There is no shortage of Muslim women to inspire, encourage and motivate. It’s 2017 and Muslim women across the globe are breaking stereotypes. No matter where they are located or what industry they are involved in — sport, fashion or politics — they are getting themselves known and setting...
The Moroccan king’s speech emphasizes the explicit need for Muslims to act according to values that promote comity, respect and dignity. The US presidential campaigns have staked out their positions on Muslim-Americans, Muslim immigrants and, by extension, Muslims worldwide. These positions...
The hajj has been shaped by interactions with Europe for several centuries. Though we don’t think of it this way, the hajj is very much a European affair. The hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, is a central ritual of the Muslim faith and one of the largest and oldest gatherings of people in...
Just think for a moment: Why are refugees headed for Europe and beyond? “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, / The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / The ceremony of innocence is drowned; / The best lack all conviction, while the worst...
The Republican frontrunner’s proposed policy has low benefits and high costs. Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entry to the United States started out as a political anomaly. Yet as the idea is repeated in the media, it is gradually slipping into the subconscious of American...
Legends based on polemic and fantasy distorted the image of medieval Nizari Ismaili Muslims, turning them into drug-crazed “assassins.” Legends of the Assassins first appeared in medieval times and circulated widely in both the Middle East and Europe. Arising from the mysterious practices...
The fine line between consumerism and religious credibility has been eroding at pilgrimage sites around the world. Preparations for this year’s Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca undertaken by devout Muslims at least once in their life, have been marred by the collapse of a crane at the Grand...
As Islamic fashion is becoming a global industry, plenty is happening on the couture front. The characteristic scent of Arabic perfumed oils linger around the entrance of Selfridges, a high-end Central London department store, where abaya-clad women from the Arabian Peninsula can often be seen...
Racism and discrimination are key features in the study of Muslim minority experiences in western Europe. In this TEDx talk at Fatih University in 2014, I took the opportunity to explore the nature of Muslim minority experiences in the West, with a particular focus on Britain. The key issues...
