by Nurul Afiqah __ It’s ironic how difficult it can be to find comfort among religious people when religion itself is supposed to be a source of comfort. Mentally ill people seeking support from among their friends and family in the Muslim community are often met with ignorance wrapped in well-meaning, faith-inspired advice. I reached…
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by Diana Rahim It’s hard being a person. Nobody truly tells you this, nor are we really encouraged to look into this fact deeply. As a society, we are uncomfortable with confronting sadness and despair, and would rather concentrate on a superficial, easy-to-understand pursuit of happiness. We are taught to meet our basic material needs,…
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by A Lady Marriage has never been on the books for me. My parents thought it unnecessary, hindering, and dooming. They firmly believe that humanity is fast approaching qiyamah (Day of Resurrection), and the time where true believers will no longer exist on the face of this Earth. No one qualifies to be our partners,…
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by Firqin Sumartono __ “Say, if we do get married, do I have to convert?” he asks. “Yeah, I guess.” Was my non-committal response. “But I don’t believe in it though.” “But – what would my friends and family think? People may judge!” “I understand but I don’t believe in the religion, or any for…
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by Sya Taha __ When people ask me how I got married, I say, half-laughing, that my father proposed to the man that is now my husband. I hide behind humour because it is sinister and painful to know that my father is not equal parts benevolently patriarchal and protective (as people would interpret his…
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by Diana Rahim _ My mum loves to point out the actor Khairudin Saharom every time he appears on TV. Each time she’ll not-so-subtly say something like “Isn’t he handsome? And he’s smart too, you know…” She even found his Instagram account and suggested that I follow him and leave a comment on a picture…
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Beyond The Hijab 