Jezebel: Muslim

Holy Vibrators Make Sex A Religious Experience

Cassie Murdoch — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST

When one thinks of a devout religious couple in bed together — as one so often does — giant, throbbing dildos and risqué lingerie aren't usually part of the picture. But that's about to change, thanks to a growing number of websites that have started selling religion-approved sex toys. These smart God-trepeneurs have figured out how to make money off the praying kind: by taking regular sex toys and turning them into special holy sex toys! Kind of like how its okay to drink the wine in church because you pretend its Jesus blood. Except in this case the vibrators and tubes of lube aren't receiving any kind of holy blessing — they're just being put in different, less tit-and-cock-laden boxes and described with less salacious copy. More »

Woman May Be Sent To Prison For Violating French Burqa Ban

Margaret Hartmann — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:05:00 EST

Hind Ahmas, a 32-year-old French mother, is facing two years in prison and a $42,000 fine because she refuses to accept the government's new ban on wearing the burqa or niqab in public. Ahmas was banned from her own trial yesterday because she wouldn't remove her veil, and during the proceeding she was ordered to spend 15 days learning about her civic duties. She responded, "There is no possibility of me removing the veil ... I'm not taking it off. The judge needs citizenship lessons, not me." Ahmas is expected to become the first woman sentenced to jail under the ban, and she plans to bring her case before the European Court of Human Rights. More »

Canada Bans Muslim Women From Wearing Veils At Citizenship Ceremonies

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:50:00 EST

There are already reports that France's "burqa ban" is inciting more harassment of Muslim women, and now it's giving other countries horrible ideas. Yesterday, the Canadian government announced that from now on Muslim women must take off or lift their veil when taking the oath of citizenship. We expected so much better from our supposedly-sensible neighbors to the north. More »

Muslim Woman Gives The Stinkeye At Suggestion That Islam Is 'Simple To Follow'

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:30:00 EST

All-American Muslim's Nina Bazzy does not wear a hijab or abaya — she prefers her ensembles to be tight and short. She's a successful party planner, and wants to open a club, but her parents consider that to be preposterous, because she is a woman. Her mother told her that a woman needs to be home with her family; when Nina asked if it would be different if she were a man, the answer was yes, of course. It was interesting to watch the dynamic between Nina and her mother as Nina tried to get dressed to go to the mosque. She obviously wants to please her parents, but she also loves her low-cut stretch tanks and high heels, and feels like there's not a lot of freedom for a traditional/conservative Muslim woman. When she and the other castmembers sat on a couch discussing the rules of Islam and its restrictions as a religion, Coach Zaban said, "I feel that it's very simple and easy to follow." The camera cut to Nina, giving a subtle stinkeye. Coach Zaban doesn't have to cover his hair. No one is telling Coach Zaban what kind of business he can and cannot run. More »

The Connection Between The Hijab & Infertility

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:50:00 EST

On last night's episode of All-American Muslim, we spent some time with Samira, who is struggling to conceive a child. She visited her imam — the leader of her mosque — to talk about IVF, but he had bad news, saying that if she used her husband's sperm, it would be okay, but using some other man's sperm to get pregnant was forbidden by God. (Samira and her husband both have fertility issues.) Samira decided that in order to be blessed with a child, she needed to try and please God — by wearing a hijab, which she hasn't worn since 9/11. She stopped wearing a headscarf after 9/11, she says, because "there are still people who view Muslims and view Islam as something that's scary." Samira still worries about going on vacation or being "in the middle of nowhere," and having people "freak out" because she is wearing a hijab. More »

Supreme Court Allows Woman To Sue Jail For Hijab Removal

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:26:00 EDT

In 2006, Souhair Khatib went to a jail in Orange County, California to ask for more time to complete her community service. She wound up being jailed for several hours, and deputies made her take off her hijab, though she told them it's against her religious beliefs to remove her head scarf in public. Her case was dismissed twice when courts found that a holding cell is a some kind of special zone where laws that allow prisoners to wear religious garmets don't apply. Today the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed her case, and ruled that she can go ahead with her lawsuit against the jail. More »

School Pulls Musical About Muslims Due To 9/11 Fearmongering

Margaret Hartmann — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:40:00 EDT

The Richland School District in Pennsylvania was planning to stage the musical Kismet in February, but switched to Oklahoma! after parents complained about performing a show about a Muslim poet so close to the anniversary of 9/11. Administrators admit there's no objectionable content in the Tony Award-winning musical, but Superintendent Thomas Fleming says he wants to avoid controversy. The AP reports: More »

French Burqa Ban Has Succeeded In Making Things Worse

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:15:00 EDT

France instituted a ban on wearing face coverings in public in April, and the first fines may be handed down this week. In the past six months, authorities have been hesitant to enforce the measure, and many police officers are simply looking the other way when they see a woman in a veil. While the ban was ostensibly enacted to keep women safe, its biggest effect to date has been to increase the street harassment of Muslim women. More »

Malaysian Woman Not Allowed To Change Religions

Anna North — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:58:00 EDT

In Malaysia, religious courts exist to try Muslims, while other citizens can use civil courts. This causes problems, like this one: Kamariah Ali was born a Muslim, but now follows a religion called Sky Kingdom. Under Muslim law, she faces jail for apostasy. She wants a civil court to recognize her as non-Muslim so she can avoid this charge, but the court has refused. Result: Ali will have to go before a Muslim court for the crime of not being a Muslim anymore. The mind reels. More »

Girl Charged In Hijab Hate Crime

Anna North — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:45:00 EDT

The Staten Island boy charged with a hate crime for trying to rip off a classmate's hijab apparently had an accomplice — a 13-year-old girl also charged with a hate crime. The girl — and her school — have a history of infractions. More »

Brother Assaulted Harry Potter Actress For Dating Non-Muslim

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST

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The brother of Afshan Azad, who played Padma Patil in the Harry Potter movies, pled guilty yesterday to assaulting her after learning she was dating a non-Muslim. He and their father were found not guilty of threatening to kill her. More »

Inked Youth Make Their Own Runway

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:48:00 EST

[Yemen, November 17: Children dressed in new clothes play in an alley on the second day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice. Image via AP.]

The Controversial Persona & Artwork Of "Princess Hijab"

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:16:00 EST

Princess Hijab is a street artist in Paris who uses dripping black paint to cover models in subway ads, giving them niqabs. Veils. More »

Students Share A Light On Diwali

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 09:51:52 EDT

[India, November 4: Muslim students light earthen lamps to mark Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at a school in Ahmadabad. Image via AP.]

French Senate Approves Burqa Ban

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:30:00 EDT

The vote was 246 to 1, banning any veils that cover the face. A person wearing a veil can be fined 150€ ($190). Force a woman to wear a niqab or burqa and spend a year in prison. More »

Disneyland Employee Files Complaint Over No-Hijab Rule

Anna North — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:12:00 EDT

A Muslim woman announced today that she'll be filing a discrimination complaint against Disneyland because her bosses there sent her home for wearing her hijab. More »

Study Says Women Peak At 31

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:09:00 EDT

A recent survey of 2,000 Brits found that women are generally perceived to be at their "most attractive" at the ripe old age of 31. Researchers also found that confidence was more importance than looks in defining beauty.

Muslim Madness! Myths Surrounding Sharia

LatoyaPeterson — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:30:00 EDT

One of our tipsters sent a disturbing email she received as a forward, which apparently warns against the impending destruction of the West. I spoke to Fatemeh Fakhraie, editor of Muslimah Media Watch in hopes of sorting it all out. More »

Muslim-Owned Shop Bans Women Wearing Veils

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:20:00 EDT

A jewelry store in Glasgow says customers cannot wear anything covering their faces, following a robbery by men disguised as Muslim women. Veil-wearing women, however, can schedule an appointment with a female staffer. [The Telegraph] More »

Murder Of Muslim-American Woman Sparks Media Frenzy

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:30:00 EST

Sometime last week, Aasiya Hassan, 37, filed for divorce. Several days later, she was dead. On Thursday, her husband, Muzzammil Hassan, went to the police and told them where they could find the body. More »

Is Hijab Tourism Educational Or Offensive?

Megan Carpentier — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST

Hailey Woldt is part of an anthropological project, led by American University Islamic studies professor Akbar Ahmed, to document what it is to be Muslim in America after September 11th. Her assignment: wear an abaya. More »

Mufti Wants Men & Women To Pray Together • Lori Drew Case Not Dismissed

Maria — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:30:00 EST

• The Mufti of Australia wants to allow men and women to pray together in the country's mosques—a tradition which he says is a cultural, not religious, requirement dictated by the Koran. • A new super scientific survey from Australia claims that female drivers become more frazzled by rain than men. • A woman in England was given a suspended jail sentence for concealing the birth of her possibly stillborn child, whom she claims she unknowingly gave birth to while on the toilet. • An English couple with the last name of Strange suspect that their leather settee is haunted. • More »

Via Jill at Feministe comes the sad news...

Megan Carpentier — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:20:00 EST

Via Jill at Feministe comes the sad news that the Chinese government is attempting to force a woman to end her pregnancy very late in her second trimester to comply with China's one-child law. Jill points out that groups like the UN Population Fund — a target of the conservative, anti-abortion Mexico City Policy that de-funds family planning groups that talk about abortion abroad — "have been successful in lowering the rate of forcible and coerced abortion" but they are stymied by their efforts in China to allow women the choice to carry a pregnancy by the supposedly pro-life policies of the United States that eliminates their funding. Oh, the smell of hypocrisy in the evening. [Feministe] More »

When Robin Yassin-Kassab met his wife Rana...

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:40:00 EST

When Robin Yassin-Kassab met his wife Rana in Syria, where half of the women wore the hijab, he thought she shared his liberal values because she did not cover her head. But five years into their marriage Rana decided to start wearing the hijab, against her husband's wishes. "What really bothered me was people thinking Rana wore it because I forced her to," says Robin. Rana says before she began wearing the scarf, "I had not realized how much I had used the way I looked to get me places, be it in a job interview or at a party." She credits wearing the headscarf with making her develop her personality, and says that over time her husband has, "realized that this is what I want and he's given me the freedom to do it." [The Guardian] More »

Mahbooba Ahadgar Still Not In Italy, Probably Not In The Olympics

Megan Carpentier — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EDT

A couple weeks ago we weighed in on the story of Mahbooba Ahadgar, the third woman from Afghanistan to ever qualify for the Olympics. She disappeared from an Olympic training facility in Italy on July 4th and many people worried that the extremists who had been threatening her for weeks might have finally gotten their way. Well, there's good news and bad news. Mahbooba's alive, but her harassers might yet be getting their way. More »

Missing In Sports, And Italy: Mahbooba Ahadgar

Megan Carpentier — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Mahbooba Ahadgar is a runner from Afghanistan, the third Afghan woman ever to qualify for the Olympics and the only one scheduled to compete this year. I say "scheduled to compete" because nobody really knows where she is right now, or even if she's safe. More »

Islamic authorities in Kota Bharu, a city...

Maria — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:45:00 EDT

Islamic authorities in Kota Bharu, a city in northern Malaysia, have distributed pamphlets urging women to forsake bright makeup and high heels to avoid being raped. The authorities (mocked by Malaysian liberals as "Taliban lite") justify their actions by saying they are simply making suggestions for women who want to lead a "100% Islamic" way of life. However, women who want to follow the suggestion against high heels but still want to channel their inner Carrie Bradshaws can do so as long as they pad their heels to mute the sound. Bright red lipstick is still strongly discouraged, because it is so Fall/Winter 2007. [Guardian] More »

Please Send Lawyers, Daniel Craig and Money

Megan Carpentier — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:00:32 EDT

Does someone have $38,001 they can loan me? Because film producer Barbara Broccoli paid $38,000 to charity to kiss Daniel Craig and, um, hell yeah. [AP]
Speaking of bad loans, hundreds of people have been arrested for making them, including 2 Bear Sterns guys. The economic damage, well, no one knows how to fix that. [Washington Post]
As previously mentioned, Barack Obama is foregoing federal campaign funding because he doesn't need your stinkin' money. Well, I mean, he needs your money, he just doesn't want the government to be the go-between. Who's small government now (that it benefits him)? [NY Times]
Actually, for the record, one of the guys who wrote the law thinks it's a smart decision because Obama really, actually doesn't need the money. [HuffPo]

Juashaunna Kelly is the fastest girl in...

Jennifer — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:45:00 EST

Juashaunna Kelly is the fastest girl in all of D.C. The track star, and observant Muslim, however, was banned from a meet on Saturday because of her uniform, a custom-made creation that covers her head, torso, arms, and legs in accordance with Islam's modesty laws. And though Kelly has competed in the uniform before, the director of the meet said it stood in violation of National Federation of State High School Associations. Says Juashaunna's mother Sarah: "First, they said she had to take her hood off. Then, they said she can't have anything with logos displayed. Then, they said she had to turn it inside out. When I told them that there weren't any logos on it, they said she had to put a plain white T-shirt on over it." Says us: This is bullshit — let the young woman run. [MSNBC] More »

14-Year-Old Girl's Bracelet Gets Her Kicked Out Of School

Jennifer — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST

In the UK, a 14-year old girl has been tossed out of school for wearing a bracelet. Thing is, she's Sikh. And the bracelet, a Kara, is a part of her faith. Her school says the bangle stands in violation of their dress code, which prevents not only the wearing of jewelry, but also the wearing of any accessories that would announce one's religion. (Earlier this year, a Muslim student was denied the right to wear her head scarf and a Christian student, was told by England's high court that she didn't have the right to wear a ring that served as a token of her chastity pledge.) More »

The Terrorists Win Again On TheKnot.com

Jennifer — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:01:09 EDT

Poor goldenshell84. She's marrying a man of mysterious "Middle Eastern descent" and her rich parents won't pay for the wedding, even though she lives in Manhattan and it's sooooo expensive. So naturally, she consults the good citizens on The Knot message boards. And they so totally understand her plight:

ootmother2:well, there are a good number of terrorists hiding in NYC. Does he drive a cab?

Funny you should mention terrorism, ootmom, because we're sort of starting to understand it! More »