I have always been someone who likes to be social. I spent time with school, classes, and friends during the first year of my college life. Everything was great but there was something missing. This absence that I was feeling deep inside had become a problem which I couldn’t figure out because I didn’t know… Read more »
Muslim Women
Hijab in Sports: Bilqis Abdul Qaadir Visits IU with Messages of Empowerment and Spirituality for Muslim Women by Narmeen Ijaz
Hijab (Veil) is a term which has multiple images associated with it. For some it might bring to surface images of the ongoing protests in Iran by women to end the mandatory hijab, while for others, it might recall images of Muslim women in France fighting against the Hijab ban. Such duality of the meaning… Read more »
Being Muslim vs. Looking Islamic by Derya Doğan
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 »
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 »
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 »
Dena El Saffar on her listening practices by Ezgi Benli
“To really have the spirit of the Middle Eastern music, you shouldn’t be looking at a piece of paper, you know, you should be looking at each other or closing your eyes or looking at your instrument.” Right before the pandemic, Dena and I were practicing for an upcoming Turkish concert. After our rehearsals, I… Read more »
FIRST GENERATION MOSQUE PRESIDENT?
FIRST GENERATION MOSQUE PRESIDENT? We often hear the term “first generation” used in contexts such as the first-generation college graduate, first-generation American, or first-generation immigrant, etc. However, at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo (ICGT), this term is used to define their former young female president Dr. Nadia Ashraf-Moghal, an emergency medicine doctor at Wood… Read more »