after I finish studying here that I will study music and play classical piano.”

Smoke on the water baby. Just wait until you all really get into Classic Rock. Ladies, you got to get yourselves on YouTube!

3) A word to the wise, don’t mess with mothers defending their right to motherhood:

PressTV covered a recent protest by civil rights groups and families calling for the religious freedom of Muslim women and their civil liberty to pick up their children from school.

Mothers in headscarves are facing new discrimination at some schools who now object to seeing headscarves in the playground before and after school — claiming that the hijab’s “outward sign of religious practice go against the French law of religious neutrality in state-run institutions.”

*blank stare*

I don’t really need to get into how ridiculous this is, do I?

Try this: stand in-between a mother bear and her cub. Tell the mother bear that she can’t have her child until she looks more human. Pick up a pair of shears. Attempt to shave the bear and liberate her from her fur. Watch what happens.

4) Every little girl named Faiza just had her mind blown.

This is going viral right now just about everywhere, but if you haven’t heard the fantabulous news, Faiza Hussain, British Pakistani doctor by day, Excalibur by night has just been dubbed, Captain Britain.

A little backstory, Brian Baddock (the current Captain Britain) is teaming up with Captain Marvel (Avengers) on a kind of suicide mission against the evil Ultron (in “The Age of Ultron” storyline). Before leaving, he needs Faiza to keep MI-13 running. He needs “Captain Britain” to survive. For hope. For humanity.

A mainstream comic, Muslim, hijabi superhero people! What’s not to love?

This awe inspiring character wields the Arthurian sword Excalibur and can disassemble and reassemble people at the subatomic level. She’s also a healer by nature and a massive superhero fan girl  – so you know she’ll keep to her roots.

OMG MARVEL! DISNEY! DO AN AVENGERS CROSS-OVER MOVIE! I know you’re planning a Captain Marvel movie sometime in the future. Maybe we can hope for an on-screen Muslim woman superhero before 2025.

Me rockin’ a turban twist inspired by babylailalov.

5) Finally, what DOES it mean to be a modern Muslim woman?

Well, according to the Daily Beast’s great piece on The Rise of Hijab Fashion Bloggers, the modern Muslim woman is “eclectic” and “creative” — bending the visuality of hijab with a blend of “vintage finds, lavish jewellery, Japanese-inspired silhouettes, high-end British sophistication and urban edge.”

The media may portray Muslim females as shrouded in black head-to-toe robes, feeding the stereotypical idea that modernism—not to mention fashion—and Islam cannot mix. But, as this crop of popular fashion blogs shows, wearing a hijab can mean a great number of things to a variety of women.

Well, yes. But point of information: Not all modern Muslim women wear hijab. And some modern Muslim women are shrouded in black head-to-toe robes. And they all have the potential to be eclectic, fashionable and creative.

Oh, but I do love watching hijab tutorials. Honestly, they’re awesome. From make-up to hijab pins — YouTube stars branching off into their own fashion lines and doing what inspires them. Kick-ass.

Here’s my current favourite style. Just in time for summer:

 

weekend update

Well, after a whirlwind tour of South East England, we’re back in Canada. It’s definitely a bittersweet return home. While I’m glad this means more time to write, see friends and celebrate life with family — we really had a lovely time in Reading and met some truly wonderful people.

Plus, we saw the freakin’ Queen.

No really, you can just about see her hat. It was a very nice hat.

Be still my colonial heart. It was thrilling and I saw her smile for two seconds. It was warm and friendly and made her look better than she does on television.

I was actually a little surprised at how much excitement the pomp and circumstance generated, and how easily I got caught up in all the hoopla. It’s not like seeing the Queen was a life long dream — but everyone was just so happy to catch a glimpse of royalty, that it was easy to join in the fun. 

So I acted appropriately and ran around with the babies, taking snaps with Police Constables, Marines and even the Town Crier. Kids make a great excuse to get nice and close to a fancy uniform.

I’m actually going to miss these birds and their rousing 3am moonlit trysts.

For Ivy’s birthday we went to Peppa Pig World and I think I had more fun than the kids — welling up the second we entered the park. There I was practically sobbing in the middle of screaming kids, pink piggy rides, and inane theme music. I think it was just the idea that my children were about to have mind blasting fun that set me off — somehow connecting to my own fun moments of childhood in one huge surge.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see the biggest assembly of Muslim families outside of Jummah — all coming together to enjoy a cartoon family of pigs.

Eryn watching closely and praying with one of her adopted Jummah “aunties.”

I will miss Fridays in Reading. Each one started with an hour of fun crafts and rhymes at the Museum of English Rural Life, and then Jummah at the Reading University Muslim Society. That’s where a seriously amazing group of women took care of my babies for over an hour every week. I can’t express how welcoming they were, how important it was for me to connect to other people — and to have Eryn and Ivy look forward to Friday prayers just to meet up with their “aunties.” It’s really a brilliant, little community.

Running to say “bye” to the ducks.

Over the last few days I’ve waxed nostalgic — experiencing the sights and sounds of Reading “for the last time,” collecting treasured memories of one of my new favourite cities. Walking the river Thames at night is simply amazing. Every library and museum has something amazing to offer to engage kids — and usually for free. Forbury Park is a treasure trove of green space and Palmer’s Park has the best playgrounds. Cornwall Pasties are delicious, but stay clear of the tomato-basil and cheese — it gave me a horrific (HORRIFIC) bout of food poisoning. Don’t miss out on the halal chicken at Rooster’s or the full halal menu at the Subway on Oxford Road. Skip the South Asian restaurant, Chennai Dosa, and instead go to the buffet Spice Oven for great halal Indian food.

Visiting Reading also gave me a unique opportunity to meet with a reader from South Africa and we spent a lovely afternoon talking like old friends, making grandiose plans to take on patriarchy, reclaim women’s spaces in the mosque, smash misogyny and take silly pictures of each other in the middle of a train station.

And in case you ever need to know, the BEST scones and tea can be found at The Rose tea room in Oxford.

It’s amazing how much you can get done in a day when you’re up 3 hours before the sun.

So now we’re home, slightly jet-lagged and missing the quaint 19th Century styled parks, cobble stone roads and red brick houses, romantic waterways, sleepy and colourful canal boats, and people saying “cheers” when I thank them for helping me with the girls.

I imagine things will be back to our “normal” shortly — even though Eryn now forces me to put on a fake British accent while role playing.

 

weekend update

I love travelling with my kids on long flights. Seriously. No joke. But it’s only because we’re THAT family. You know, the family who opts to take the red eye and drags crying and screaming children onto an 11pm flight.

I can’t tell you how much eye rolling I’ve seen as we’ve come aboard with Eryn freaking out that her headphones don’t fit her ears, and Ivy gasping with her signature piercing, over-stimulated, dear-God-I’m-so-tired-would-someone-PLEASE-help-me-fall-asleep shrieks. But it’s okay. And eventually, everyone knows it’s okay. Because alhamdulillah, the moment the plane moves they’re both asleep. For seven hours straight (thus far!!).

And I am so very thankful for that.

Our mode of transport was MUCH bigger on the inside.

We’re about 30 minutes outside London in a very picturesque and compact city. Everything is in walking distance — and while I was resolved to conquer my fear of public busses, it looks like I may not need to ever take one (I’m fine with subways and trains, but not busses — there’s too much pressure and anxiety to know exactly when to get off, and I’m always worried about inconveniencing others with the stroller. It’s a serious fear. Though oddly, it only applies to busses in other cities. It’s my main mode of transport back home).

But I truly love walking — there’s something comforting in trusting that my feet will always take me home, even if I get properly lost along the way.

We found these boats after getting properly lost exploring the city.

Yesterday, Eryn and Ivy fed some ducks and geese at the river. Then we watched a swan build her nest. And spoke to the man dragging the river for scrap metal. And waved to a boatman and his dog. Then we went home for tea.

Jammie Dodgers to the rescue!

As a Whovian I’m totally, blissfully overwhelmed and excited about all of the Doctor Who cultural cues woven into the fabric of time and space here. Doctor Who posters, billboards, merchandise, and clothing are everywhere — from the supermarket to the vending machines. Matt Smith (who plays the current Doctor) was even filming part of the 50th Anniversary special at Trafalgar Square while we landed at the airport. That’s almost as exciting as having John Barrowman smile at me.

Today was owl crafts.

To make sure the girls keep busy during the week, I have a month-long list of every story time, rhyme time, and craft time at every library and museum in the city. There’s not much to say about that, except that Eryn really gets into her craft. And after making a few new friends, she’s started calling elevators “lifts,” popsicles “ice lollies,” and chips “crisps.”

The Abu Bakr Mosque looking lovely under construction.

As today was Jummah we decided to go to one of the local mosques (not the one pictured above). It was the worst place I’ve never prayed at.

We walked in, unloaded the kids, took off our shoes, and climbed the stairs to the women’s section, only to find that the door was barred with construction materials. The men’s section looked even worse. I asked if there was a place for women to pray and was told, “no” even though there were signs pointing to the upstairs prayer place and notices for a sisters’ halaqa. It was only later that I learned that the mosque was recently shut down for health and safety reasons due to asbestos. They’re now renovating.

While this is probably the best sincere excuse EVER, I still would have appreciated knowing that there is no space for women (yet) — especially since the website makes it clear the mosque is now operational. No matter. There are plenty more mosques to see and I’ll try to catch each one.

Tomorrow we’re off to see the Queen at Windsor Castle!

 

muslim roundup

The weekend is almost over, but here it is — a new roundup for your reading pleasure. It’s the activism edition of the roundup and we’ve got bad boob puns, Elvis seekers, atheist allies, promoting the importance of special needs inclusion and a rockin’ hijabi singer.

We’re travelling tomorrow to the UK, so lots of du’a from me to you.

Enjoy!

1) NIPPLEGATE.

That’s when media sources insist on covering (har har) naked protests by erasing those two, tiny protrusions of mammary papilla found on breasts, and leading with headlines that include the words, “NAKED!” “BOOBS!” “JIHAAAAAD!” and “NOT SAFE FOR WORK!”

Lower your gaze folks, you’re in for a real TEAT.

A “safe for work” photo.

This week the “sextremist” group FEMEN declared a Topless Jihad Day in solidarity with one of their Tunisian members. Almost two weeks ago, FEMEN activist Amina Tyler created a storm of controversy after posting nude pictures of herself on Facebook with the words “My body belongs to me and is not the source of anyone’s honor” written in Arabic across her body. Soon afterward, a cleric and head of the Tunisian Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice publicly threatened her with death by stoning, and she disappeared from the public eye.

So FEMEN and their allies responded by holding an international day of action in support of Amina — by protesting topless in front of mosques and Tunisian embassies across Europe (and parts of Canada, the States, South America too). According to their Facebook page:

This day will mark the beginning of a new, genuine Arab Spring, after which true freedom, freedom without mullahs and caliphs, will come to Tunisia! Long live the topless jihad against infidels! Our tits are deadlier than your stones!

The support was overwhelming, and there are now hundreds of photos of breasts, thousands of comments, and a few penises (wait, what?!) uploaded to Facebook calling for the end of women’s oppression. Slogans and comments include such gems as, “Pakistan Take off Your Clothes!” “Muslim Women Let’s Get Naked!” and “Bare Breasts Against Islamism!”

A counter-protest, in the form of Muslimah Pride Day, was also organized by Muslim women and their allies. Muslim Women Against FEMEN asked women to post photos of themselves in hijab, niqab or no head covering to:

…show people that we have a voice too, that we come in many different shapes and sizes that we object to the way we are depicted in the west, we object to the way we are lumped in to one homogenous group without a voice of agency of our own.

Likewise, there are now hundreds of photos of hijabs, thousands of comments, and a few niqabs calling for the end of women’s oppression. Slogans and comments include such gems as, “Nudity DOES NOT Liberate Me!” “Hijab is my right!” and “A Women Modestly Dressed is as a Pearl in its Shell.”

(A few posts focus on the right way to hijab, hijab tutorials, and anti-West memes — so a moderator stepped in to remind people that the group’s intention was not to convert the world to Islam, justify hijab or criticize the West — but to tell FEMEN to stop telling Muslim women what to wear.)

The absolutely brilliant Sara Yasin sums up the day with this tweet.

Media coverage of course has been all about teh BOOBZ and the Muslim reaction to teh BOOBZ — and not so much about the “true freedom” FEMEN wants to bestow upon Muslim women, and even less about highlighting the specific issues of oppression Amina stood up to in the first place.

Jezebel has a fantastic piece covering how FEMEN’s protests were distressingly Islamophobic in the fantastically titled, Muslim Women Shockingly Not Grateful for Topless European Ladies Trying To ‘Save’ Them. Current responses to the day include brilliant criticisms of FEMEN’s neocolonial feminism, the problem of “white feminism” and the suppression of native voices, and how nudity does not necessarily challenge patriarchy. Al-Jazeera has their own roundup if you want to follow how each TITILLATING moment unfolded.

And the HuffPo has FEMEN’s reaction to the counter-protest (Muslim women say they don’t need liberating, but their eyes say “help me”), and Muslim Women Against Femen’s reaction to this reaction (well that’s a load of “colonial feminist rhetoric”).

You know in all of this discussion and agenda posturing on Muslim women’s bodies, I realized that I too bear my breasts every day in an ongoing jihad. But breastfeeding just isn’t sexy enough. Certainly not for Facebook — who publishes FEMEN’s photoshopped, nippleless boobs, but deletes photos when nipples are obscuresd by hungry babies. For shame Facebook. For shame.

(ps, Amina is allegedly safe, according to a lawyer claiming to represent her. And has been with family at home since last Monday. Also, allegedly in this video, she’s no so fond of people using her name in the protests and says that the struggle is about standing up to fundamentalism and not Muslims. FEMEN has responded to this on Facebook by saying “no comment.”)

2) If you haven’t gotten enough of the whole “ZOMG-MUSLIMS-may-or-may-not-be-offended-by-teh-BOOBZ” media sensationalism, the Guardian has a piece on *cue dramatic music* Muslims who live in Vegas!

Stuck in-between a desert land vaguely resembling any number of stereotypical places in the “Islamic world” and an immodest, gluttonous, promiscuous “hell” (all their words, not mine) lies Masjid-e-Tawheed — one of four mosques in the city that never sleeps.

Built on a fascinating interview with the mosque’s charismatic founder, Ahmadullah Rokai Yusufzai, aka “Rocky” — the article paints a colourful picture of Muslim life that includes people gambling away their paychecks, women being tempted to sell their bodies for fast money, the challenges of being Muslim in “sin city” and positively highlighting those trying to eke out a halal living, without judging those who don’t:

Take the time when Yusufzai ended up towing a trailer up and down the Strip, advertising an adult-entertainment club. “I was towing this with licence plates that read Allahu Akbar, listening to the Qur’an, and yet I’m hauling this thing and praying to God to forgive me and to understand I’m just trying to put some halal food on my table without being dishonest and making ‘easy money’, as it’s called in Vegas. I still didn’t feel comfortable. It was halal money I was making, but I had to hand back the trailer. It just wasn’t right.”

Viva Las Vegas Akbar!

I love Vegas. We had a blast doing lots of halal things on the Strip — like playing Elvis Bingo, relaxing at Oxygen Bars, taking in shows, and hanging out at the Masjid as-Sabur. A seriously chill and welcoming community masha’Allah.

3) The very awesome Chris Stedman responds to recent controversial anti-Islamic bus advertisements in San Francisco in his piece, Stop trying to split gays and Muslims. Paid for by Pamela Geller’s American Freedom Defence Initiative, this round of ads quotes anti-gay rhetoric from Muslim leaders, presumably in a bid to create a wedge between the LGTB community and Muslims.

Chris includes details of his investigation into the ads, his Twitter fight with Ms. Geller and her followers, and quotes from key anti-discrimination activists to argue that Ms. Geller “is posing as [an LGTB ally] because it’s convenient to her [anti-Muslim] agenda” and that the ads “provide a misguided view of the current Muslim position on queer rights issues.”

And argues that:

…to rally against Muslims and Islam as if they and it are some monolithic bloc is counterproductive; it creates enemies where we need allies. There are many Muslims who oppose cruelty and violence done in the name of Islam and favor equality for all people, and they are positioned to create change. We should be working with them, not standing against all of Islam.

Oooh! I just want to squish him!

Also, go check out the fantastic Gay Muslims — the Elephants in the (prayer) Room on Suhaib Webb.

4) When was the last time your local community held an awareness event for Muslim families with special needs? How many promote accessibility in the mosque, have children’s events geared toward total inclusion, or have a support and counselling network specifically designed for Muslim families with disabilities?

Theses are some of the questions asked by Dilshad Ali in her fabulous post, The Failure of the American Muslim Community to Help Those with Special Needs. She shares a part of her family’s struggles with Autism — highlighting the seeming dearth of support in many communities, and in some cases, even acknowledgement by others in the community.

For a community well versed in fighting against Islamophobia, in running sophisticated campaigns to combat NYPD surveillance of Muslims or to reclaim the meaning of the word “Jihad,” engaging in social and political activism, hotly debating topics like homosexuality in Islam, equality in marriage, providing better space for women in our mosques, even whether “breathable” nail polish really is wudu-friendly – what are we doing for our Muslim families dealing with special needs?

She doesn’t only offer criticisms — but also praises the American communities and networks working toward raising awareness and who are taking action. Such as the Special Needs Eid Celebration organized by the Muslim American Society — who for the past three years have been creating special memories for these families, and as Dilshad reflects through tears, “Our families were included, accepted, celebrated – such a rare feeling.”

It’s a must read!

5) Finally, check out Iranian singer Ermia, who just won the Iranian version of X-Factor, Googosh Academy. She rocks out in hijab which has gotten a few people upset.

But she rocks! In hijab! And SHE WON!! Mabrook my dear!

 

monday moments and some housekeeping

My apologies for the lack of posts over the past two weeks (goodness that’s a long time)! Life is busy and things are about to get busier. Let me first tell you that posting regularly will start NOW. I have a bunch of posts ready to come out this week and an exciting giveaway to boot!

Secondly, apologies for any confusion this past weekend. Thanks to a wordpress curiosity, a really old post went out as new to my subscribers. Let me assure you that I’m insha’Allah not pregnant again — but thank you so much for all the messages and comments.

Finally, a little bit of exciting news: we’re hopefully, if everything aligns correctly, plans pan out, will probably, most-likely, fingers-crossed, insha’Allah moving across the Pond for a bit. In other words, we’re taking a work opportunity to live in the UK for a month or more. *squeal!*

So what have we been up to the past two weeks?

Dance, puppets! DANCE!

When not teething, going to engagement parties, visiting new babies, seeing old friends, looking for pre-schools, or making Easter crafts, we’ve been doing laundry. I don’t know why, but there seems to be a lot more of it these days. Maybe I’m gearing up for a spring cleaning.

I’ve been trying to lose the last of the pregnancies weight, so Ivy and I make a lot of trips to a nearby gym where she runs around while I watch her. If I’m lucky, I can get 20 minutes of cardio before sucking on a lime just doesn’t cut it for her anymore, and we have to do something more fun for her (yes, she joyfully sucks on limes). Which is fine by me. Really.

She’s going to start walking tomorrow, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be running after her before long.

Great grandmother c.1945 somewhere on the plains of Saskatchewan.

News of a distant relative from a lost branch of the family tree came my way so I decided to look through some our old photos for nostalgia’s sake. I’ve previously written about my family connection to Beirut and love going through the physical reminders of my ancestry. There’s something almost spiritual about holding an old photo, feeling the delicate cardboard frame disintegrate ever so slightly at the touch of a finger, and then instagramming it for future reference.

Plus, you gotta love her smile.

We come for the books and stay for the toys.

It’s still not warm enough to take the kids to the park. Well, not really — but they’ve been sick, and I’m kind of old fashioned about taking sick kids outdoors when it’s not above 14 degrees Celsius. So instead, I take them to where all the other parents take their snotting, coughing, sneezing children: The Library.

It’s probably why they keep getting sick.

peeka-boo!

 

monday moments

Well, we’re officially back home (for now). There’s a good chance that I might jump on the next available flight and head back down south — especially since within 48 hours of returning home, Eryn is sick once again. We’ve been battling several strains of flu and cough between myself and the girls for over two months, and fever-sharing is getting a bit tiresome.

Alhamdulillah, our brief trip to the beach was a literal God-send. A girls-only trip saw the babies frolicking in azure waves and absorbing some much needed vitamin D. I enjoyed people watching and digging my feet into the sand — and had a fascinating chat with a Tartar woman from Moscow about the modesty logistics of combining her bikini with hijab.

Hands free, in-sling nursing means more time to work on my hand tan.

And while the sun and humidity (temporarily) drove away snotty noses and up-all-night coughs — it’s only a matter of time before we’re enjoying a muggy and bright Toronto summer. The geese are pairing up, which means spring is around the corner, and I’m looking forward to packing away the winter hijabs.

Zero degrees! It’s practically flip flops and shorts weather.

Has anyone read Alif the Unseen? I’m thoroughly enjoying it and would love to have a book club if anyone is interested. It’s fascinating partly because of all the familiar computer lingo, partly the familiar Gulf/Bedouin landscapes, and partly the fantastical Jinn elements — but I am most definitely enjoying reading a Muslim work of fiction that quotes the Quran and unapologetically swears like a sailor.

After smirking at Little Blue Men, it’s refreshing to be terrified of Jinn.

Ivy is standing on her own more often these days and it’s just a matter of time before she’s running circles around Eryn. Just yesterday I was commenting to the Hubby that our little baby is growing up way too fast. She’s so sweet and happy and I’d love for her to be like that forever. Poor Eryn is going through another jealousy phase and consistently orchestrates role-playing where she’s a “little sister” and I, as the “big sister,” have to take care of her like a little baby. She’ll cry, whine, drink “num-nya” from my elbow or knee and make all sorts of perceived baby demands. All. day. long.

Since today was a sick day stuck inside, we played “little sister lion” and “big sister lion” — you know, just to shake things up.

Working on our fierce, growling lion impersonations.

 

monday moments

This is just a quick update to say that we’re currently traveling and don’t have a reliable Internet connection. So if you’ve left a comment or sent an email, it might take me a couple of days to respond.

I appreciate all the messages and am reading each one! We’ll be back and returning to schedule soon.

Today Eryn told me that she could hear O Canada in her head. She then asked me to put my ear to her head so I could hear it too. Ivy is well. She protests every time I take her out of the water.

 

dear Ivy

Hello Sweetie,

You’re such a rock star. My favourite thing in the world right now is watching you dance. Whenever I play some good tunes on the jambox, you stand up, throw one hand in the air and start bopping to the beat. It’s hilarious and I love watching you enjoy yourself.

Then when I pick you up so we can dance together, you scream and kick in delight. It’s like you think you can fly.

You’re nine months old now and still a big-hearted little baby — making sure that you share every smushed strawberry and soggy cookie from your mouth to ours, just so we can share in your enjoyment. You still scream in protest and shriek piercingly when you’re hurt. I imagine things will get interesting when you turn two. I’ll have to buy earplugs for the neighbourhood, because you are fantastically loud.

 

monday moments

I know… on a Tuesday (again). I can explain.

We just spent a week nesting in and another digging out.

Eryn brought home a terrible virus and then proceeded to give it to everyone. One at a time. So thankfully we all got to take turns with 48 hours of high fevers and that special, flu-y feeling — instead of everyone getting hit at the same time. It just took two weeks to get the virus out of the house.

The artist as a young girl. Taking pictures with a desk lamp.

I just don’t understand how kids can just keep going when they’re sick. Don’t get me wrong. Alhamdulillah for sick kids who are generally happy and energetic. But there was one day when I was literally passing out on the floor, hoping Ivy wouldn’t swallow a piece of LEGO while I soldiered through shakes and body aches. And yet, both she and Eryn played and played and played (and demanded I played too). I don’t know how they do it. All I wanted was my bed.

The baby dragon slayer rockin’ her tattoo.

We kept busy by having dance parties and playing a lot of make-believe school, make-believe doctor, and make-believe faeries. Eryn LOVES turning me into pretend slugs and frogs.

So I took the opportunity of being cooped up to introduce Eryn to Kiki’s Delivery Service. It’s a fantastic piece of anime about an intrepid teenaged witch who saves the day and the “prince.” She loved it — and now flies around on a broom, instead of fluttering like a faerie slaying dragons. Eryn also got to watch Downton Abbey.

Lucky me, the girl takes after my heart and can sit through British drama period pieces with rapt attention.

Ivy on the other hand is getting into everything. She’s cruising now and I can’t leave her alone for two seconds before she’s emptying dresser drawers, destroying tissue boxes, or tipping over the plants.

Is it just me, or does the new Doctor Who logo look like “Allah” in Arabic calligraphy?

One day when Eryn and I were busy making roti, Ivy surprised me by grabbing a handful of soil. As I scooped her up before she could get any in her mouth, I said some half-dua’a-half-swear like, “Oh dear God in heaven, save us!”

Then while I was muttering away in the bathroom washing Ivy’s hands and mouth, Eryn called out to me, “Ask him!”

Ask who?
Allah!
Ask Allah what?
I’ll ask Allah to save us!
(grinning) Ok, go ask…
(silence)
He says OK!

Glad to know she has God on speed dial.

Beach bound insha’Allah!

In other news, I have an exciting blog series coming down the pipeline — which I’m hoping to share with all of you by the end of this week. I won’t say much for now, but I’ve been speaking with some truly amazing people about the current, some would say “crisis,” affecting our mosques today. I’m on pins and needles and can’t wait to pull it all together! And then I’ll be hosting another giveaway.

It’s going to be a busy month.

 

muslim roundup

Happy February everyone! It’s been a while since hijab has dominated the headlines (har har). But with so many people talking about hijab-as-veil, hijab-as-appropriation, hijab-as-the-only-thing-defining-muslim-women this past week, today is a special hijab version of the roundup.

In other news, Bremen becomes the third German state to recognize Islamic organizations as official religious bodies — meaning that Bremer Muslims can now take ‘Eid off! Muslim students in a Maryland high school can now pray during class time — but only if their grades are good. And while it was feared that extremists destroyed priceless manuscripts in Timbuktu, the bulk of the collection was saved, by fabulous superheros in the guise of mild and meek librarians.

Today’s lesson: Don’t mess with people who command Silence in the Library and smash metadata for fun.

Enjoy!

tokenization of Muslim women, “Hijab Day” by Person of Color.

1) So another World Hijab Day has come and gone.

Some marked this social experiment by wearing a special designer, invisible scarf known as the NoHijabHijab,™ some marked it by wearing their touques, Tilleys or sun hats, and some marked it by joining a relatively safe and supportive community environment to see what it feels like to be a “veiled” Muslim woman for eight hours in a relatively safe and supportive community environment. You know, without the hangups of praying, fasting, giving zakat, being discriminated against for having a Muslim sounding name, community racial microaggressions and invalidations based on gender, being overlooked for education/employment/marriage/social mobility because of hijab, or experiencing all sorts of gender and religious based injustice…

I could go on, but my current blogger hero, mama and footballer extraordinaire, footybedsheets, said it all so succinctly:

This exercise reduces a Muslim woman to one yard of material. It is not an action that one can adequately educate and put another woman in their position. It’s completely disingenuous  to think so.

Will having my teammates wear a hijab for a one hour match allow them to understand a lifetime of stares, barriers, “No, sorry you can’t play with that on” decisions, struggles and then my own strength and confidence to embrace it and keep going?

No. No, it won’t.

Just like wearing a hijab for one day will not provide a woman with contextual understanding of challenges and the realities that a woman in hijab may face: misogyny, cultural stresses, financial problems, prejudice, racism and even effects of war.

WHD was created to fight hijab stereotypes by inviting non-Muslim women to try it for a day. Al-Jazeera has a summary of the myriad reactions to the event — everything from, “yay, we all love and understand each other” to “boo, this sucks” to “taking the hijab off the next day defeats the purpose of hijab.”

The BBC used the day as an opportunity to use their horrid “Muslim Headscarves” infographic, and concludes their coverage by saying, “the day is about showing the world that women can choose the hijab willingly.” Making it more difficult to be critical of places where women can’t.

And now, a music video about Class Tourism.

2) This entry should really be in the above piece, but it was too delicious not to give it a seperate honour.

For WHD, the HuffPo published some full on hijab tourism with Natasha Scripture’s investigative journalist fray into a wild and wonderfully desexualizing eight hours of hijab:

So, one morning, after carefully tucking my stray hairs under a plain black headscarf, tightly wrapped around my face (traditional Sunni-style, with my face visible), I looked at myself closely in the mirror. Who is this person? With my long hair concealed, I immediately felt that my face was unequivocally defined by my eyes and that even the faintest shift in my facial expression would be detectable by the least discerning of observers. Most strikingly, I felt instantly de-sexualized. It was as if putting on the veil had melted away my sexuality, and I was left with just me.

Yeah. Because “veiled” Muslim women have absolutely ZERO sexuality. None. Nadda. But oh man, wait until that stuff comes off. Then BAM!

I went to meet a girlfriend at a crowded Thai restaurant for lunch where I was absolutely stunned by the transformation in myself, more so than the way people were treating me. As ridiculous as it sounds, I felt myself becoming more demure, which is not my personality at all. As a journalist at heart, I’m naturally adventurous, even flirtatious, so it was strange to feel this wave of shyness creep over me. I think I became that way because the strangers surrounding me — the server, the hostess, the patrons — expected me to be that way.

Demure Muslim women in hijab isn’t a stereotype at all. Now, why would one’s personality change? Because the hijab has the power to remove one’s sense of self? Yeah, I put it on and wonder where I’ve disappeared to. It’s my invisibility cloak.

Anyway, the piece goes on to talk about how she ended up finally herself again after trying to flirt with a guy over a beer. That’s when she ripped off her hijab and let her hair fly free.

Like a bird.

Lady Gaga in a burqa. To promote her new single, “Burqa.”

3) Hijab rapid-fire:

• We all know that tabloid media love, love, love-love-LOVE pictures of white women in hijab. The Sun has yet another, “meet real LIVE Britons who have converted to Islam“ exposé. With before and after hijab pictures of course.

• It’s almost Fashion Week in New York! This means that the Muslim modelling company “Underwraps” is making headlines again. With some really lovely fashion pics!

• More on the fashion front, a Chicago human rights attorney launches a hijab design contest to encourage people to come up with a “truly American hijab style.”

• Female lawyers in Turkey have won the right to wear hijab in court. 

• And Morocco’s only female Minister claims that wearing hijab has made her a media target, attempting to discredit her by publishing false information.

4) And finally, it’s the hijab tutorial to end all hijab tutorials. A must watch for anyone telling you how you should cover (and it’s by a Canadian to boot):

 

**And a hat tip to the always lovely Krista Riley for inspiring “invisible hijab.”