MTV Decoded, a show for social justice sympathizers focused on Intersectional Feminism, hires Karim Metwali, who defended sexual slavery in Islam. Check out the video below for more.
Lifestyle
Episode 18: Chat with Free Thinking Rani About Conversion, Dawah, and EXMNA
Check out the video below to tune in to my amazing conversation with “The Free Thinking Rani”. We spoke about her conversion to Islam; the Dawah scam; Islam’s effects on her social/family life; path to apostasy/doubt; and finding a community in The Ex-Muslims of North America. Enjoy! Click for more!
Episode 17: On Omar Mateen and Muslim Homophobia
In the video below I discuss my thoughts on the the Shooter in the Orlando shootings and the often overlooked issue of Muslim Homophobia. I share some of my nuanced experiences. Enjoy! Click for more!
Episode 16: Chat With Zohal On How Feminism Led Her to Faithlessness

In the video below, I speak with my new friend Zohal on her life story. She provides some fascinating nuances on how feminism is helpful in an Islamic context. Enjoy! Click for more!
Episode 15: Chat With Yasmine, On Her Memoir
In this video I chat with my good friend Yasmine on her autobiography! Yasmine’s work can be found here.
In Indonesia If You Read The Quran You Get Free Fuel
During the month of Ramadan, a state owned fuel company in Jakarta, Indonesia is offering two liters of free petrol per chapter read to motorcyclists. There are prayer rooms set up in the gas stations to accommodate this endeavor. The program organizers say the goal is to promote Islam in society. Click for more!
Episode 14: Chat with Muslim Convert Sarah Ager About Islamic Reform, Solidarity with Ex-Muslims
This conversation was amazing. You should check it out! Click for more!
Episode 13: Chat With Ahmed From “Honest Muslim”
In the video below, I discuss with the man from the Honest Muslim Youtube Channel, Ahmed about his journey to apostasy. This is a fascinating story of inner reflection because Ahmed was a fierce Islamic preacher and leader of his local Muslim community. Ahmed shares with us his inner journey and rationale. Enjoy! Click for more!
Choosing My Own Chains
The following is a guest contribution by “Hope.”
Choosing My Own Chains
The Rhetoric
- “The shackles of Ms. Clairol… you are a slave to the cosmetics industry… a prisoner of Hollywood’s concept of beauty… if you don’t’ fit their standards you are nothing! Allah subhanawata’ala gives you freedom from all of that.”
- “A woman is like a piece of candy – she must be covered to not let filth pollute her.”
- “A man is like a stone, if you drop the stone in mud, you can wash it clean; however, a woman is like a piece of silk, if you drop it in mud it is forever soiled.”
- “Your husband is like your father except you bear children with him.”
- “A woman needs “ta’deeb” (discipline) which is why Allah gave men the right to hit her, she is in her nature rebellious; therefore, the man who hits his wife honors her by keeping her “ala al sirat al mustaqueem” (on the righteous/straight path).
Yes, I was well versed in this rhetoric; it was instilled in me as a young girl. I fell for it too. Click to keep reading!
Is Shaytan Truly Chained In Ramadan?
There is a famous hadith commonly quoted by Muslims on Ramadan. The hadith goes as follows:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1899)
According to this Hadith, the devils are chained. The devils are what causes evil desires and actions. By this logic: [the Islamic version of] evil is chained.
But is it really?
- I lost faith in Islam during Ramadan of 2012 after a long period of doubt and critical examination.
- Indonesian Police forces warn their local communities on rising crime rates (such as theft, prostitution and mugging) in Ramadan compared to the rest of the year. (Also try this article.)
- Egypt has witnessed rising crime rates in Ramadan
- Child trafficking increases in Yemen during Ramadan.
- According to a study in Morocco, irritability increases in the month of Ramadan.