Category: Shorts

Shorts

American Failure of “Lesser of Two Evils”

Palestine was and remains the red line, but Biden and his allies have decided to draw “no red lines for Israel.”The political class has taken to writing think pieces and downtrodden essays about how their party, and by extension their wallets, will suffer if we retract our votes. The White House is “scrambling to repair relations” with Muslim and Arab constituents.

Most of us do not care about American political realities or “MAGA-style fascism” right now because our suffering pales in the face of brutal genocide. Where is the Democratic party’s love for labeling all things conservative as fascist in the brutal occupation of Palestine? What have these parties done for us? Perhaps there is a pragmatic justification for invoking votes. Surely, the Democratic party will reconsider its stance when faced with the prospect of losing. But maybe they will continue complicity in foreign slaughter, knowing we’ll begrudgingly hand over our votes anyway. Continue reading American Failure of “Lesser of Two Evils”

zmsidd and Farhana KhanLeave a comment
Shorts

The Palestinian Conflict is an Islamic One

A version of this article was originally published here and has been republished with the author’s permission. Language is molded by perception and ideas, forming our worldview. It is not only how we communicate with others, but also how we construct our beliefs (something the media and the movie industry know all too well.) We have seen its importance reflected throughout history, for example, in … Continue reading The Palestinian Conflict is an Islamic One

Khalifa Al-Thani1 Comment
Shorts

The Palestinians are Offside: Observations on German Football

In April 2022, Borussia Dortmund, a German club, that in recent times has distinguished itself on the football world for the development of players such as Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho, hosted a charity match against Ukrainian club, Dynamo Kyiv, to raise funds for Ukrainian civilians affected by the Russian invasion. Both teams and officials raised a banner with the slogan “Stop War.” While their efforts were noble, raising over 400,000 Euros for the cause, it is ironic, to say the least, that four days after this display of goodwill, Dortmund announced its trip to Israel for a friendly match against an Israeli club postseason. Although the trip was quickly called off, or rather, postponed to an indefinite date for “security reasons,” it is hard to ignore the hypocrisy of values the club allegedly holds.  Continue reading The Palestinians are Offside: Observations on German Football

Mona Zaneefer1 Comment
Shorts

The Importance of Utilizing Islamic Unicode

With the advent of the Internet, unicode, “txt tlk,” and emoji have become standard in our day-to-day communication. We do not just write abbreviations like “LOL” with our hands, we say them out loud with our mouths. So much so, that the original phrase — laugh out loud — has been completely replaced with “LOL.” We abbreviate phrases like these for our personal convenience. “TTYL” … Continue reading The Importance of Utilizing Islamic Unicode

Hannah Alkadi2 Comments
Shorts

Can the Liberal State Ever Be Neutral When It Comes to Muslims?

With his usual eloquence, Shadi Hamid attempts to make sense of an issue dominating Muslim dinner table conversation on both sides of the Atlantic, that of LGBTQ-themed lessons in state schools. His basic argument? It is not a dereliction of liberal norms to tolerate the protest of Muslim parents who fear the ever-encroaching state imposition of liberal social mores on their children. Liberalism, he surmises, especially within the US constitutional context, prioritizes the neutral state, one that does not side with any particular version of the good life. Instead, in the case of the US, it guarantees to protect sincerely held convictions through the First Amendment rights to religious beliefs — however disturbing these views may seem to wider society. Continue reading Can the Liberal State Ever Be Neutral When It Comes to Muslims?

Muhammad JalalLeave a comment
Shorts

The Insidious Origin and Nature of ‘Barbie’ 

With the release of the new Barbie movie, toy manufacturer and entertainment company, Mattel, is setting out to bedazzle a fresh generation of girls into jumping on the “Barbie bandwagon.” The hype has been massive, with marketing techniques such as the introduction of a new Barbie filter that makes you pink, poreless and pretty filling social media. Countless of advertisements and promotions such as Celebrating Pride Month “These Barbies and Kens want to wish you all a happy #PrideMonth!” have public spaces. After all, as the slogan goes “Barbie: You Can Be Anything!” Continue reading The Insidious Origin and Nature of ‘Barbie’ 

Farhat AminLeave a comment
Shorts

Palestinian Activism in the West and LGBTQ Alliance

Like clockwork, this June a slew of “pride” themed ad campaigns and social media posts filled online spaces. While participation in celebrating sodomy and cross-dressing is nothing new to non-Muslims and fringes of self-proclaimed Muslims who ascribe to progressive interpretations of Islam, what has emerged more recently is a celebration and endorsement of LGBTQ+ ideology and lifestyle by some of the most prominent Palestinian activists, advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations. This includes the Palestinian BDS National Committee, IMEU, and USCPR. Continue reading Palestinian Activism in the West and LGBTQ Alliance

Nada H.Leave a comment
Shorts

The Perplexing Status Quo for Muslim Fiction

In the category of young adult (YA) fiction, one can find a relatively solid number of Muslim-oriented novels, some of which are consistently championed in the Muslim novel-reading community for their positive representation of Muslims. Through mass marketing, these portrayals are lauded and viewed as authentic. Though I do not personally read young adult fiction, it recently occured to me that I could perhaps curate a small Muslim fiction collection in the library of the school where I work. I began to research the most popular YA novels which were repeatedly garnered praised across social media. The project was exciting, I hoped that teenagers seeing themselves in such novels would not only lead them to read more books, but also aid them in feeling proud and confident in their identities. Continue reading The Perplexing Status Quo for Muslim Fiction

Mona Zaneefer1 Comment
Shorts

Of Pharaoh and Thamud

A few hundred kilometers northwest of Medina lies the valley of Al-Hijr, where Thamud, the tribe of Saleh (pbuh), once dwelt. All that remains of the land they once inhabited is marvelous architecture — towering, ornately carved stone outcrops that survive to this day. When the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions passed through this valley on their way to the Battle of Tabuk, he instructed them saying, “Do not enter the ruined dwellings of those who were unjust to themselves unless (you enter) weeping, lest you should suffer the same punishment as was inflicted upon them.”[1] Continue reading Of Pharaoh and Thamud

Khadija S.1 Comment