I am currently enrolled in a class at a university. It is Islam. I had my doubts at first, but one day, when we all were in class and I was listening to a Recitation of the Holy Qur’an, it felt like a burst of light and joy was coming from my heart. I literally had no idea what was going on, but I let myself feel it. I had tears streaming down my face, and it we were only about ten minutes or so into it, and the Sura was finished. The professor was done giving the example.

German Judge and Legal Orientalism
By  Mohammad Fadel

Originally Posted on Eteraz.Org

The Friday New York Times reported that a German judge denied a Moroccan woman’s request for an expedited divorce from her Moroccan husband – despite the apparently undisputed evidence that the husband had repeatedly abused her – on the grounds that such conduct is “common” in Morocco and that the “Koran . . . sanctions such physical abuse.” 

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the March 15 episode of The Colbert Report:

Hirsi Ali
Many Muslims have refused to question the doctrine itself, the submission within Islam as opposed to the majority of Christian who’ve been questioning it for ages, and who have now developed a Christianity that is defined only as love – love thy neighbor, where they’ve abolished hell, whereas most Muslims believe not only in a hereafter, but in Hell, and your not allowed to ask – put question marks on what is in the Quran.

Colbert:
I don’t know what Christianity you’ve been studying, but, uh, Hell’s still fairly prominent in some of the churches I’ve been to.

I just don’t get it. Why is this woman taken seriously?

On International Women’s day, on this site, one would think of the Muslim Woman. But when one—anyone, Muslim or non-Muslim—thinks of the Muslim Woman nowadays, what does one think of?

I haven't been posting because, well, I haven't been thinking in that "committed progressive theoretical up on my soap box" way lately.  I've been happy, sleeping, working, researching, doing other things like cleaning my apartment and organizing my dvds.  Then I thought this morning…wait a sec!  I am a progressive Muslim, then anything I am into is "progressive Islam" is it not?  Okay, I don't think that.  You caught me.  This is merely a ploy so that I might post some errata and call it progressive Islam cause I got naught else to write about:

Debra Mubashshir Majeed, Leila Montour, Sabina Snot-Face, and Laury Silvers designed the following petition. Please copy, forward, and sign if you choose. The designers of the petition represent a range of choices in Muslim modes of dress, hail from diverse Muslim communities, and support freedom of religion from state involvement. 

We hope to gather enough signatures to demonstrate to everyone in the Muslim community that protecting civil rights matters. In this respect the petition is only a gesture, but Godwilling a powerful one.

Brothers are encouraged to sign as allies, a support to the sisters standing for each other. 

WISE or Women's Islamic Initiative Spirituality is meeting in NYC on November 17-19. It will be a gathering of 100 distinguished women to share best practices, network, and God willing, create an advisory council of Muslim women to express women-centered concerns to global political and religious leaders. I like that they have made an effort to include women from different religious and political perspectives. God willing it will be diverse like the umma is diverse and represent the best of what we all have to offer.

WISE is focusing on long term goals, but the community also needs to keep its eye on the here and now.

Sisters Nurturing Sisters in Chicago provides homeless women and children the necessary resources to assist them in becoming self-sufficient. PI.Org would like to support projects like these by offering them webspace and management for free. Please contact us by leaving a comment below if we can help you in any way. SNS website does not seem to be active but it should be: sistersnurturingsisters.org

Please read through below about the Sisters Program. They need help making their most basic funding goals and project services.  Please help if you can:

Debra Mubashshir Majeed discusses marital rape and where we go from here following the responses to her pamphlet on Marital Rape she published here and used in a discussion on the topic at her mosque.

Debra Mubashshir Majeed writes,

I have read the responses to my initial posting in June with great interest. Since the taleem mentioned above, it has become increasingly obvious
that "we" — practicing Muslims and those who study our religion,
rituals, and lived realities — have much work to do on this very important issue. I cannot begin to tell you the depth of ignorance that is taught and shared as revelatory truth. Too many Muslim women arise before dawn each day to make salat and to live in contexts that confirm their sense of inferiority and marginalization. Popular interpretations of Islam suggest that men are the maintainers of women, and some of these women experience that very "maintenance" as domination, as control, and as abuse.