Fatemeh Fakhraie

ISFM Volume 2 is out!

Fatemeh — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:24:29 +0000

The I Speak for Myself book that I contributed to has given birth to an entire I Speak for Myselfseries!

Volume 2 is–literally–a brother book: it’s called All-American: 45 American Men on Being Muslim. You can learn more about the book and its contributors here and even buy the book at a discount.

And watch www.ispeakformyself.com for updates on what volumes are coming next!

Happy 1391!

Fatemeh — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:23:08 +0000

A happy Persian new year, everyone! May your year be blessed, happy, and healthy!

A Twitter #ThankYou Campaign

Fatemeh — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:37:34 +0000

I and many Americans on Twitter will be thanking law enforcement, university officials, and media outlets who’ve spoken up against the NYPD surveillance of Muslims. Check here for more information and sample tweets!

Michigan State University’s Migrations of Islam

Fatemeh — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:54:55 +0000

I’m excited to be a part of Michigan State University’s “Migrations of Islam” symposium. The theme is on Muslim American Cultural Expression in the 21st century, and I’ll be presenting on–what else?–American Muslim women and the media!

I’ll be presenting along with a lot of wonderful speakers and writers, and Arab-American comedian Dean Obeidallah will be performing, as well! If you’re in town, stop by and check us all out!

M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls” Video

Fatemeh — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:10:34 +0000

The ladies of MMW and I deconstruct M.I.A.’s newest music video:

Fatemeh: This song is bad-ass and I’m going to be listening to it non-stop for the next week.

BUT YEAH. It’s cool that M.I.A. is showcasing a prominent and prevalent Khaleej pastime (this is all over YouTube in Arabic), but is obviously exploiting it while using dancers in niqabs and the “locals” as props. Plus, I think the shots of burning detritus and huge-ass pipes just shore up the idea that the desert is nothing but and these places have nothing better going for them. I’d react more favorably to see this set in a Dubai roadway with lit-up palm trees and the Burj in the background.

Check out the entire discussion at Muslimah Media Watch!

Shahs of Sunset

Fatemeh — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:27:12 +0000

The show doesn’t premiere for another month, but I’ve already got a lot to say after seeing the two minute “sneak peek.” Check out my first thoughts at Racialicious:

How will a program featuring first- and second-generation Iranian-Americans (or Persians, as they prefer) affect public opinion on Iran? On one hand, Iran is presented as evil, nuclear, and menacing in news reports and pop culture. On the other hand, Shahs features a bunch of vapid, rich Americans with Iranian ancestry—many of whom are refugees from the 1979 revolution. In the opening credits, cast members relate that, “When the revolution happened, we all had to pick up and flee the old country,” and “I’ve been a refugee since I was eight.”

A video from the Sharjah International Book Fair

Fatemeh — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:53:57 +0000

It’s fairly obvious that I’m exhausted in this video, but don’t let that fool you. I’ve written about what a wonderful time I had in Sharjah, and let this add to the evidence:

My Muslim feminist post republished again!

Fatemeh — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:50:58 +0000

My CG News piece has been republished in Pakistan’s The Express Tribune!

My CG post really caught on… [Updated]

Fatemeh — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:25:31 +0000

It was republished in Turkey’s Today’s Zaman and the Women News Network!

Thank you to everyone who’s Facebooked, Twittered, and republished the piece!

Update: The piece has also been published in Lebanon’s The Daily Star! And CG News has made the post available in Arabic, Urdu, Hebrew, French, and Indonesian!

Who’s afraid of a Muslim feminist?

Fatemeh — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:00:10 +0000

I write about my Islam and my feminism for Common Ground News Service, and how they’re not so different:

People, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, often tell me that I can’t be both a Muslim and a feminist. At a recent book reading in Oregon, for example, a male audience member asked me, “How does that even work?” These questions demonstrate some of the rigid misconceptions individuals have about Islam and feminism; many people think that they’re mutually exclusive categories. In fact, as a Muslim feminist, I have found them to have more in common than people realize, especially when it comes to social justice.

Check out the entire piece here.