She had joined two dozen other members of a group founded by a Somali-American mother in Minneapolis to promote all-seasons activities among Muslim women, who might otherwise feel singled out in the great outdoors, especially when wearing hijabs.

“They understand my lifestyle. I don’t have to explain myself,” said Nasser, who recently moved to the Twin Cities from Chicago and whose family hails from Yemen. “My religion is everything. It’s my survival kit.”

As one of the most visible signs of the Muslim faith, hijabs often attract controversy. Within Islam, some women want to wear the headscarves for piety and modesty, while others oppose them as a symbol of oppression. In the sports world, including in the last Olympics, devout athletes have often faced extra hurdles on and off the field in finding accommodations for religious practices.

Concerned about safety as a woman — particularly one wearing a head covering — but determined to get outdoors to beat seasonal depression, Nasrieen Habib put out a social media post about creating a hiking group three years ago.

From the nine women who responded, her Amanah Rec Project has grown to more than 700 members. There’s a core group for Muslim women only — for “more sisterhood and modesty,” Habib says — as well as a group for families. In addition to weekly outings, they organize longer trips and education on everything from appropriate winter clothing — a challenge for many migrant communities — to health and environmental sustainability from the perspective of Islam.

“It’s a way to live your whole life according to a set of beliefs and rules. And part of those beliefs and rules is taking care of creation,” Habib said as her 4-year-old son took a break from tubing in a toasty chalet at Elm Creek Park Reserve near Minneapolis. “How can we be more sustainable in a time where we see the impact of climate change, especially impacting people who look like us in the Global South?”

Two sisters, Ruun Mahamud and Nawal Hirsi, moved to the United States from Somalia as children about two decades ago.

They found a safe haven in Minnesota where, since the late 1990s, growing numbers of East African refugees have created an increasingly vocal Muslim community. Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was the first lawmaker to wear a hijab while on the U.S. House floor, and Minneapolis was the first large city in the United States to allow the Islamic call to prayer to be broadcast publicly by its two dozen mosques.

Even though she feels “safe and accepted” in her hijab, Hirsi joined the group for extra support.

“I love being outdoors and joining this group has made me more comfortable to participate,” she said on the tubing hill, where she had convinced Mahamud to come along for the first time.

“Oh my gosh, it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever done,” Mahamud gushed after speeding downhill on a tube attached to her sister’s as their daughters recorded the adventure on their phones.

The sisters said it’s important to include love for the outdoors and physical activity in their children’s religious upbringing.

“Taking care of one’s health is part of our faith,” Hirsi said.

Muslim women who wear hijabs can face multiple barriers to sports participation, said Umer Hussain, a Wilkes University professor who studies religion and sports. They range from activities where genders mix or head coverings pose logistical hurdles to conservative families who might frown on it.

Groups like Habib’s tackle empowering women in their communities as well as raising awareness about religious accommodations like single-sex spaces or locations for prayer.

“The biggest barrier, for women specifically, is having access to spaces that allow us to practice our religion while keeping our modesty and abiding by the Islamic laws that tell us we are not supposed to be in mixed spaces without covering up,” Habib said.

She appears to have tapped into a great demand.

“When she told me she was going to start a hiking group to get sisters out in nature … it was like actually something I’ve been looking for for a very long time,” Makiya Amin said as she climbed up the tubing hill in a long white skirt, bright-red headscarf, and heavy winter coat. “I didn’t really have those type of people who were outdoorsy already around me.”

Isho Mohamed joined the group for the wide-ranging conversations as much as for the outdoors, which as a self-described “homebody” she had largely avoided since college days.

“It’s a safe space that takes me out of my comfort zone,” she said of the group outings. During them, the women share about work experiences but also life as immigrants and, most importantly, their faith.

“We also talk about spiritual connection and connecting with God as well, and just say a little prayer here and there when we’re walking,” Mohamed added.

Her cheeks glowing above her ski mask after two hours on the hill, Jorida Latifi was with her 7-year-old son among the last to hang up their snow tubes. Originally from Albania, Latifi has gone out with the group almost weekly since joining more than a year ago.

“With Muslim sisters … they do understand you, what you go through, even with the clothing and hijabs,” Latifi said. “It feels way, way more like, you know, where you are with family.”

Source: Associated Press

In a press conference in Dearborn, Michigan, Muslim organizers from Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, and Pennsylvania came together to announce a coordinated nationwide effort to ensure Biden does not secure a second term in office.

“We are not powerless as American Muslims. We are powerful. We don’t only have the money, but we have the actual votes. And we will use that vote to save this nation from itself,” Jaylani Hussein, a member of the coalition, said at the press conference.

The campaign was initially being run separately in different states, but they now have decided to coordinate their efforts on a national level.

While it is unclear how much traction the campaign will get, organizers are confident that they can put together a significant bloc of Muslim voters as the population of American Muslims is roughly 3.45 million people and they are able to sway the election.

Source: The Middle East Eye

Minnesota governor Tim Walz condemned the attacks, voicing support to the Muslim community.

“Here in Minnesota, everyone must be able to practice their faith without fear. To members of our Muslim community – my heart is with you today. We will not tolerate acts of violence toward our friends and neighbors,” he wrote on Twitter.

The first incident occurred Sunday when congregants at Masjid Omar Islamic Center, a mosque located inside 24 Somali Mall, called police about 7:16 pm for a fire in the mosque’s bathroom, according to Minneapolis police. The congregants put out the fire before it could spread.

The second fire occurred Monday evening at Masjid Al Rahma, located in Mercy Islamic Center building less than one mile from Masjid Omar Islamic Center. The fire at Masjid Al Rahma occurred on the third floor, which houses business offices it leases out.

The fire caused extensive damage in the third floor and second floor hallways that could cost $50,000 to repair.

“When these attacks happen, it’s to our children, and that’s what makes it even more disturbing and personal for me,” said Nimco Ahmed, president of the Somali American Coalition Action Fund, as she held her 3-year-old daughter, Star Tribune reported.

“It’s very sad because this state that we call home is so precious to us.”

Police released security photos of a white male suspect. Yet, no arrests have been made in fires at both mosques.

“We’re very confident that we will be able to bring this person to justice, but in the meantime we cannot afford to have anything else happen, and we want to be able to ensure that all people can be safe,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a news conference.

Planning a solidarity event at 6 pm Saturday at the Masjid Al Rahma mosque, speakers at the news conference voiced support for the Muslim community and lamented the rise of Islamophobic attacks.

“We’ve got to do something,” said Minneapolis Council Member Jamal Osman. “Hate cannot win in our state.”

A CAIR report, “Targeted: 2018 Civil Rights Report”, recorded 144 anti-mosque incidents in 2017, of which 57 were hate crimes.

It’s noteworthy that many local communities have always come in support of the Muslim community in many cases.

In 2021, members of the local community in Suffolk county in Brentwood, New York, came together in a show of support to the local mosque which was vandalized last month.

In September 2019, the vandalism of the new welcome sign at the Islamic Centre of Grand Junction, Colorado, prompted community to show support and start crowdfunding to repair the damaged sign.

Source: AboutIslam.net

Following the approval of this order, Muslim students and Islamic organizations in these two states officially announced their happiness and satisfaction.

It should be noted that this decision was made after extensive efforts by Muslim students and Islamic organizations in the two states of “Minnesota” and “Connecticut” to achieve this goal, and finally their efforts came to fruition.

This matter is included in the calendar printed in these two states for the years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.

Source: shiawaves.com

Samatar and Adam, both 29, met at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, where they studied to become respiratory therapists.

Though hospitals provide sterile protective equipment to health care workers, they didn’t have a head covering that met a Muslim Woman’s veil (hijabi) standard.

“We had to find the right material so it’s not too hot or thick, but also not too sheer and meets hijabi modesty standards,” Samatar said.

They settled on two disposable designs: the Zanub, a pull-over with an adjustable elastic band around the face, and the Ikram, a one-size-fits-all wrap.

Mawadda officially launched on Nov. 9, and has since gained international attention, with 30 percent of their reach coming from France, according to business analytics on their website. Their site has also reached users in the United Kingdom and China.

Samatar and Adam hope that providing culturally appropriate protective garments in hospitals will lead to more inclusivity and comfort for Muslims in health care.

“It’s created by us, for us. But having culturally appropriate protection won’t just affect us, it will affect everyone under the care of a Muslim woman: patients, families and communities,” Samatar said.

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.

Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press

Zaynab Mohamed became the winner in the race to represent State Senate District 63, making history as the youngest woman and one of the first Black women elected to the Minnesota Senate.

In Illinois, Democrats Abdelnasser Rashid won the race to represent State House Districts 21, receiving more than 65% of the votes.

Nabeela Syed also won the race to represent State House Districts 51. They both became the first Muslims elected to the Illinois State Legislature.

Nabilah Islam who prevailed in the race to represent Georgia State Senate District 7, joined incumbent State Senator Sheikh Rahman, the lone Muslim in the State Legislature, who didn’t have a challenger for the District 5 seat.

Nabilah Islam is the first Muslim woman elected to the State Senate while Romman is the first Muslim woman elected to the State House of Representatives and became the winner to represent District 97.

Democrat Munira Abdullahi, who didn’t have a challenger in the general election for Ohio State House District 9, became the first Muslim elected to the Ohio State Legislature.

Abdullahi, a 26-year-old youth director, is also the first Muslim woman to win a seat in the Ohio Legislature.

Ismail Mohamed, one of the city’s first Somali-born attorneys licensed to practice in the state, defeated his opponent Republican J. Josiah Lanning, winning 80% to 20% of the vote.

Democrat 26-year-old Mana Abdi made history in Maine when she was elected to represent State House District 95.

Abdi was unopposed in the general election after her Republican challenger withdrew from the race after posting on Facebook that Muslims “should not be allowed to hold public office.”

South Portland Mayor Deqa Dhalac joined her in the State House of Representatives after getting elected to represent the Maine House of Representatives District 120.

Source: AboutIslam.net

The SSME shall be a nonprofit, nonpolitical, and nonsectarian charitable and educational organization incorporated as such under the laws of the State of Minnesota and federal tax authorities of the United States of America (EIN: 61-1601271).

The Society for the Study of Muslim Ethics (SSME) is a scholarly association dedicated to advancing intellectual inquiry in Muslim ethics, including the relation of Muslim ethics to other ethical traditions and to social, political, and economic problems. The Society supports academic work in both philosophical and applied ethics, historical as well as contemporary issues. The Society also aims to promote the teaching of Muslim ethics in colleges, universities, and theological schools, to improve understanding of Muslim ethics in the broader society through publications and other educational activities, and to provide a community of discourse and debate for those engaged professionally in the study of Muslim ethics.

The SSME was formally incorporated in August 2009. It emerged from the Working Group on Muslim Ethics that was created in 2003 by members of the Society of Christian Ethics, led by Professor John Kelsay of Florida State University. This working group met annually at the conference of the Society of Christian Ethics and the Society of Jewish Ethics until the decision was made in 2008 to expand the group into a separate organization partnered with the other two societies.

Membership in the Society is open to persons in the following groups: (1) college, university, or seminary teachers of Muslim ethics; (2) persons teaching in similar institutions in other fields who are concerned with the relation of Islamic ethics to their subject matter; (3) persons whose full-time professional work in religious, government, social institutions or elsewhere is related to the purposes of the Society. Candidates for membership must have at least one of the following: a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, scholarly publications in religious ethics, or a full-time teaching position in ethics or related fields in an accredited institution of higher learning. Doctoral students in ethics or related fields may become members of the Society upon matriculation into a doctoral program. The core membership will be drawn from North America and Europe, but the Society encourages scholars from around the world to join.

Contacts

• Phone: +1 413 5382381
• Email: info@ssmethics.org
• Website: https://www.ssmethics.org/

Organized by the Muslim Caucus, the Muslim Collective for Equitable Democracy 2019 will feature appearances by representatives Omar, as well as a host of other prominent Muslim American figures, including Gold Star father Khizr Khan and Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress and current Minnesota attorney general. But the organizers are disappointed in the low turnout from major Democratic presidential candidates.

Ilhan Omar, others set to speak at first annual conference. Most major 2020 candidates are not attending. Aside from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is slated to attend the two-day conference in person on Tuesday, and Elizabeth Warren, who plans to address the conference via livestream on Wednesday, none of the major primary candidates from the Democratic Party will participate in the event… The conference comes at a time when rights groups have documented an increase in Islamophobic attacks on Muslim communities and individuals.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recorded a 17 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2017. It also documented 300 hate crimes against Muslim Americans in 2017, a 15 percent increase from the previous year.

Source: Alzaeera

Two Muslim women from the Midwest were elected to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, making history as the first females of their faith to serve in Congress. The candidates secured their wins by running on a socially progressive platforms.

Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, will represent Michigan, and Ilhan Omar, once a Somali refugee in Kenya, will represent Minnesota. Both received an overwhelming majority of the vote in their respective districts on Tuesday and join a surge of Democratic women coming to the new Congress.

The women align with the left wing of the Democratic Party which focused its campaigns on vows to extend Medicare health coverage to all Americans and increase the minimum wage to $15. In 2016, Ms. Tlaib was arrested for disrupting a speech from then-candidate Donald Trump in Detroit, where she shouted at him that “our kids deserve better,” a move that cemented her progressive political credentials for some supporters.

Both Ms. Tlaib, 42, and Ms. Omar, 37, have made comments that are critical of Israel. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not a central campaign issue for either candidate, but their views on the matter could test Democrats in a narrow House majority. The party typically draws widespread support from Jewish voters and donors. Seventy-one percent of American Jews voted for the Democrats, as did 80% of Muslims, according to AP VoteCast, a pre-election and Election Day survey of about 90,000 people who said they voted in the midterms or intended to do so.

Ms. Tlaib has said she would vote against bills that include aid to Israel; Ms. Omar has drawn criticism for a 2012 tweet in which she says that “Israel has hypnotized the world” with its “evil doings.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal