Category: Islam

Ranya Tabari Idilby: A secular Muslim-American mom

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Ranya Tabari Idilby is a 1st gen Palestinian-American woman who breaks down stereotypes many Americans have about Muslims.  She considers herself a typical American and concerned mother, who is raising 2 kids in NYC with her husband.  Ranya’s father was an engineer; he met her mother b/c his company was building a road near her house (no arranged marriage).  Ranya immigrated as a young girl to McLean, VA (Fairfax County).  She became a naturalized citizen at age 21.  None of the women in her family has ever worn a headscarf (not that there’s anything wrong w/ that).  She co-authored The Faith Club with two of her Christian and Jewish friends/neighbors/fellow moms. 

Ranya Tabari Idilby on HuffPost Live
Ranya Tabari Idilby on HuffPost Live

Values are something that are values of action.

HuffPost Interview:  Her kids, 9/11 anniversary, & interfaith marriage

Before 9/11, I was an accidental Muslim. 

WNYC’s The Leonard Lopate Show interview (1/15/14)

Idilby's new book cover
Idilby’s new book cover

Diversity is a natural development within the faith.

Discussion of her new memoir Burqas, Baseball, and Apple Pie & more: CSPAN: After Words (interviewed by Daisy Khan (12/4/13)

Love, Whiteness, and Girls in Turbans

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deonnasayed's avatarLove, InshAllah

Deonna

Lots of things have been going down at LoveInshallah.com and within the Muslim blogosphere. The recent article on Muslim men returning “back home” to find wives generated diverse cyber chatter, with various responses supporting or criticizing different positions.  On the heels of that debate, the Miptserz-coining, Somewhere in America, video featuring women  in hijabs and cool turbans skateboarding to Jay-Z generated widespread media controversy.  Again, Muslims drew well-argued lines on the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding the video’s use of hijab and contemporary representations of Muslim female identity.  In the middle of these developments, I had two appearances on NPR’s Tell Me More discussing issues around dating, race, and identity.

These events got me thinking about my own orientation to love and belonging.  This would not be page worthy except that these thoughts nudge against how I define myself as a Muslim in conjunction with a desire for…

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Reflections of a “good” girl

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Love, InshAllah's avatarLove, InshAllah

Eds. Note: This is a response to Thursday’s guest post, How I met my son’s mother. Have a perspective to share on love and relationships? Read our guidelines, here.

photo1

The setup is all too familiar.  Some odd years of rishta searching have clued me in to the familiar tone in my mom’s voice: “Aunty was telling me about this boy…”

Here we go again.

Many failed setups have me well-attuned to what to expect, so I usually brace myself as I listen quietly to the details I’m given – professional and personal, in addition to the usual qualifiers:

“Apparently they’re only looking for a hijabi.”

“The girl has to be willing to move to so and so city.”

“They want a professional girl, but they’re looking for a quick marriage so there can’t be any career tie-downs.”

“They want a girl who’s tall and fair and slim…

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My problem with traditional desi marriage

Emma2 Comments

Love, InshAllah's avatarLove, InshAllah

Eds. Note: This is a response to yesterday’s guest post, How I met my son’s mother. Have a perspective to share on love and relationships? Read our guidelines, here.

Update 11/26/13: Congratulations to writer Aisha Saeed on this post being chosen by the editors of WordPress for Freshly Pressed, highlighting the best posts on WordPress. In an email to LoveinshAllah.com, WordPress said: “Aisha Saeed’s response to your guest post about arranged marriages was a really powerful and articulate call for fairness and equality. She delivers her points with a great balance of passion and reason, which makes this piece engaging even for those who aren’t intimate with the debate surrounding marriage in south Asian communities. It’s a great post that deserves a wider audience.”

aisha

 

There’s a befuddling conundrum afoot in the desi (South Asian) community. You must first understand a few things:

a) For whatever reason…

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