Raising Proud Black Muslim Children
I spent a lot of time evaluating our relationship and realized that it is no longer working for me. This breakup may come as a surprise to you because I’ve always said I would never leave because my roots are here. Listen, even if you fix your racism, islamophobia, and brooding fascism by some miracle, it still would not work out between us. Goodbye America
I am constantly searching for books on parenting and motherhood from a Black perspective so when I ran across Motherhood So White at my local library, I was immediately interested. I find that majority of the parenting books center the white experience and present it as the norm. While Black parents are left searching for books to help them navigate the common experiences of childhood and to provide culturally relevant information about parenting.
I struggle with the role I play in stealing pieces of her innocence. From showing her the video to having numerous “talks” with her about how to behave when dealing with the police or other authority figures.
That Sunday, after the new moon has been sighted and grocery shopping for suhoor (pre-dawn breakfast) was purchased, Hafsa became a woman in the Islamic sense. Immediately after she gave me the news, I texted my sisters, sister-friends and my Black mother's circle because I needed advice on how to navigate this new role for… Continue reading Becoming a Muslim Woman
Recently I sat down with Azhar, Pakistani and Azziza, African American, to discuss their experience raising two children (Majied -12 and Azhara – 6) in America while navigating racism and Islamophobia.
As I alluded to in Hafsa: A Difficult Name, Hafsa is no longer attending the local Muslim school. We had several issues with the school, including how being in a predominate South Asian and Arab environment may affect her self-worth. We were also concerned about whether she was being challenged in her secular classes and… Continue reading Part 3 – Black in a Muslim School No More
“Give your daughters difficult names. Give your daughters names that command the full use of the tongue. my name makes you want to tell me the truth. my name doesn’t allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right.” From teaching my mother how to give birth by Warshan Shire After I take her… Continue reading Hafsa: A Difficult Name
Today, August 9th is a holiday for my people, it is #BookLoversDay. This holiday encourages everyone to pick up a book and read. These are some of my favorite books broken up by genres. Fiction I read a lot of books about slavery because those who do not know the past will repeat it. Also, it… Continue reading What To Read On #BookLoversDay
The tragic deaths of Kate Spade, a fashion designer, and Anthony Bourdain, a celebrity chef, it served as a reminder that mental health conditions do not discriminate based on celebrity or wealth. However, there are still some of us within the Black and Muslim community who believe that these conditions are only for white, non-Muslims… Continue reading 4 Harmful Mental Health Myths in the Black and Muslim Communities
Below is my conversation with Sana, a Palestinian and Jason, Black American, about how they are raising their two Muslim male children, Jameel (13) and Mallik (9) while dealing with racism and Islamophobia. Both Jason and Sana were born Muslim, they have been married since 1999 and live in Florida. Black Seedlings: For Jason, was… Continue reading How These Parents Are Managing Racism and Islamophobia
