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My Halal Kitchen: A Review

by Corbin ♥ 1 Comment

Reviewed by Theresa Corbin

I have been a fan girl of the website myhalalkitchen.com for some time. I might need a restraining order from the Pinterest page. So when I heard there was a book coming out, Oh My God, y’all, I was so excited. 

My Halal Kitchen review

If you are not familiar with the phenomenon that is Yvonne Maffei and her website, check it out. She did a podcast right here on islamwich not too long ago. Check that out too.

Yvonne’s website is a resource of all things halal (permissible), including tips, recipes, halal substitutes, a blog, and so much more. And with a following of 1.2 + million people on Facebook alone, it is a phenomenon not to be missed. 

The book, My Halal Kitchen by the same genius mind who created the website by the same name, is to me and many other Muslim American foodies, the answer to a prayer in an American gastronomic scene that is wrapped in bacon and battered with beer (i.e. mostly haram).

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The Truth About Child Marriages: Part 2

by Corbin ♥ 8 Comments

Written by Theresa Corbin in collaboration with Saadia Haq of The Human Lens

As we read in Part 1 (here), penned by our feminist friend, proud Pakistani, and human rights worker, Saadia Haq, we have a serious crisis in the Muslim world. Just one?! No, not by a long shot. But this particular crisis girls are facing is quite serious. Marriage. No child should even have to think about, much less fear the “M” word.

We are seeing a number of underaged Muslim girls being forced by their parents into marriages, all while being told that the injustices done to them are perfectly acceptable in Islam.

There is nothing new about claiming power illegitimately in the name of the Divine. It is the basis of my series, Take Back Islam. It happens in all faiths and at all levels, from familial to governmental.  

Slapping the label of religion on something doesn’t necessarily make is so. This is the case with child and forced marriages.

child marriage graphic p2

Underaged

Some use the following Qur’anic verse as a justification for underaged marriages:

“And if you are in doubt about those of your women who have despaired of menstruation, (you should know that) their waiting period is three months, and the same applies to those who have not menstruated as yet. As for pregnant women, their period ends when they have delivered their burden.” (Qur’an 65:4)

A better translation of this verse would be:

“Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if you have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the same): for those who carry (life within their wombs), their period is until they deliver their burdens: and for those who fear God, He will make their path easy.” (Qur’an 65:4)

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The Truth About Child Marriages: Myth v. Reality- Excavating Shariah, Part I

by Corbin ♥ 3 Comments

Part I, Written by Saadia Haq of The Human Lens in collaboration with Theresa Corbin

The topic of prevailing child marriages among Muslim communities makes the bravest of the brave writers think twice, as this thorny subject is sure to bring negative backlash to the persons ‘considered  traitors for airing the dirty linen’ in public.

But let’s not be fools as to bury our heads under the sand as certain groups use all sorts of excuses for global pedophilia. The prevalence of child marriages is evident in Africa Sub Saharan, Middle East and Asia. And when girls aged 7, 9 or 14 are married off, that’s just plain sick. Still in much of the Muslim world and or where Muslims live, the practice of child marriages continues because its part of the native ‘tradition and culture’.

child marriage part 1

 

… Continue reading about  victims of this inhuman and unIslamic practice in part 1 here on Saadia’s website.

Part 2 here

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Ramadan Ramp-Up

by Corbin ♥ 5 Comments

Written by Theresa Corbin

Ramadan is coming! And we are excited!!

What is Ramadan, you ask?

Ramadan is a month of fasting from sun up to sun down and so much more. Read more here if you are a non-Muslim and have like a million more questions.

Why would we be excited about THAT, you ask?

Well, if you let it, fasting in Ramadan can transform you into a healthier and more spiritual, grateful, charitable, patient, and disciplined person. Ramadan is a month where you empty your stomach to feed your soul.

This year, I decided to be prepared for Ramadan instead of letting it sneak up on me like I usually does. And I thought why not share my prep with the good people who come to islamwich. So here are a few great ways to prepare for the holy month. Please feel free to share yours in the comments.

Ramadan Ramp-up

Three ways to Ramp-Up to Ramadan

Pre-Ramadan Reminders

Fasting prior to the month of Ramadan is pretty much the only way to get your stomach ready for the Ramadan-athon. And bonus!, fasting any time of the year is good for the soul.

This year I made a printout that both lets me keep track of how many days are left until Ramadan and lets me know the times I have to begin and end my fast.

I bought a document frame (8.5″x 11″) at the Dollar Tree (holla! it’s a dolla!). Printed this doc that you can download here and used one of my liquid chalk pens (you can use dry erase marker or any marker that can be wiped away daily) to update on top of the glass of the picture frame. Read more ›

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A Part of Me Refused to Die: A Review

by Corbin ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Last week we posted a podcast (listen here) about our experiences in abusive relationships and why sabr, or patience, does not mean that anyone has to put up with abuse as it is a type of oppression. 

This week, we are taking a glimpse into a marriage that is abusive in  A Part of Me Refused to Die, and discover that some abuse victims are caught between the oppression of culture the liberation of Islam. 

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00098]

 

Review by Janet Kozak

The autobiographical, A Part of Me Refused to Die, is a harrowing story of redemption in which the heroine ultimately decides to stay in an abusive marriage.

Penned by author Nisha Sulthana and published by the small but growing independent Islamic publisher, Niyah Press, it’s a real-life tale of love, devotion, and patience – all in the face of unrelenting physical and emotional abuse. However, more than a collection of moments, it’s a story of increased connection to Allah and a deepening of religious experience.

When we throw ourselves into Nisha’s tale, and into her shoes, we learn that her decision to stay is due in part to cultural restrictions and taboos surrounding divorce. Her decisions are a by-product of un-relenting South Indian 1960s and 70s social pressure to put on a happy face and push her sons to succeed in studies and other projects – even though Nisha and her three boys were suffering every day behind closed doors.

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Just a Peek, Please?

by Corbin ♥ 1 Comment

Written by Janet Kozak

In January 2015, Artist Ameena Khan put a call out to some Muslim women. She asked for art contributions to her newest series of paintings entitled “Just a Peek, Please?” Those who replied to her inquiry were asked to give a personal statement they wanted to share with a stranger.

Khan did not give any guidance other than asking them to be honest. What the women sent back were stories, memories, poems, and confessions.

Khan also asked those who wore hijab to donate a scarf that she could use in the work. It was bold choice that makes the art all the more powerful. Knowing that the included scarves belonged to (and were worn by) real women, helps us connect more to both the art and story. The series of 26 mixed media paintings on 12″x12″ canvases was started and completed in 2015 – though Khan began brainstorming the concept about two years prior.

One of the 26 paintings and poems in the series, Stages of Live, depicts the poignant narrative life story of a woman who is proud to both wear hijab in life and be buried in it as well.

Stages of Life, 2015. Image copyright Ameena Khan
Stages of Life, 2015. Image copyright Ameena Khan

“When I donned the hijab in 1980, covering was like a carefully placed bandage over a deep wound. Since then I have covered at work, at school, while nursing my babies, through chemotherapy and radiation, and past hostile stares. In the end, when I return to Allah (SWT) my sisters in Islam will cover me in finality and with love. I live, and die, under this cover of honor.”

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Behind Picket Fences: A Review

by Corbin ♥ 9 Comments

Written by Theresa Corbin

A new book is out today, and I had the pleasure of getting an advanced copy.

Behind Picket Fences, by Hend Hegazi, is a fiction novel that follows the lives of 4 couples in one neighborhood. Honestly, I was not super jazzed about reading the book at first because most everything I pick up to read lately has been disappointing. :/

But after the first chapter of Behind Picket Fences flew by, I knew this book would was going to break the literary dry spell. Once I had finished the second chapter, I was living the story. Behind Picket Fences has so much raw, emotional truth in it that it brought me to tears, both happy and sad, a number of times. 

behind fences

 

Every chapter leaves you wanting more. And every new chapter picks up the thread of another couple’s story. Each tale beautifully interwoven with the others as the neighbors lives profoundly affect one another.

All couples see each other’s lives as some how better than their own, even though each couple has their own struggles to wade through. 

But the best part about this novel is that it normalizes Muslim life in America in a time where we desperately need to see that.

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