Samurai Sister-Style!

I stumbled across a gold mine yesterday.

With all the hatred that’s been spewing Iran’s way lately, I pretty much found what equates to being a needle in a haystack in regards to Iran being considered an “extreme and oppressive” regime.

Curious?

Wait for it…

IRANIAN FEMALE NINJAS!!

Come on now. How awesome is THAT?

Amongst the 3,500 Iranian women currently in training to become ninjas, these women are practicing the Japanese art of Ninjutsu as an expression of strength and self-empowerment. There are many Ninjutsu schools as well as in independently run clubs throughout Iran working under the Ministry of Sports’ Martial Arts Federation.

How’s that for being “oppressed”?

Here are some other amazing shots:

The rest of the pictures can be found here.

Simply thrilled that pictures like this were being made public so as to fight misconceptions people have about many Muslim countries like Iran, I find these women inspirational. They’re not only learning self-defense as a part of self-expression, they’re literally fighting back against all the stereotypes and misconceptions out there about Muslim women.

Caught up in the ninjutsu momentum, I decided to see if similar initiatives were being undertaken across other international Muslim communities. Lo and behold, I came across several:

In India, Muslim girls ages 10-16 at St. Maaz High School are taught the Chinese wushu martial arts, following the footsteps of many Shaolin warriors. The same school also teaches Vietnam Vovinam martial arts.

More pictures can be found here.

In Afghanistan, girls from Kabul are currently training as boxers to compete in the London Olympics, where women’s boxing will be a medal sport for the first time. Considered to be the “fighting futures of their country”, these girls are determined to represent Afghanistan at the Olympics. More pictures can be found here.

Additionally, guess what other self-defense practice Afghan girls are good at?

You guessed it.

Chinese Wushu! It clearly seems to be trending amongst Muslim women in South and Central Asia.

These women are just some of the many Muslim women all over the world that are embarking on incorporating self-defense as a form of self-expression. In my opinion, they’re setting the standard for not only other Muslim women, but for women all over the world. Sometimes, it takes a push (in this case, being told that you’re oppressed) for someone to push themselves to show themselves and everyone else how liberated they truly are.

As a Muslim woman, I can’t help but look at these sisters in Islam with pride and adoration. They’re truly taking the initiative in transforming misconceptions and stereotypes about Muslim women all over the world and I, for one, am grateful. Not only are they confident enough to achieve their truest potentials and to be all that they can be, but they’re showing the world that they are capable of doing so and will not allow any type of oppression to prevent them from being the amazing and inspiration role models they are to the rest of us.

To all the haters, I dare you to tell them otherwise. You might not make it past the first sentence.

To everyone else, I know one thing for sure.

I want to be a ninja .

“Where We Came From, Where We Are Going”

On February 10th and 11th, the Islamic Center at New York University hosted its 3rd Annual ICNYU Conference with over 500 people in attendance. This year’s theme highlighted Muslim activists and was titled “Where We Came From, Where We Are Going.”

Every year, this conference highlighted leaders and activists from the American Muslim community who would speak about the current challenges faced by American Muslims as well as their future potentials.  This year’s speakers included Suhaib Webb, Linda Sarsour, Abdallah Adhami, Haroon Moghul, Maryum Khwaja, Khalid Latif, Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Khadijah Abdul-Matin, Wajahat Ali, Aliya Latif, Dawood Yasin and Shair Abdul-Mani.

For those that are looking to make a change in their community or who want to immerse themselves in an atmosphere that promotes social justice and community-based activism for Muslim Americans, this conference is the perfect hotspot.

Since this was my first time attending, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Modeled after the yearly ICNA conferences in Hartfored, CT, the ICNYU had a similar format. Different speakers would speak on different topics and there would be Q&A’s at the end of every session. A bazaar was set up outside, with vendors advertising various non-profits, small businesses and mosques.

Lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the theme of this year’s conference was focusing on one of my favorite topics: activism. Additionally, various aspects of Muslim life were also discussed. Sheikh Abdallah Adhami and Sheikh Khalil Abdur Rashid led a session on continuity and change in Islamic law. Maryam Khwaja discussed unhealthy relationships and what their signs are.

One of my favorite lectures was surprisingly Dawood Yasin’s session on Islamic Ethos and Environmental Stewardship. Not really considering myself an environmentalist, I was surprised when his words actually left me feeling a closer kinship to the earth, as certain facts were made apparent to me that I hadn’t really considered before.

In one gem, regarding environmental pollution, Dawood Yasin stated that “The earth will bear witness against those who harm it.”

Now we all know that littering is bad. We also know that we were created from dust. But how many of us actually take the time to think about how the two connect and how littering and pollution affects us as Muslims. Just the mere thought that the earth holds such a significant place in the Islamic scheme of things was enough to snap me out of my reverie, make me sit up straight and listen to what would happen if I didn’t do my job and prevent environmental hazards. This very earth would testify against me on the Last Day if I didn’t do my job in taking care of it and contributed to its destruction.

In another gem, Sheikh Yasin stated there’s a reason why all human beings find tranquility in nature. As Muslims, we are told to ponder God’s Creation when we are amongst nature. But even non-Muslims find tranquility in nature. His opinion on this:

“It’s the first time people are in a place where EVERYTHING is obeying Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and is making dhikr to Him. The soul, irrespective of belief, recognizes this and feels tranquility in it.”

Pretty powerful stuff, no?

The present and future weren’t the only focus of discussion. Learning about Islamic history  can be pretty empowering for Muslims as well. In Haroon Moghul’s “Understanding Al-Andalus – Lessons from Muslim Spain” session, Muslim life in Spain was discussed during the Islamic Golden Age.

“Muslims would plant orange trees in the masjid courtyards so that when the wind would blow, the scent of oranges would blow through the masjid.”

Kind of hard to imagine now, considering we care less about aesthetics and more about parking when it comes to masjids these days. Don’t I wish I were living in Muslim Spain right now.

The pursuit of knowledge was clearly the underlying message as it should have been. Never have the regret of what-if’s. Go for what you want and don’t allow yourself to be roped into standards set by someone else.

As stated by Suhaib Webb, “Ignorance has become so dominant in our community that ignorance has become the platform by which we judge knowledge.”

And to that he received tumultuous applause.

Co-sponsored by Islamic Relief, the “Children In Need” fundraiser near the end of the night managed to rally a whopping total of $55,000 for children in Afghanistan.

Not bad at all for one night?

Overall, a great conference. A vibrant atmosphere buzzing with the desire to see change as well as individuals striving to be the catalyst of it, I’m glad I attended. Sometimes, all one needs is a boost and this conference was full of boosts.

It’s all about making a difference and helping others. As Imam Khalid Latif stated in his closing remarks:

“If you keep to yourself and don’t allow the rest of us to benefit from what you have to offer, it will be a missed chance for all of us to grow.”

Additionally, during “The Evolution of the NYC Activist” session, I heard one of the most beautiful quotes I’ve heard in a long time from Imam Shair Abdul Mani as he mentioned a 1968 novel as one of his motivators for activism. He stated that the title of the novel was “The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born.”

Then he looked out at the crowd and stated:

“You are the beautyful ones. Let us see what you will do now that you have been born.”

Wanna strive for Jannah?

Make a difference.

Bollywood Meets Paris: CHANEL’s Amazing Fusion of East and West

A bit on the late side, but nonetheless Chanel’s Pre-Fall 2012 Collection definitely piqued my interest after I got a glimpse of the ”Paris-Bombay” theme rocking the catwalk! After viewing it, one thing was certain.

It’s official.

I’m in love.

The theme was also a shoutout to the fact that Europe has been turning more and more to India to produce extravagant handmade pieces as it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make them on their own turf due to the dip in the economy. However, the fashion show was also attempting to highlight the fact that the very Indian-esque pieces that the models were wearing were made by none other than Chanel.

Never having been to India himself, designer Karl Lagerfield stated that “it’s much more inspiring not to go to places than to go”. This was clearly due to the fact that his pieces and the room decor were more inspired by his fantasy of Indian aristocracy during the time of the Raj as opposed to the actual thing.

Or was it?

You be the judge!

Here were some pieces that I found especially inspiring:

Here’s a closeup of some of the amazing accessories:

Why do they inspire me, you ask?

Because I love the mix of East and West. And it’s my EXACT mix of East and West. Plus, for those who know my style, the first thing they’ll tell you about it is that the “edge” is what I’m all about. And this collection was just FULL of edge!

You can view the complete collection here.

My own individual brand of self-expression includes a mix of my Eastern and Western values. If I can manage to find a way to incorporate my own ethnic flavor into my outfits, then I’d definitely say I’ve satisfied the desire to express a good chunk of the truest form of myself.

It’s all about what makes you individual and what makes you you. I’m not really a believer in following current trends because they may not fit what I’m all about. If I want to wear something that’s “so last season”, I’ll wear it if I’m in the mood to wear it and if I feel it’s truly “me”. The more you limit yourself to what’s “in”, the less room you have to be YOU.

Additionally for those of us Muslim women living in cosmopolitan meccas (a.k.a. NYC), we’re not only exposed to an international bevy of styles, but we’ve got the awesome advantage of fusing them to create our own. Coupled with the goal of adhering to modest standards, I’d say we get fun challenges on our hands. Well, they’re fun for ME, at least .

There’s no right or wrong. It’s literally all in the eye of the beholder and it’s up to you as to who you want that beholder to be. My favorite choice of beholder is me and your favorite choice for yourself should be you above all others.

Everything “goes” here. As long as you rock it with confidence, you’re fashionable.

Chanel’s Pre-Fall 2012 collection shows the beauty of both in my opinion and manages to do so in a way that can appear classy to today’s Muslim fashionista. It definitely inspired me to keep playing with fusion and to not be afraid to really “go there”. Being bold is clearly what’s in.

After all, what you wear today may be so inspirational to others it may end up making the catwalk tomorrow. That’s really what being yourself can do for you. You never know .

A Pioneer for Palestine

Last year, a pretty hot news item was the conversion (or shall I say “reversion) of former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair’s sister-in-law, Lauren Booth, to Islam in late 2010.

As an English broadcaster and journalist, Lauren first caught the media’s attention (and the attention of Muslims worldwide) with her Pro-Palestinian views, which she vocalized after visiting Occupied Palestine. She then attracted more attention in 2008 when she, along with several other human rights activists from all over the world,  joined the first flotilla to break the siege of Gaza and to deliver hearing aids and balloons to deaf Palestinian children. Her remarks about Gaza as “the largest concentration camp in the world today” earned her criticism from many and she was constantly denounced as a “terrorist sympathizer” and “Hamas lover”. Despite these hateful remarks, Lauren stood firm in the face of backlash and has continued to highlight the atrocities committed in Palestine and Iraq, making her a role model for Muslims and activists across the world.

She currently works for Iran’s English-speaking network, “Press TV” as a presenter for the shows “Diaspora” and “Remember Palestine”. Additionally, she has also been a keynote speaker at various international conferences related to Islam, the Palestinian struggle and Islamophobia.

My First Impressions

In 2011, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) honored Lauren for her humanitarian work in Palestine.  She spoke at ICNA events throughout North America about her personal journey to Islam.

I met Lauren at last year’s ICNA Relief banquet in Cromwell, CT. I can truly say it was an experience I’ll always cherish.

There was no way anyone could avoid the glow on her face or her radiant smile. She first told me she thought I looked beautiful and I pretty much stayed by her side for the rest of the night. It was almost surreal conversing with her and hearing her talk about her children and her personal life. What was so surprising was that a few minutes with her left me wondering how down-to-earth she was and how easy it was to speak to her and become comfortable.

She spoke about all her aspirations and what she planned to do with her life. She spoke about how much she loved being surrounded by American Muslims. As the keynote speaker, it was amazing hearing her recount her journey to Islam firsthand.

We laughed. We cried. We were mesmerized.

By the end of the night, she had invited me to come visit her and her children in the UK and gave me her address. We stayed in touch after that and I remained shocked yet grateful that I had the chance to meet this amazing role model.

It’s amazing to see whom Allah chooses to guide and shower His Light upon. From staunch Islamophobes who want to put Muslims in concentration camps to celebrities who seem to believe that their biggest concern is choosing between mineral or bottled water, it’s a blatant fact that only Allah knows what is in our hearts and that He Alone is the Swayer of Hearts. Watching Him bring these individuals to light is not only joyous to behold, but a miracle as well.

After all, much of the strength of Islam came from the perseverance and contributions made by its reverts. Only He knows if even the most doubtful and least probable individual will one day become from amongst the best of Believers.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to hopefully meet one of them. Inshallah.

YOUTH SPACE: Humira: “It’s Okay To Love”

Hi! My name is Humira Khan and I’m a senior at Hunter College High School. I am currently 17 years old and I love cooking and reading. I think that the most fun you can have is when you’re doing something that makes you truly happy and I hope to spend every day doing just that! I aspire to be a pediatrician because I love working with kids and I want to be able to help them in the near future.

What I want you all to get out of my experience in Bangladesh is that while life can be very cruel sometimes, we must take a stand to get out of our situation in order to grow. We shouldn’t be confined and left with no options, but rather, we should be able to love and hope because that’s what makes living truly wonderful.

“And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion” (229).

My eyes do not glaze over this sentence. Rather they pause. Memories flash back from four years ago. Summer of ’07.

I remember the girl that had no voice. I remember how her heart said no but her mouth was sealed shut. Devoid of passion and romance, an empty marriage was being celebrated. The girl sixteen, and the man thirty nine. The festivities continued around me; Bollywood music blasting through the yard and children in bright green and yellow ghangra cholis running about, unaware of the injustice taking place. He doesn’t love her, I know. They all know. However, we maintain a façade of jubilance, fake smiles plastered on our faces. Amidst the rice patties and the third world poverty in our little village, I am merely a passerby, anxious to return to normalcy. These people were wrong for practicing marriage without love and calling it culture. These memories flicker through my head, the pages reciting the stories I knew all too well.

From a book review’s perspective, Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is rated five stars, but from my perspective, the novel conveys the gruesome traditions and ideals on which my ancestors were raised on. Thankfully, these traditions don’t apply to me. Here in America, we’re privileged, free to practice our religion without all the cultural innovations. In Islam, women were given the right to vote almost fourteen hundred years ago. My friends and I would plan weddings from the raw of age of seven, stashing away bridal magazines in our toy chests. We idolized the love that Jack and Rose shared on the Titanic or the passion that Romeo and Juliet felt before their fateful doom.   Yet 200 pages into A Thousand Splendid Suns, I realize that not everyone has the right to dream.

In the story, Mariam, the main character in the novel, is married off to a man she has never seen before. She is beaten by her husband and abused sexually, physically, and mentally. I knew that at the end of the story, I couldn’t put the book down and categorize it as fiction. Rather I knew it was the reality of the people whose blood runs through me, from back home in that little village in Bangladesh. I remember my close relatives and the friends that I had made, who were probably going to suffer the same fate.

Four years later, I am sitting in a circle with Muslim girls just like myself in a dimly lit, yet cozy room. We are the youth members for Turning Point for Women and Families, the first non-profit organization to help Muslim women who have been abused by their husbands. We discuss ways to raise awareness against domestic violence, and provide a system of support for those who have been hurt.

But above all, we want women all over to know that it is okay to love, and hope is everything but an illusion.

Introducing YOUTH SPACE

The best part of my stint at Turning Point?

Meeting amazing and beautiful youth members looking to change the world!

Together, they helped me implement various youth projects and without them, I could NOT have become the role model that I am today.

They stayed with me then and they’re still with me now. As my sisters, my muses, and my proteges, they’ve been my inspiration and now they’ll inspire YOU as well!

In addition to helping me take strides in the world of social justice, they took some pretty impressive ones themselves!

From time to time, they’ll post on various issues that affect Muslim youth today. They each have their own special and unique voices and they’ll present different perspectives on different issues. From issues of injustice around the world to becoming the future female leaders of today, they each have something to say and their own individual way of saying it.

They were by my side throughout the journey of activism and social justice. They grew along with me into fabulous and confident young women that anyone would be lucky to know.  They scream creativity, action and energy along with confidence, beauty and hope. These are young women that have already changed the immediate world around them and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so as they get older and become the future leaders of tomorrow!

As a former Youth Leader, I definitely understand the significance of the youth having their voices heard. If the future generation doesn’t speak today, tomorrow’s world will be full of silence.

And these girls are anything BUT silent.

Youth = Future. So far, this future looks pretty bright!

The Dunya Obsession

“If you want this world to stop breaking your heart, stop giving your heart to this world.” ~Yasmin Mogahed

We all have those days.

Those moments.

Those years.

Those times in our lives where we feel completely alone.

We wonder why it’s just us who seem to be lost in alienation while the rest of the world appears to be celebrating some type of joy. The type of joy that we feel is missing in our own lives.  We reminisce. We get nostalgic. We cling to what we once had and wonder why we didn’t cherish it more at the time.

We commiserate. We cry. We ruminate. We continue to get attached. We refuse to move on.

So what’s the source of all this sadness? Why do we continue to invite this pain into our lives?

For the Muslim, the answer is right in front of us. Ironically, it’s that very answer that continues to blind us to its very obvious existence.

We’ve got Dunya Obsession. We want to make it perfect when it was never made to be perfect.

Yasmin Mogahed is an internationally published journalist who is also an esteemed speaker on Muslim affairs. Her words of wisdom and lectures have proven to be a source of inspiration for all those who hear her (yours truly included ) In her article, “Why Do People Have To Leave Each Other?”, Yasmin presents an extremely unique outlook on the hardships we go through in life. She takes the concept of pain as an indicator of excessive attachment to this world and beautifully manages to “flip it” so that a positive aspect to pain can be experienced as well.

She likened her relationships with people to a glass vase placed on the edge of a table:

“Like a glass vase that you place on the edge of a table, once broken, the pieces never quite fit again. But the problem wasn’t with the vase. Or even that the vases kept breaking. The problem was that I kept putting them on the edge of tables. Through my attachments, I was dependent on my relationships to fulfill my needs. I allowed those relationships to define my happiness or my sadness, my fulfillment or my emptiness, my security, and even my self-worth. And so, like the vase placed where it will inevitably fall, through those dependencies I set myself up for disappointment. I set myself up to be broken. And that’s exactly what I found: one disappointment, one break after another.

But the people who broke me were not to blame any more than gravity can be blamed for breaking the vase. We can’t blame the laws of physics when a twig snaps because we leaned on it for support. The twig was never created to carry us.

Our weight was only meant to be carried by God. We are told in the Quran: “…whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things.” (Qur’an 2: 256)

Instead of placing our trust, our hopes, our sorrows, our dreams, our desires in a solid and dependable Being, we choose to place them in areas of instability. People aren’t perfect. Objects aren’t perfect.  They can’t carry our burdens for us. We choose to ignore the One Being that can. Our relationship with God is lacking and we fail to see it because we’re so blinded by our own disappointments in life. When we fail to include that One Being in our corner who WON’T bail on us, we tend to set ourselves up for a big wave of loneliness.

“We must also realize that nothing happens without a purpose. Nothing. Not even broken hearts. Not even pain. That broken heart and that pain are lessons and signs for us. They are warnings that something is wrong. They are warnings that we need to make a change. Just like the pain of being burned is what warns us to remove our hand from the fire, emotional pain warns us that we need to make an internal change. That we need to detach. Pain is a form of forced detachment. Like the loved one who hurts you again and again and again, the more dunya hurts us, the more we inevitably detach from it. The more we inevitably stop loving it.

And pain is a pointer to our attachments. That which makes us cry, that which causes us most pain is where our false attachments lie. And it is those things which we are attached to as we should only be attached to Allah which become barriers on our path to God. But the pain itself is what makes the false attachment evident. The pain creates a condition in our life that we seek to change, and if there is anything about our condition that we don’t like, there is a divine formula to change it. God says: “Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.” (Qur’an, 13:11)

Forge that connection with what’s Everlasting. Create that relationship with Him because it’ll be a lifelong one. People come and go. Invest in Him because He’ll always be there. It’s the first step in feeling like someone IS there instead of letting our disappointments in life make us feel like NO ONE is.

If we think twice about what we’re feeling and why we’re feeling it, we can make adjustments where they need to be made. We tend to become immersed and absorbed in our pain. We need to be able to take a step back and analyze it objectively. Only then can we see what the problem truly is.

And this is the first step in seeing the glass half full instead of always seeing it as half empty.

Medium for Empowerment: Pearl Daisy

In addition to viewing fashion as a medium for creativity, I also view it as one of empowerment.

Additionally, the idea of bridging the gap between modesty and fashion appeals to me and I do so enjoy a challenge

Therefore, I like to think that an everyday outfit can not only exude one’s creativity but can also start a dialogue between different types of people.

As Muslim women, we’re walking dawah advertisements and as such, we need to carry ourselves with confidence. That requires being comfortable with what we’re wearing and how we’re wearing it.

Within permissable parameters of course.

The challenge for combining these permissable Islamic parameters with current trends has been undertaken by Muslim women all over the globe. It almost seemed as if there was a sudden influx of different Islamic clothing and hijab companies to address this need.

Sisters also took to social networking and video-sharing websites to post tutorials of various hijab styles as well as to help introduce their fellow Muslim sisters to other ways of connecting modesty with fashion.

Talents were showcased, inspirations occurred, and a myriad of trends within the Islamic fashion world were created.

One such designer is the amazing UK-based Amena  a.k.a “Amenakin” of YouTube fame.

After posting various hijab tutorials on YouTube, she went on to start her own internet hijab company, Pearl Daisy, where she sells hijabs, accessories, clothing, books and more!

Not only is this sister extremely talented when it comes to the various hijab styles she does in her tutorials, but her messages to Muslim women and even non-Muslim women that observe modest fashion are inspiring and uplifting. Even her warm smile can boost anyone out of a bad mood.

Being inspired myself, I’ve purchased many hijabs and accessories from her website. Some of them include:

The Elegant Lilac Teeka (and purple hoojab):

The Purple Flower Hijaabling Chain and Blue Flower Hijaabling Chain (which I believe is currently out of stock).

In addition to being great pieces for enhancing your hijab, the hijaablings work well as brooches on clothing too and can be worn in various ways. Just be careful with the clasps of the brooches as they can break off easily.

There aren’t enough nice things I can say about Sister Amena but something I truly appreciate about her is how much she has empowered other Muslim women through not only her sense of fashion, but through her views on life as well.

Be sure to check out Amena’s awesome products at Pearl Daisy!

In today’s world, Muslim women stand on a platform. We have a million eyes on us watching our every move, a million ears tuned in to hear what we have to say. Our confidence is key and the way we carry ourselves also carry our message. It’s not about what we wear but how we wear it.

So be sure to rock it with pride!

A Tribute to the Arab Spring

First thing’s first: Shoutout to my Arab brothers and sisters around the world who are becoming a huge source of inspiration for revolutionaries everywhere!

Prior to this it seemed as if Arabs and Muslims were known throughout the world as “terrorists” and “barbarians”. Their way of life was continuously criticized, repeatedly referred to as “backwards”, “uncivilized”, and “ignorant”. Their countries lay in shambles. The greed and corruption of their politicians was nothing short of in-your-face blatantly obvious. For generations they put up with it, remaining stoic as these insults were hurled at them from all over the world.

What a mockery the Muslim world had become.

And then Tunisia finally broke free.

With a quickness and efficiency that was both envied by its neighbors and yet a source of inspiration for them at the same time, it toppled a 24-year dictatorship in a matter of weeks.

Thus, the Arab Spring was born.

Egypt was soon hot on its trails, with Libya, Yemen, Syria, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Iraq getting ready to fight the good fight as well.

Egypt emerged victorious after it overthrew a dictator who had held power for almost 30 years. The atmosphere and fervor in Tahrir Square captured the attention of the world. Even its haters couldn’t help but marvel at the organization, motivation and dedication the Egyptians were displaying. Ambulances on every corner, protestors helping to collect trash, couples getting married, this was a revolution for the people by the people. Such dedication was the result of the genuine emotion and desire of the 300,000 people that showed up every single day and screamed themselves hoarse until their demands for freedom were finally met.

Considered to be one of the bloodiest and longest of the Arab Spring protests so far, Libya fought bravely for 9 months against the longest-serving Arab leader and fourth longest-serving non-royal leader since 1900. After finally collapsing the 41-year dictatorship, Libyans emerged victorious.

As of today, all eyes are on the Syrians to pull through. And there is no doubt that they will. Along with the other Arab nations that continue to fight for freedom.

Additionally, non-Muslim countries around the world have also been inspired to fight for their own rights.

As well as to our very own backyard.

Without a doubt, the Arab Spring inspired Americans to start their very own “Occupy Wall Street”. Zuccotti Park is made to look like Tahrir Square more and more every day.

However, nothing can compare to the Arab Spring.

InshAllah this amazing fervor will spread to the rest of the Muslim world as non-Arab countries are becoming more and more inspired by their Arab brothers and sisters. The slow rumblings of massive waves of protests have already made their way to Pakistan and Nigeria, where corruption and tyrannical rule run rampant.

For Ben Ali, Mubarak, Qaddhafi, Saleh, Assad, and all the other dictators that have contributed to the indignation of the Muslim world, the learning process was harsh and the lesson was solid: No will of the tyrant can match the will of the people.

Even those that oppose can admit that.

So to my Arab brethren, I say mabrook.

Congratulations.

The very world that once looked down on you now strives to be just like you.

A Year In Review

Salam alaikum all,

This is basically a look back at the last year and a half, which was unlike any other year for me. Alhamdulillah I’ve been extremely blessed by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala to have had various opportunities to serve my community.

I started working for Turning Point for Women and Families in December 2009. Turning Point is the first social services agency that addressed domestic violence in the Muslim community. As the Youth Leader, I worked with young Muslim women from the ages of 13-20. In addition to coordinating the Youth Program, this involved leading youth groups and other youth projects as well as outreach to youth-based organizations.

In the summer of 2010, we were invited by the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Crime Prevention Council, and the Office for Victims of Crime to attend a National Training in Washington, D.C. on implementing public awareness campaigns for underserved teen victim populations. Attended by youth groups from all across the country, it included runaway youth, homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and Native American youth.  As the only Muslim group, the youth group and I knew that we wanted to address issues faced by American Muslims. Ironically, it was also around the “Ground Zero Mosque” incident, which had occurred in our own backyard, not too far from the 9/11 attacks.

We knew what we had to do.

Titled ARISE! NY, I spearheaded our public awareness campaign focused on shedding awareness of bullying and hate crimes against Muslim youth. We made t-shirts, buttons, stickers and brochures with slogans pertaining to bullying and ending violence, along with information on the statistics of hate crimes against Muslim youth and how to address it.

Lo and behold the campaign took on a life of it’s own.

In December of 2010, we made the front cover of Metro-NY, a local NY newspaper.

In my interview, I discussed the effects of  recent Islamophobic acts in New York City on Muslim New Yorkers.

“In the wake of an imam attacked on the subway last week — and continuing furor surrounding the proposed community center and mosque near Ground Zero — Khan said, ‘This was something we felt we had to do.’ “

Following the publicity we were gaining, we were reached out to by the Queens Public Library requesting that the youth group come and conduct after-school workshops on hate crimes and bullying against Muslim youth for their students. We proceeded to conduct a series of workshops at NY public libraries and schools.

In May, I was interviewed by Carmel Delshad, a multimedia journalist from the CUNY School of Journalism on harassment of hijabis following 9/11 and the “Ground Zero Mosque” fiasco in NYC. I also did a radio interview with her, speaking of my personal experiences facing harassment and Islamophobic sentiment.

“And now, as the tenth anniversary of 9/11 nears, Khan foresees a revival of anti-Muslim sentiments on a day that she calls a “pass” for some to discriminate against Muslims.Your average Muslim is always in the spotlight every time 9/11 rolls around,” Khan said. “For hijabis, it’s pretty much the same thing. The only difference is that their appearance screams that they’re Muslims and so they’ll definitely attract attention, whether big or small.”

The interview and article are posted on her website.

Following an ARISE! NY anti-bullying workshop conducted by the Youth Group at none other than the infamous Park 51 (aka “Ground Zero Mosque”), I was again interviewed by French reporter, Vanessa Gondouin-Haustein who wrote for Teigmoinage Chretien, a French Christian Magazine focused on exploring different religions. The interview came out on September 11th and was mainly focused on American sentiments on Muslim Americans and the backlash they’ve faced since the 9/11 terror attacks.

“Every day, Shehnaz fights against discrimination faced by young people in her community and other minorities. If she finds that New Yorkers are very open-minded and tolerant, she also recognizes that in some more remote areas of the United States, Americans sometimes react with hostility and aggression.”

The article can be found here translated in English.

Yes, alhamdulillah, the fruits of my labor were finally paying off. I’m definitely not going to lie and say that there weren’t some days where I just wanted to give up due to how strenuous the work was but then again, good things never come easy.

Which finally paid off when I received my Citation of Honor from the Queensborough President at the 4th Annual Ramadan Iftar on August 10, 2011 at the New York Hall of Science.

“Citation of Honor presented to Shehnaz Khan in grateful recognition of her outstanding accomplishments as a caring advocate for Muslim girls and an articulate spokesperson against discrimination of any kind. As Youth Leader of the Muslim Girls Leadership Program at the Queens-based Turning Point for Women and Families, Ms. Khan organized the highly successful Mecca To Manhattan: Muslim Women Moving Mountains workshop series. She spearhead the ARISE! NY campaign to address hate crimes targeting Muslim youth in New York City; with a cover story in Metro-NY, Ms. Khan reached over 300 students through her bridge-building efforts. We are proud to honor this inspiring young leader. Presented at the fourth annual Ramadan-Iftar program in observance of Ramadan, held at the New York Hall of Science.”

                                                                                                                Helen M. Marshall                                                                              President of the Borough of Queens

Some photos from the event below:

Walking into the main room

Side shot! Oh how I love them heels <3

Receiving my Citation of Honor

Giving my amazed-that-it-didn’t-go-over-5-minutes speech.

 Me and my beautiful mommy (aka. My Rock).

 The mueddhin giving the adhan for Maghrib prayer.

 The Maghrib prayer was held in the Great Hall at the museum. One of the most beautiful locales for prayer in NYC.

 There’s a beautiful aesthetic quality about these pictures. Case in point: I’m LOVING all the colors against the beautiful dark and spacious backdrop.

All in all a memorable event and the biggest accomplishment of my life thus so far.

Looking back, I can definitely say it was all worth it. It was a year unlike any other and I did what I set out to do. I made my mark on my community and I will forever be grateful to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala for the amazing opportunity to do so. I met some amazing people and did some incredible things that I never thought myself capable of doing. I was referred to as a “leader” and that’s the biggest honor I could have received. I hope that I made a difference in the lives of young Muslims in New York City and I hope to do so for years to come!