During the fall of 2019, I traveled to Reston, VA, a suburb of Washington D.C., to conduct fieldwork at Al-Fatih Academy, a predominantly women-run Islamic K–8 school. Afeefa Syeed, the principal, welcomed me and introduced the school’s mission. I listened carefully for what made it “religious.” But the integrated curriculum she described diverged from my… Read more »
Identity & Diversity
“This Wasn’t Just Research. It Was Worship.” How a Spiritual Crisis, a PAR Project, and Sisterhood Reclaimed STEM for Muslim Women [Part II] by Dr. Vivian Zohery
This wasn’t just research. It was worship. It was a love letter to Muslim women who’ve felt invisible in the lab, unseen in the classroom, and unheard in academia. It was a seed. And In Shaa Allah, it will continue to grow. PART II [Part I] When the Researcher is Also the Researched What drew… Read more »
“This Wasn’t Just Research. It Was Worship.” How a Spiritual Crisis, a PAR Project, and Sisterhood Reclaimed STEM for Muslim Women [Part I] by Dr. Vivian Zohery
This wasn’t just research. It was worship. It was a love letter to Muslim women who’ve felt invisible in the lab, unseen in the classroom, and unheard in academia. It was a seed. And In Shaa Allah, it will continue to grow. PART I [Part II] When I began interviewing young Muslim women in STEM,… Read more »
Sesame Paste, Wild Plants, and Resistance: Kurdish Vegetarian Dishes from Iraqi Kurdistan [Part II] by Dr. Jihan Mohammed
Episode Two: Gil û Gîya[i] [Greens and Herbs] In the second episode, I reiterate that traditional Kurdish cuisine is vegan-and vegetarian-friendly. Historically, meat was scarce, so Iraqi Kurds relied on plant-based foods more than they do today. However, with the industrialization and globalization of meat production, the cuisine has shifted to become more meat-based. Below, I… Read more »
Sesame Paste, Wild Plants, and Resistance: Kurdish Vegetarian Dishes from Iraqi Kurdistan [Part I] by Dr. Jihan Mohammed
In many cultures and religions, both the consumption and rejection of meat convey specific social identities and affiliations. In Islam, for example, Muslims are instructed to consume what is lawful (halal), wholesome, pure, nutritious, and safe. They are also commanded to avoid anything considered impure or harmful. Accordingly, Muslim Kurds refrain from consuming non-halal or… Read more »
My Muslim Grandmothers, Their Tattoos, Their Individuality by Derya Doğan
I never met my maternal grandmother, an Arab woman from northern Mesopotamia (a.k.a. southeast Anatolia), as she passed away years before I was born. There are only very few black and white photos of her, and some of them are from a distance, so it is hard to make out her face. I do remember… Read more »
Queer and Muslim – Bridging The Chasm by Dania Khan
Ali works in investment banking. Ayesha only prays on Eid. Faisal drinks a glass of wine when he’s at his friend’s house. Samiya has a wife. Ali, Ayesha, and Faisal are all doing things that would go against the widely accepted beliefs of Muslim society. They may face scrutiny, but it’ll be largely with the… Read more »
An Introduction to Kurdish Tattoos by Taylor Nasim Stone
Modifying the body is not, by any means, a new phenomenon and tattoos are among some of the oldest forms of bodily adornment. The content, application, and ascribed meanings within the practice of tattooing can vary widely depending on the geography and culture. Within Kurdish culture, this centuries-old practice is known as deq or xal…. Read more »
The Undying Red Border: Finding Bengali New Year in Exile* by Niger Sultana
As I sit in my quiet study room in America, the hustle and bustle of life back home seem distant, yet still so vivid in my memory. The last time I celebrated Pohela Boishakh—the Bengali New Year—in Bangladesh was in 2020. That year, I was surrounded by my students and colleagues at the Department of… Read more »
New Year(s) and Calendars of the Muslim World
The world has recently entered 2025 per Gregorian calculations, but did you know that according to the Islamic calendar we are in the year 1446; and in 1431 in the Bengali calendar; or in 1403 in the Persian calendar? Or perhaps the year 10067 in the Yoruba calendar? While our understanding of what year we… Read more »