Are Muslim women being asked to change too much of themselves in order to fit in? ‘Modest fashion’ has been a defining style for the past decade. The trend for oversize silhouettes and loose layers has united fashion fans, religious and secular; it has been in part an attempt by western brands to buy into Read more
A GP forced out of work for asking a woman to remove her face veil (niqab) has attracted more than 20,000 signatures on a petition demanding his reinstatement. Dr Keith Wolverson could be struck off after “politely” asking a Muslim mother to remove the face veil so he could hear her properly as she described Read more
The symbolic image of defiant Sudanese protesters is empowering young Muslim women in New Zealand. Salma Abdalla and her friend Zoha Shuaib say the images of women protesting in Sudan, are a welcome counter to a frustrating stereotype – that Muslim women are submissive and oppressed by their faith. Continue reading
With the resurgence of public piety, more and more Muslims are aware of the need to balance being religious and being modern,” Eva Nisa, a lecturer in religious studies at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, told the Innovation Group. “For them, these are not opposed.” Her research specialties include Muslim youth in Malaysia Read more
A leading world critic of Muslim extremism says New Zealand should establish “assimilation centres” for migrants and refugees from Muslim countries. Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Netherlands MP for the right-wing People’s Party, has been under police protection since she made a film in 2004 about violence against women in some Muslim cultures. Continue Read more
When Donald Trump disparaged the parents of fallen Army Capt. Humayun Khan, he didn’t just pick a fight with the Khans. He now faces the ire of hundreds of Muslim American women. It started when Trump responded to the Khans’ appearance on Thursday (July 28) at the Democratic National Convention. During that appearance, Humayun Khan’s mother, Read more
Young Muslim women are helping to feed the homeless and in turn, crush negative perceptions of their faith. Members of Nisa – a group focused on women helping and empowering other women – volunteer their time to Christchurch charity Help for the Homeless once a month. University students Addeana Husaini, 19, Asayal Almutairi, 17 and Read more
Anjum Rahman is a Muslim woman who has lived in New Zealand for 41 years. Sh is the mother of four, is a candidate for the New Zealand a Labour Party in the upcoming September general elections. She unsuccessfully stood for the Hamilton City Council last year. If chosen this year, she will be the Read more
Anjum Rahman will never forget watching a man wave his fists in front of her as she drove down a street. She hadn’t done anything wrong – the Muslim mum-of-two was just wearing her headscarf. Instances of verbal abuse followed the intimidating experience, as some Kiwis reacted angrily to Muslim protests about cartoons published in Read more
There’s more to art and spirituality than meets the eye, ear or intellect. More is what lingers, soothing the troubled soul, leaving a bad taste, irritating beyond belief or what we thought we knew. More is about our interaction with that which is not obvious, a process that inadvertently engages us in co-creation of the Read more