The Expressions Narrative Project is a platform dedicated to the voices and perspectives of Muslim women, from activists and artists to professors and political representatives. This blog showcases personal narratives expressing Muslim women's thoughts, opinions, and lived experiences.
All that I know about community care and community service is what I learned from the example of my grandparents and my parents. They taught me that we each have a duty to use our particular talents in service of our people. Since my grandfather was a chef in the navy and my grandmother was a kitchen manager for a nursing home, a major part of their contribution to the community was cooking. They would spend hours in the kitchen preparing meals to give away.
Read MoreAt that time, the Nation was called the Lost Found Nation of Islam. As I learned more about our history from Imam Muhammad and other teachers and ministers, I realized how fitting a name that was. When we were brought to this country as enslaved people, everything was stripped from us, down to our names. We were a lost people. But through the Nation, we could rediscover our culture, our people, our power. We could remake ourselves and remake the world
Read MoreYet, beyond the hospital's embrace, I encountered a jarring contrast — a world where compassion intertwined with insensitivity. Friends and family rallied around me, offering the strength to carry out the burial and janazah [funeral prayer] for my precious Asiya Meriam. Their presence during the janazah and the tender care they provided were a lifeline, but the aftermath of my daughter's passing revealed a disparity within my community. Opinions and judgments echoed, casting a shadow on my grief.
Read MoreWhen Muslim women are empowered with the knowledge, confidence, and safe space that they need to become healthier, our entire communities become healthier. As activists, mothers, scholars, aunties, and community leaders, women play critical roles in caring for our communities. When we take care of ourselves, we can uplift all those around us.
Read More“The year was 2006, I was a newlywed, and I found myself staring at a positive pregnancy test. Just the previous week I had received a letter congratulating me on my acceptance into podiatric medical school. I was going to be a doctor…or was I? As I sat there staring at my positive pregnancy test and my acceptance letter, I wondered if I could actually do both.”
Read More“Whenever I feel too tired, when I feel weighed down by the day’s indignities, when being a Black Muslim woman living in the United States feels like a perpetual fight between a desire to simply live—a desire for my people to simply live—and the ideologies and structures aimed at eradicating us, when I feel like I am not doing enough, when I feel my uncomplicated love for my people is not enough to keep on keeping on, when I feel hopeless, I think about Dr. Betty Shabazz and feel strengthened by her example.”
Read More“Being the first Black Muslim woman elected to the school board in 2020 and elected as the Chair of the Board in 2023 is another victory for our community. When it gets difficult, I find motivation and hope in my faith. I remind myself that Allah (swt) would never put a burden on me greater than I can bear. My daily prayer is that He guides me and leads my words and my actions. I find myself thinking about the legacy of powerful Muslim women who overcame challenges and our ancestors and pioneers who fought for future generations to make life better for us. I have a duty to continue to carry the baton and make it better for those who come after me.”
Read More“This country, even though its history is drenched in the blood of African Americans, would like us to feel as if we had no history of our own. And when it comes to the Muslim community, some think of Islam as an Arab religion or an immigrant religion. But I don’t see a conflict between my traditions, my lifestyle, and my faith. If Allah had wanted, He could have made us all the same, but I think that Islam is meant to dignify us in our own skins.”
Read MoreWe know our community wants to know more about our recent leadership transition, so we sat down with Nausheena and Malika to talk about transitioning leadership with community trust, support, and love.
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