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American Muslims Looking Forward to the Release of Nike’s New Work Out Hijab

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Hagerstown, MD – Nike recently released a line of work out hijabs at a time where many fashion designers have been including hijabs in their runway shows.

Yasmine has been wearing a hijab since she was in her 20’s. She says its now like her second skin and is simply a personal choice that takes a lot of strength

I think it’s the ultimate fashion statement. It says this body is mine and I choose who looks at it.” Sayed said.

Although she believes a hijab shouldn’t stop anyone from doing whatever they want to do, it’s not always that easy when it comes to working out but Nike has come up with a solution by introducing a performance hijab.

“I try to be active and for a while I was struggling to cover my hair running outside or whatever so this actually caters to the needs of those Muslim women that want to be active and still wants to cover,” Sayed said.

Some say it is a sign of solidarity, while others find it debatable.

“The debate was just is it just for fashion, and I totally disagree with that. I think because of the intention they wanted to do something and now they have a better choice to use it,” Dr. Sahab Siddiqui, a member of the Islamic Society of Western Maryland said.

Hijabs have also been hitting the runways in fashion shows, something locals say sheds positive light on the religion and lifestyle.

“It also improves the awareness, and cultural understanding as well as understanding of the faith,” Dr. Siddiqui said

Yasmine says the key is to keep it modest and beautiful and not mix in sexy. The religion advises keeping the clothes lose fitting, and head covered

“Beauty can also be when you’re dressed modestly. It’s very beautiful to see that’s not the only way to girls and women can be seen in the world. They can also be covered and still be beautiful,” Yusra Ahmed, a Muslim who does not usually where a hijab said.

Originally published on www.your4state.com

Islamic, Middle Eastern Culture Featured In Boston`s New Cummer Museum Exhibit

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Fifty four objects are strung together to tell the story of Islamic and Middle Eastern culture in the Cummer Museum of Art and Garden’s new exhibit, “Ink, Silk, and Gold: Islamic Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.”

The exhibit runs from May 19 to Sept. 3.  And the Cummer is the final tour stop before returning home. Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts started collecting pieces for “Ink, Silk, and Gold” more than 130 years ago. Since then, the exhibit has been shared in museums all around the country.

“We actually started talking with (the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston) in 2011 about bringing this exhibition here,” said Holly Keris, the Cummer Museum’s chief curator. “So, we are absolutely thrilled that the time has come when our community is going to be able to experience it.”

The exhibit begins in the eighth century and ends in modern times.  The collection features objects from a handful of different countries, including Iran, Syria, Morocco and Spain.

“The exhibition is really arranged chronologically, and within that chronological period you have regions,” Cummer associate curator Nelda Damino said.

Viewers can choose to follow along the timeline at the exhibit or jump around from region to region. Either way, Keris said the objects will all appear somewhat unconnected because of the variety of media on display. Some of the featured pieces are withering, ancient manuscripts, some are elaborately designed ceramic plates and some are colorfully hand-woven rugs.

The 54 objects do have one thing common: their connection to the religion of Islam. According to Damiano, the different textures, colors and shapes of the pieces all provide a window into the Middle Eastern world and it’s customs, religion, and societal contributions.

Keris said “Ink, Silk, and Gold” is the first time the Cummer Museum has presented Islamic art on such a large scale, and she hopes it inspires people to engage more in different cultures and art forms.

“Seeing people get so engaged with these objects and having conversations with the people standing next to them — folks they didn’t know before — and just talking about the art and what they were seeing is so exciting and inspiring to us,” Keris said. “We really hope that trend translates into the summer.”

Originally published on www.news.wjct.org

Chapman University IN CA Exhibits a Koran from the 15th Century

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When Fareed Farukhi toured the Fish Interfaith Center at Chapman University about a year ago, he noticed that something was missing from its display of holy scriptures.

“They showed me the Book of Mormon, a Bible from the Chapman family, and a Torah from Lithuania,” he said. “I said, ‘We have all these beautiful scriptures, but I don’t see the Koran, which completes the Abrahamic faiths. You’ve got two out of the three.’ ”

So Farukhi, who founded Universal Heritage and Research Center — an Orange County group promoting cross-cultural understanding — decided to do something about it.

He assisted the university in developing a new exhibit for the Fish Interfaith Center that features a 15th-century illuminated Koran from Syria inside a custom designed seven-foot tall display cabinet with intricate wooden inlays of Arabic calligraphy and Islamic geometry.

The exhibit was officially unveiled May 16.

“This display of the Koran and the cabinet shows how beauty can be expressed through religion, using arts, culture and language,” said Farukhi.

The Koran exhibit, which will include a rotation of several copies of the Koran, is now the fourth scripture on display at the Fish Interfaith Center. It joins the Bible of C.C. Chapman, the university’s founder who died in 1944, the Book of Mormon donated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a Lithuanian Torah that survived the Holocaust.

Each of the scriptures is housed in an elaborate wooden cabinet designed by Los Angeles artist William Tunberg, who specializes in marquetry, a form of woodwork in which smaller, colored pieces of wood are inlaid to create a design.

“Ninety-nine percent of Islamic design is geometric, and that goes right down my alley because I also use geometry in my sculptures,” he said, noting that Islamic architecture also relies on many of the same styles the ancient Greeks and Romans used.

To ensure the cabinet had a distinctive Islamic character, Tunberg said that he immersed himself in Islamic art, architecture and calligraphy, just as he studied Judaism and Mormonism to make cases for the Torah and Book of Mormon.

“I try to make it comfortable for people in that religion to look at and appreciate the objects inside,” he said. “Each one of these things is like getting a new education.”

In the center of the cabinet, an eight-pointed star is formed out of Islamic calligraphy spelling “Allah,” the Arabic word for God. On the cabinet’s outside panels are other geometric designs that also contain the word “Allah” in the curved Thuluth script.

On top of the Koran cabinet is a sculpture of the Dome of the Rock, the mosque in Jerusalem where the prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended into heaven with the angel Gabriel.

Beneath the dome is a third form of Islamic calligraphy, the angular Kufic script, which reads, bismillah ir-rahman ir-rahim, “in the name of God the most gracious, the most merciful,” a phrase that is recited before each chapter of the Koran.

Gail Stearns, dean of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel at Chapman, said that it’s Tunberg’s commitment to understanding each religion that sets his work apart.

“The thing that I love about Bill’s work is that he spends an enormous amount of time to educate himself about what he’s building,” she said. “He spent a lot of time learning about Islam and building this to make it authentic, but also unique and creative.”

Together, the four scriptures and cabinets send an important message, Stearns said.

“When you see these displays side by side, you see what we have in common, the scripture and how important it is — and some of the marquetry work moves from one cabinet to the next,” said Stearns. “And it also shows the distinctiveness.”

“And that’s the beauty — to have both our uniqueness and also our commonality.”

Originally published on www.latimes.com

The Absolute Best Halal-Cart Chicken and Rice in New York

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There are dozens and dozens of halal carts in this city at any given moment. It would be impossible to visit them all, let alone try every dish from each: Many of them move around, and many offer an almost dinerlike array of options — from lamb kebabs and chicken biryani to Philly cheesesteaks and Jamaican beef patties. But here, we present a ranked list of those carts that have risen to name-recognition status and park at the same location all the time, by way of one representative dish: chicken over rice. These are the absolute best iterations in New York, giving “street meat” a good name.

The Absolute Best

A frequently used selling point for this especially sleek, trim midtown cart, with its cheerful green signs and laminated press clippings, is that the chef and owner, the Bangladesh-born Muhammed Rahman, used to cook at the Russian Tea Room — which is funny, considering that the Russian Tea Room is a restaurant not particularly known for its food, which is, of course, Russian. But perhaps his time there is what inspired his formal-yet-friendly vibe, and the culinary standards he abides by, which you’d sooner expect at a sit-down establishment where the chefs wear toques and whites, as he does in the cart, than at a fast-food cart. The chicken in his chicken-and-rice platter is leg meat, unless you request breast — rubbed in a spice mixture and freshly grilled; then chopped into perfectly bite-size, slightly crispy, succulent chunks; and served with fragrant basmati rice and a salad that is dressed, unlike the usual cart offering of just plain shredded lettuce. The white sauce, which at so many other places tastes flatly like mayonnaise, is exceptional — a tangy blend of cucumber, Greek yogurt, sour cream, and cottage cheese (plus sugar, lemon juice, and vinegar) — and the hot sauce is unusual, too: bright green and flecked with pepper seeds, pleasingly piquant, but round and smooth. It makes a pretty picture, and comes in a clear-plastic clamshell, instead of the standard Styrofoam, so you can gaze at it lovingly while you take it back to your office or the nearest bench. The price, which tends to fluctuate slightly, is a bit higher than most, at around $7.50, but it’s worth it. You can call in advance to order, and they even take credit cards.

Royal Halal

Midtown is lucky: Around the corner from our top pick is another gem, this one run by a kindly husband and wife, who make a killer chicken and rice. The dark-meat chicken is finely chopped and juicy, and golden brown from its aggressive, deeply flavorful Indian-spice marinade, and flecked with sautéed onions and pepper. The fluffy basmati rice is stained with turmeric to a satisfying shade of yellow, and the tangy white sauce is just the right consistency, on the thinner side, to double as a dressing for both the chicken and the salad, which is made with shreds of romaine lettuce, sliced cucumber, and fat wedges of tomato. The whole thing gets a last-second sprinkling of ground cumin, and there’s hot sauce available, too. As with Kwik Meal, you can call ahead to place an order, or order online. They don’t take credit cards, but the meal is a steal at $5.50.

Halal for All

On the one hand, there’s something super shady about the way this outfit is a full-on Halal Guys impostor — down to the yellow T-shirts and plastic bags, and the plastering of the words “Original” and “We Are the Original” all over the cart and its umbrellas, trapping unsuspecting customers who don’t realize they haven’t yet made it to 53rd Street. On the other hand, you kind of have to admire the bravado and the hustle; this is New York. All that aside, it’s said to be run by a Halal Guys defector, and the food is extremely similar and almost as good: The chicken is just a tad too peppery; and the hot sauce is harsh enough that you might want to skip it; but the white sauce, which comes fresh from a squeeze bottle, is much more flavorful; and the rice and pita are pretty indistinguishable. You could do worse than to end up here, if the line is too long up on 53rd, or if you just can’t bear to walk another block.

Originally published on www.grubstreet.com

How the Hijab has Grown into a Fashion Industry?

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Nike, the well-known U.S. sportswear company, recently introduced a sports hijab. The reaction to this has been mixed: There are those who are applauding Nike for its inclusiveness of Muslim women who want to cover their hair, and there are those who accuse it of abetting women’s subjugation.

Nike, in fact, is not the first corporate brand to champion the hijab. I am the author of “Brand Islam,” and I have seen how it is commonly assumed, particularly in the West, that Muslim women are indifferent to fashion.

Nothing could be further from the truth: My research shows that Islamic fashion is a rapidly growing industry.

History of sports hijab

The use of an official sports hijab in competition dates back to July 2012 when the International Football Association Board (IFAB), custodians of the rules of soccer, overturned a 2007 ban which had argued that the hijab was “unsafe” for sports persons as it could “increase” the risk of neck injuries.

While overturning the ban, the IFAB noted that there was nothing in “the medical literature concerning injuries as a result of wearing a headscarf.” The sports hijab is secured in place with magnets. If it does get pulled off, another cap remains underneath, to cover the sports person’s hair without causing any injuries.
In 2012, Muslim athletes wearing the hijab received considerable media attention. Wearing the hijab set them apart from other Olympic athletes. Since then, several lesser-known, sports hijab companies – much before Nike’s pro hijab – have come to be in this business.

Egypt’s Eman Gaber, wearing a sports hijab during a practice session before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.Kim Kyung Hoon/Reuters

History of Islamic fashion

The marketing of Islamic fashionable clothing, however, is older than the sports hijab.

In my research, I found that it started in the 1980s when ethnic grocery dealers in Western Europe and the United States began importing modest fashion clothing along with other items for the Muslim population. That proved to be a successful business.

Prior to that, most Muslim women would put together their own styles.

These small endeavors ultimately morphed into a competitive and lucrative Muslim fashion industry. Islamic fashion in general is understood as women wearing modest clothing with long sleeves, descending to the ankle and having a high neckline. The outfits are nonhugging, with some form of head covering that could be draped in a variety of styles. Women who prefer to wear pants combine them with a long sleeved top that covers the buttocks and has a high neckline, along with a head covering.

Over time, national and international designers came to be involved in the sale of chic Islamic fashions. Today, Muslim fashion is a lucrative global industry with countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey leading the way outside the Western countries. In 2010 the Turkish newspaper Milliyet estimated the global Islamic clothing market to be worth around US$2.9 billion.

The Global Islamic Economy report for 2014-2015 indicated Muslim consumer spending on clothing and footwear had increased to $266 billion in 2013. This represents a growth of 11.9 percent of the global spending in a period of three years. The report predicted this market to reach $488 billion by 2019.

The Islamic brand

This growth has had its share of controversies: Many designers use the term “Islamic” for their clothing. Religious conservatives and Muslim scholars have raised questions about what types of apparel would fit that category and whether defining clothing as “Islamic” was even permitted or lawful by Islamic principles – a concept known as “halal.”

In particular, critics have objected to the fashion catwalk presentations, which actually draw the gaze and attention of spectators to the bodies of models, while the purpose of a hijab is to distract and move the gaze away from the body. In Iran, for example, Islamic fashion is viewed by the ulama (religious scholars) as another Western influence and referred to as “Western Hijab.”

Nonetheless, the Islamic fashion industry has managed to initiate marketing campaigns that capitalize on the very core of Islamic precepts: Sharia, or the Islamic religious law. A Malaysian apparel company, Kivitz, for example, uses the phrase “Syar’i and Stylish.” In Malay, Syar’i is the same as Sharia.

In establishing a nominally Islamic brand, marketers make every effort to align their products with the core value of Islam. So, even when following the trendy fashionable seasonal colors and materials, clothing styles would include some sort of head covering.

Who are the consumers?

The question still remains: What led to such a rapid growth over a span of just three years?

My research has demonstrated that Muslims are more brand aware than the general population. However, in the past they were largely ignored by the fashion industry, perhaps, due to misconceptions that being a Muslim restricted people’s lifestyle.

And now, with a growing Muslim population, there is an increased demand for modest but also fashionable clothing for the youth, who have significant spending power. At the same time, traditional elite and wealthy Middle Eastern consumers who used to shop for fashionable clothing from European nations now prefer to shop from homegrown Muslim fashion designers.

Indeed, the halal logo on food and other products in addition to modesty in clothing has proved to be an effective strategy in creating a global Islamic identity.

As I have seen in my research, consumerism is changing what is means to be modern and Muslim today. As Vali Nasr, a Middle Eastern scholar, explains,

“The great battle for the soul of the Muslim world will be fought not over religion but over market capitalism.”

Originally published on www.theconversation.com

Why Catwalk Hijabs are Upsetting Some Muslim Women?

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There’s a growing number of fashion brands and multinational companies showcasing women wearing an Islamic headscarf. But, for various reasons, some women from Muslim backgrounds aren’t happy with the trend.

Dolce and Gabbana, H&M, Pepsi, Nike: just a few of the big brands putting women wearing a hijab – a traditional Islamic headscarf – front and centre in advertising campaigns.

The hijab has long been a contentious topic of conversation; feminists, religious conservatives, secularists are some of the online communities that have engaged in passionate debate about what it represents. But this time, online and using social media, it’s some Muslim women who are questioning the use of such images.

Kendall and Pepsi

Tasbeeh Harwees, a journalist, recently wrote in the online magazine Good about a recent viral Pepsi advert starring Kendall Jenner.

The advertisement was controversial because of its alleged trivialisation of street protests – but some Muslim women took issue for a different reason, the casting of a hijab-wearing woman who photographs the rally.

“A multi-billion dollar company was using the image of a Muslim woman to project an image of progressiveness that it may not necessarily live up to,” Harwees tells BBC Trending radio.

Brand power

Pepsi certainly isn’t the only company highlighting women wearing the hijab. Nike recently announced a newly designed sports hijab which will hit shops in 2018. H&M used a first Muslim model in hijab in an advertisement while numerous brands and labels have launched “Ramadan collections” in the hope of attracting Muslim shoppers during the holy month.

“Images of Muslim women communicate to their consumer bases that these companies are ‘progressive’ or ‘inclusive’,” Harwees says. “Given the political climate, it has become socially expedient to align oneself with dissident communities, and for many people, that’s what Muslim women have come to represent.”

The rise in popularity of so-called hijabi fashion bloggers and make-up tutorials aimed at women who wear the hijab is also a heavily debated subject. They generate millions of views and shares but some women cite increasing pressure to appear fashionable as a reason to stop covering their heads.

They feel something sacred is being undermined by commercialism. Khadija Ahmed is the editor of a new online magazine called Another Lenz, but wrote a personal story of how she wore the hijab for two years, then took the decision to stop wearing it. She told BBC Trending she felt pressured by the images she saw in advertising and on social media.

“I don’t feel that the brands are doing us a favour – we don’t need the approval of the mainstream companies to approve of our identity,” Ahmed says. “It’s not doing anything for the Muslim community other than reducing the hijab – which I see as an act of worship – into something as simple as a fashion statement.”

Originally published on www.bbc.com

Pak Business Leader for Capturing Canadian Halal Food Market

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Former president FPCCI, S.M. Muneer, who is leading ruling business group in the apex trade body, has called for more efforts by the government and the private sector to capture the emerging Halal food market in Canada.
“Canada’s halal food market is currently estimated to be worth one billion dollars and the demand for halal options has increased in Canada’s Muslim population.
It grew 82 per cent over the last decade, and is expected to triple by 2031,” he said while speaking at an event organised by the Universal promotion.
President Universal Promotion Amir Shamsi, Pakistani Consul General in Toronto Imran Siddiqui, President Flato Shakir Rehamatullah, Qamar Kem Siddiqui Aftab Rizvi, Navaid Bukhari, Muqaddam Khan were also present.
Former president, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry S.M.Muneer is very optimistic about upcoming 4th largest Mississauga Halal Foods festival in Canada scheduled for May 20, 2017.
It would help capture Halal food industry in North American market as well.
President, Universal Promotion, Amir Shamsi said the Halal food festival would be held on 20th May, 2017 at Celebration Center, Square One. This event would reflect the increase in demand for halal products. He said that Mississauga Halal Food Festival is a celebration of Toronto’s diverse and delicious food trends.

Originally published on www.pakobserver.net

Houston Based Elevation Burger Starts Offering Halal Beef, Chicken

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Halal food has grown in popularity in Houston, as many consider it to be the healthier option. It is prepared according to Muslim tradition, and restaurants have are responding to the demand. Houston has the largest Muslim population in Texas, and boasts over 300,000 people eating halal food. Elevation Burger, the only major chain to offer all organic, grass-fed beef, also uses beef and chicken prepared according to the halal tradition.

The Elevation Burger located at the intersection of Highway 59 and Kirby in Houston managed by Mike Mustafa offers halal beef and halal chicken. The meat is also organic, grass fed, and free range. “Elevation Burger has healthy halal food,” says Mustafa. “We are proud to offer a delicious burger for folks who are members of the halal dining community.”
“Halal food is important to the Muslim community, and it can be difficult to find dining options that cater to those needs,” says Mustafa. The Kirby Elevation Burger not only offers halal beef and chicken, they offer a non-alcoholic environment. “Our customers appreciate our restaurant experience and atmosphere, and we enjoy being a part of the Houston Halal community.”

Halal food is prepared according to Islamic law, which governs both how the animal lives and how it is processed. They must be healthy at the time of death which is done in a manner that reduces the animal’s suffering.

Elevation Burger has grown in popularity in recent years, with 59 locations around the country. As the only major chain that offers all organic beef and chicken, they are known for being a healthy alternative to standard fast food fare. Elevation Burger’s philosophy is that they offer fast food, not junk food. Their menu is simple and straightforward, and diners leave feeling good about the delicious meal they just had. Elevation Burger offers Fresh Fries which are prepared on site and cooked in olive oil rather than vegetable oil.

“The only thing in our freezer is ice cream for shakes,” says Mustafa. “We grind our meat daily, and nothing sits in a freezer or under a heat lamp.” Elevation Burger has beef that’s both organic and halal, and customers can eat happy knowing they’re dining in a restaurant that cares about the environment. Elevation Burger locations are built and equipped using environmentally sustainable and non-hazardous construction.

“Elevation Burger provides a restaurant experience for the halal community, and we’re proud to be a part of the health food movement in Houston,” says Mustafa. He settled in Houston in 15 years ago after moving to the US from Egypt, and he’s originally from Palestine. “It’s been a pleasure making Houston my home, and I’m happy to be a part of the Elevation Burger family.”

Elevation Burger opened their first location in 2005 and has grown to 59 locations globally. All Elevation Burger locations serve organic, grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free beef and chicken. Mike Mustafa moved to Houston in 2002 and opened his Elevation Burger location at 3819 Kirby Drive in 2012. That location is open from 10:30am-midnight Sunday through Wednesday, and stays open late until 4:00 am Thursday through Saturday.

Originally published on www.prweb.com

A Muslim Comic Walks into the Correspondents’ Dinner

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In the days of vaudeville, comedians oftentimes started monologues with the line, “A funny thing happened on the way to the theater.” But, unfortunately, at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD), which President Trump opted not to attend, a not-too-funny thing happened. Something went totally unnoticed by those attending, who certainly were responsible for noticing such things and reporting them. It was yet another indicator of a media so caught up in an anti-Trump “slash-and-burn” mindset, it turned a blind eye to a threat snuffing out journalism’s lifeblood in many parts of the world.

It was the first time in 36 years the sitting president had not attended the WHCD. The last time was Ronald Reagan and only because he was recovering from an assassin’s bullet. But there was reasonable cause for Trump not to attend, as he remains at war with the media – a team comprised mostly of members insistent upon playing party politics on the left side of the field.

It is clear from the Democratic National Committee’s recent effort to promote Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison as its party leader, it is clear from the liberal Women’s March movement having Muslim activist Linda Sarsour as a co-founder, and it is clear from the media’s invitation to Muslim comic Hasan Minhaj to perform at this year’s WHCD that these reporters and Democrats share a similar mindset – that there is nothing to fear from Islam but fear itself, a fear misnamed “Islamophobia.”

Based on his previous anti-Trump comments, such as calling him the “white ISIS,” Minhaj was invited to headline the event. He was seen as the matador capable of waving a red cape in front of a press already bullishly antagonistic toward Trump.

Even in accepting, Minhaj wasted no time in criticizing Trump, saying, “It is a tremendous honor to be a part of such a historic event even though the president has chosen not to attend this year. SAD! Now more than ever, it is vital that we honor the First Amendment and the freedom of the press.”

At an event that was supposedly to be both fun as well as unbiased, during the dinner Minhaj repeatedly threw anti-Trumpism red meat to his audience.

While the president may have been fair game, Minhaj also recognized a line existed over which his love of “the First Amendment and the freedom of the press” would not allow him to cross. Ironically, this was not a line about targeting Trump but about a cloud lingering over Minhaj’s audience in its own exercise of the above rights he flagged as being so important.

Interestingly, when it comes to journalistic freedom, the 2017 World Press Freedom Index reveals nations in which Islam dominates have much less of it. Most Muslim nations, in fact, fall into the bottom quarter of that Index.

While mocking Trump, left uncriticized was a religion Minhaj follows that minimizes journalistic freedom, sanctions abuse of women, demands the death penalty for gays, calls for intolerance of non-Muslims and prohibits mocking Islam. It was apparent the media saw no hypocrisy in Minhaj’s relentless attacks against a person responsible for protecting the First Amendment and freedom of the press rights while remaining silent about his own adherence to an ideology seeking destruction of such rights.

Perhaps on his “way to the theater” to attend the WHCD event Minhaj should have reflected upon the not-so-funny plight of a Pakistani Christian woman, Asia Bibi. The mother of five dared suggest all human life is equal, which in a Muslim country can give rise to a blasphemy charge for insulting Islam. Her equivalency assertion was seen as a snub of Isalm by rejecting its avowed superiority to all other religions. And this occurred in “moderate” Pakistan, a supposed U.S. ally in the war against Islamic extremism.

Bibi’s case is but one example of why the term “Islamophobia” is a misnomer. “Phobia” means an irrational fear – thus Islamophobia means an irrational fear of Islam. But Bibi’s blasphemy conviction in a moderate Muslim country, simply for equating Muslim and non-Muslim lives, demonstrates that non-Muslims do have a rational justification to fear Islam.

Lost in the robust laughter at the WHCD was the media’s failure to address how even moderate Islam intimidates those truly concerned about its chilling impact upon our First Amendment and freedom of the press. Clearly, the failure of many in the media to investigate and explain this impact demonstrates its own phobia of being accused of Islamophobia.

We saw an example of this when Islamic reformist and former Muslim Hirsi Ali was invited to speak at Brandeis University, only to be disinvited as those unwilling to hear about Islam’s dark side protested. The issue received minimal media attention.

More recently, we saw it when prominent feminist scholar Phyllis Chesler sought to participate in a University of Arkansas symposium to share her extensive knowledge about honor killings and forced marriages. She also was disinvited as school faculty became concerned significant Saudi funding for their Middle East Studies Program would be terminated. Again, the media paid the matter little attention.

The focus of Chesler’s talk was on the abuses suffered by Muslim women living in the West. Sadly, even educators turn a blind eye to an ideological threat endangering us, giving priority instead to money over truth.

While this goes on, the media naively guffaws at a Muslim comic making fun of our president.

There are two pillars of American society long recognized as being responsible for sounding the alarm when our rights are threatened. One is our educational institutions; the other is our media. Yet, when it comes to Islam, neither seems willing to accept this responsibility.

Accepting Islam’s basic tenets in the U.S. – one of which is its mandated superiority over all other religions, which must submit to it – is a Trojan Horse for the First Amendment and the press freedoms Hasad Minhaj tells us he so reveres. Ironically, by failing to see this, the real joke is on us.
Originally published on www.wnd.com

At UW, Empowerment can Come in the Form of a Hijab

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Step one — place scarf over your head, one side longer than the other. Step two — wrap longer side around your neck. Step three — tuck. Done.

This is the daily routine for UW neurobiology student Fatima El-Ghazali and other hijabis, people who wear a hijab. She has an entire closet full of scarves, giving her an endless possibility of styles.

People who don’t normally wear hijabs got the chance to try them on or even wear them for the whole day at the University of Washington’s World Hijab Day on Wednesday. Perhaps lured by free cupcakes, those who approached the event’s tent were greeted by a table of neatly folded scarves ranging from neutral colors to bright floral prints. The air buzzed with chatter and giggles as people tried on scarves, learned different ways of wrapping them, checked out their look in mirrors and took selfies together.

Although World Hijab Day normally takes place Feb. 1, Pillars of Service, a student organization, has the event in spring to avoid some of Seattle’s wetter weather and encourage more people to participate. Organizers aimed to address what they see as the main misconceptions about women who wear hijabs in order to normalize and destigmatize the practice.

The biggest misconception is that women who wear it are oppressed, said Dina Bassyiouni, vice president of Pillars or Service, but it’s really about choice. “You should be the only one who has the right to decide if you wear it or not,” Bassyiouni said. “No one else should tell you to wear it or to take it off.

“As a feminist, that really irritates me. You have to decide if you are ready and comfortable with wearing it.”

When people see someone wearing a hijab, they often make conjectures not only on a person’s reasons for wearing it but about Islam itself. Many people think hijabs give men a means to control Muslim women when, in religious teaching, men have nothing to do with it. “In the Koran, God is talking to the women directly about wearing it,” Bassyiouni said. “He’s not asking the husbands or the men to tell them. In Islam, there is no middleman. It’s only you and your Lord, that’s it.”

As she’s speaking, a man walks by and yells at the group to “stop promoting the oppression of women.” It’s not the first time, the women say, that he’s harassed the group today. “As long as it’s only words, I don’t care,” Bassayiouni said. “They can say whatever they want.”

While most visitors only briefly tried on hijabs, some chose to wear it the entire day. “I can never fully understand what it’s like to wear a hijab all the time,” said Elizabeth Bernbaum, a senior physics major. “But I want to experience it for a day and see if I get any weird looks or anything.”

She’s wearing the simple, everyday hijab style that Bassyiouni and Pillar of Service President Fatima El-Ghazali are wearing.

Originally published on www.crosscut.com