10 years! A decade! A third of my life! On December 31st, 2018, I will have been wearing the hijab for 10 years! I can't even believe it! I remember everything about that journey. My fears before, my struggles during and the joys I had along the way. It's not an easy journey and if someone tells you it is, they are LYING!  I started wearing hijab at 22 years old. The process to get to that point was long and hard. I've mention...

What is Islamophobia? It is a dislike or fear of Muslims. Kind like any other phobia I guess. Arachnophobia; fear of spiders, xenophobia; fear of people from other countries, etc. The thing is I can't fully understand why anyone would have any of these phobias.  Fears, concerns, prejudices, misconceptions; those I can understand but a phobia, not so much. 

As Muslims in the West this term has been on everyone's tongue. It...

Happy International Women's Day!!! Last night as I was perusing Facebook, with all the Women's Day posts popping up I was thinking about my daughter as a women. She's almost 5 now so I can literally only imagine what life will be like for her when she is 18, 22, 30 and so on.  Everything I know about life will be completely irrelevant to her. How will I help her navigate life if the tools I have will be considered "old school"...

What does hijab mean to you? Why do you wear hijab? Both these questions are not easy to answer.  There are an infinite  number explanations for the meaning of hijab and even more reasons why someone would choose to wear it. There isn't one blanket statement for every Muslim woman.  We are all very diverse and each one of us has factors in her life that may influence how and why she wears the hijab. Some may be, culture, upbri...

Yes, I am a born Muslim. Both my parents are Muslim, grandparents, aunts, uncles, everyone in my family is Muslim. No, I never explored any other faith. I never dabbled in Christianity nor have a tried the spiritual practices of Buddhism. I’ve never read any other Holy book, nor have I ever imagined I would be a member of any other faith group. The extent of my learning about other faiths is for knowledge sake.  Now you’re won...

My dear children,

As I lay here in my bed squished between the two of you, your little legs wrapped around mine, and your heads on my chest fast asleep I listen to you breathe.   I hold you both so tightly running my fingers through your hair. My heart aches for the mothers around the world that do not have chance to do just this. I feel somewhat guilty for taking these moments for granted. I feel guilty for the nights I r...

I prayed all five prayers today. I realize you are wondering why I would dedicate a whole blog post to this but for me it’s a big deal. I’m not proud to say it, but truthfully, I have struggled with prayer for a long time. I do vaguely remember a short period where I was very much into it. But as I said, it was a short period of time. 

I’m 30 now with 2 children of my own and I guess having children, makes you evaluate your own...

The glorious month of Ramadan is upon us. Ramadan is an incredibly Holy month of devotion, worship and discipline. I am one of those Muslims that absolutely loves to fast. The spirituality behind giving up food- the thing that we BELIEVE keeps us alive is very powerful. We place our entire health and wellbeing in the hands of Allah (swt). We BELIEVE we need food and water to live and without it we will die, but is that really...

Look past my veil. Look deep into my heart
Although it won’t happen quickly; Take a moment to start.
Perhaps I am different; Maybe I don’t fit the mold.
But I’m just a girl; And my message is bold.

I suppose being a Muslim,
Puts me in the spotlight.
Not the leading role I wanted to take,
But not a role I am planning to fight

Opposing the prejudice and, 
And enduring the glares.
The violence of terror, the assault of insult, 
The...

“Why did you start wearing hijab?” It’s a question I get often when meeting a Non-Muslim .  I always tell people that I believe that every Mohajaba wears her hijab for various reasons. Some wear it to abide by the values of their family. For others they wear it as a coming of age symbol. For some it has become a fashionable trend and finally for a most, like myself it was simply just time.

I remember, going into my mother’s roo...