• My Fantastic Fandom

  by Anonymous

  Around the time I started high school, I decided that I wanted to grow my hair out beyond the short bog I was forced to maintain on my head. When it was time for me to get a haircut, I playfully asked my mother, “Why do you want to make my hair ugly again?

• Our Close Call With COVID

  by Shadman Rakib

  It was the third day of Ramadan, and about one month into the coronavirus pandemic. The ear-piercing racket of ambulance sirens resonated constantly throughout my New York City neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens. But another sound troubled me even more. My 76-year-old grandma was gasping for air.

• If Allah Loves Everyone, Doesn’t He Love Gay People?

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed. My mother is a devout Muslim from Ethiopia, and when I was 5, she briefly sent my older brother and me to after school Quran classes. I remember feeling that I did not belong, and learning about Quran history and writing in Arabic did not interest me.

• How I Came to See Islam in a New Light

  by Mariam Saleem

  “Mom, please! I will wear the hijab tomorrow,” I tried convincing my mother as I got ready for my first day of 6th grade. “No, Mariam,” she said. “You have to wear it. Come on, you’re running late.” Instead of feeling nervous about adjusting to a new class, I was mainly worried about one thing: the hijab, or headscarf, that my mom said I had to start wearing every day.

• Speaking Up About Sexism in My Family

  by Mariam S.

  Names have been changed. After 28 days of fasting, Muslim families like mine mark the end of Ramadan with a holiday called Eid al-Fitr. My family invites our friends over for a dawat, which means feast in Urdu, the main language in Pakistan, where my parents are from.

• Tired of Being Called a Terrorist

  by Ruby Ethika

  Last year on the Fourth of July, I boarded a packed subway train with my mom, my brother, and my cousin. When our train arrived at the next stop and the doors opened, no one moved. It was clear to everyone in the car and out on the platform that there was no space.