Mawlid al-Nabi, also known as the Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday, is an annual celebration that holds deep religious and cultural significance for Muslims across the globe. The term “Mawlid” comes from the Arabic word “مولد,” meaning “birth,” and the full expression “Mawlid Al-Nabi” or “AL-Mawlid Al-Nabawi” translates to “the birth of the Prophet.” Observed on the… Read more »
Muslim World
Hui (Chinese-speaking) Muslims in China by Jing Xu
China’s Hui population, numbering around 10 million, is a unique ethnic group that practices Islam and is dispersed across various provinces such as Ningxia, Gansu, Xinjiang (also referred to by many as East Turkestan), Shanxi, Shaanxi, Yunan, Tibet, Hebei, and Inner Mongolia. Notably, this group also extends beyond China’s borders, with a presence in Central… Read more »
Empowerment of Muslim Women in India – Underestimated and Misconceived by Rabia Omar
Past, present and the future are all connected by a string into a loop. The past can be lauded for all its inventions and development but should also be held responsible for all the evils that have rippled into the present. A common factor between these concepts of time is the people who control and… Read more »
Commemorating Sacrifice and Resilience: Understanding the Importance of Ashura by Ashhad Hassan Malik
Growing up in a Muslim household, situated in the Sunni-dominant country of Pakistan, I was exposed to various religious traditions, from fasting in Ramadan to Eid celebrations to praying on Holy nights. However, the significance of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic new calendar, was less emphasized or not clear enough to me. With… Read more »
The Everlasting Message of Ḥusayn: A Legacy of Humanity and Faith by Dr. SeyedAmir Asghari
The martyrdom of Ḥusayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, and his family, and his loyal companions is commemorated every year on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram, particularly within Shia Islam. This event is central to the Shia faith, symbolizing the eternal struggle between truth and falsehood, justice and oppression.
Family, Society, Culture, and Heritage by Derya Doğan
Being a Muslim is becoming an increasingly complex faith-based identity, that is greatly impacted by cultural, social, historical, and political dynamics in today’s world. People have started using hyphenated identities such as liberal-, conservative-, secular-, or progressive-Muslim to define themselves. Some argue that using such terminology makes the Muslim identity about the politics of liberalism,… Read more »
Experiencing a Persian Heritage, Culture, and in a Muslim-Majority Country: Tajikistan by Mayesha Awal
In the summer of 2016, I embraced the opportunity to participate in a language-immersion program in Tajikistan through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y). NSLI-Y is one of the U.S. Department of State’s government initiatives to foster international cooperation by ensuring that Americans have the linguistic skills and cultural knowledge necessary to effectively… Read more »
Muslim World Interactions and Battling Islamophobia by Derya Doğan
Despite a range of efforts by organizations such as Mipsterz, Pew Research Center, The Australian Muslim Women’s Center for Human Rights, and Muslim.sg to increase awareness about diversity of Muslims and Muslim cultures across the world, the stereotypical belief that all Muslims are Arabs, and all Arabs are Muslim, remains to be prominent. There is… Read more »
Entrepreneurship, Environmental Focus, and Cultural Awareness in Mbour, Senegal by Mayesha Awal
In 2017, I had the opportunity to visit the small town of Mbour in Senegal for a community service-learning trip. Senegal is a majority-Muslim country, with 97 percent of the population practicing Islam. I went to Senegal with an environment club during my undergraduate studies at Georgetown University, which was the largest sustainability-focused club on… Read more »
Music and War: Thoughts from Syria by Cecilia Ball and Madison McEwen
Music is widely understood as a key to understanding any culture, but Arab music should be considered a zenith of musical history and progression for the world. Frequently possessing long, haunting melodies and traditional instruments unused in the Western world, Arab music can invoke different feelings in listeners who are unaccustomed to its sounds and… Read more »