A couple summers ago, I ran into an elderly couple who had done decades of Christian missionary work in Australia. They were looking for my neighbors, who were from Turkiye. When I said that I too was from Turkiye, the wife told me “But you do not look Islamic” since I was wearing a sleeveless… Read more »
Entries by IU Muslim Voices
A Wayfarer in Ramadan: Experiencing the Blessed Month While Fostering Relationships with the Creator, Community, and Oneself by Mayesha Awal
Hugs and chatter with friends I have not seen in months. Greetings and introductions to those I have not met before. Hearing the adhan[1] in-person in the masjid[2]. Grabbing a medjool date and savoring the pillowy, chewy, and cake-like texture after a long day’s fast. I have been able to experience Ramadan alhamdulillah[3] in different… Read more »
The Controversy of the Hijab: How Governments Use Symbols to Exercise Power by Jason Sadlowski
Why has the practice of wearing the Islamic headscarf by Muslim women become such a controversial symbol of Muslim culture? And what about it has made governments decide it will be a major factor in how they choose to control their people? These were some of the questions that I was left with after attending… Read more »
The Change of the Indiana Muslim Community: Experiences of a Bangladeshi Immigrant Woman by Mayesha Awal
My mother, Shamima, is a Muslim Bangladeshi immigrant who came to the United States in 1996. She came to the United States after she got married to my father who already resided in Indiana. I asked my mother about her experiences when she first arrived in the US, especially as a Muslim: “It was hard… Read more »
Vulnerability in the Corporate World as a Muslim Woman: Upholding Religious Values by Mayesha Awal
Prior to starting my job, I was warned by one of my Arabic teachers about the corporate world from an Islamic standpoint. I did not completely understand what the corporate world was like, but he worked in the corporate world for decades. He spoke about being careful about gender interactions and alcohol gatherings. I am… Read more »
A Broken Unity by Rabia Omar
They sang songs of unity, chanted words of brotherhood, took pride in diversity, stood tall in harmony……. but once the curtain drew closed, the lights dimmed, and they turned to one another, the walls that separated them were not weakened through acceptance but rather those walls were empowered through ignorance and rejection. They say that… Read more »
Introduction to the Muslim Task Force (MTF) by Mayesha Awal
Muslim Task Force (MTF) of Indiana When I was an undergraduate student, I returned back home to Indianapolis and moved in with my mother. On April 16th, 2020, as I was scrolling through my email, I saw a call for volunteers. I had some free time in my schedule, as I was no longer able… Read more »
Belly Dance in Islamic Worlds by Meg Morley
Most of the time, when someone unfamiliar with belly dance encounters me and my research on the changing belly dance industry in Egypt, they are surprised, confused, and struggle to even formulate the question they want to ask. What they want to know is something like, “How does a culture as conservative and repressive of… Read more »
Michelle Johnson talks about her book Remaking Islam in African Portugal by Hassan Bokhari
On December 1st 2021, Dr. Michelle Johnson, who is Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Bucknell University, gave an illuminating talk about her newly released book Remaking Islam in African Portugal. The talk was sponsored by the Center for the Study of Global Change, which directs the Muslim Voice project… Read more »
Islam and Modern Challenges by Flamur Vehapi
The Need to Deconstruct the Dominant Narratives about Islam and Muslims Nowadays, many Orientalists, among others, speak of Islam as if it began in the late 1970s with the Iranian Revolution or in the 1990s with the rise of certain radical groups in some parts of the Muslim world, or as is now the case… Read more »