Episodes

We continue talking about hard things, including writing and publishing on today's episode. There's a HUGE writers’ community on IG! AND there a lot of Muslimah writers out there with terrific stories and projects. How do they do it? Najiyah Maxfield of Daybreak Press is here to give us the scoop! Links: Submit your momstory for our anthology: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dxCQGrErKj91RYu2Vd2WIu1ki_7mzYh68hxxOk1HsUA/edit?usp=sharing Shop Daybreak Press’ online bookstore: https://daybreak-int...

Zaiba & Uzma discuss election results which, at the time of this recording, was not yet called, but was highly suggestive of results they did not expect. Why don’t they have cause to celebrate regardless of who is elected this year? This is a darker episode, with some sad reflections about what the turnout means in terms of the moral compass of America and who our real allies are. Conscience does not have to be consistent with only a political ideology, rather requires us to think, act, and vot...

Zaiba and Uzma talk about expected symptoms of “the change,” and what exactly that is and is NOT. Menopause and genitourinary syndrome of menopause are the topics of the day. Super exciting, right? It IS! If we aren’t in the neighborhood of these things happening to us, we can at least walk our moms through it for sure, and they certainly deserve it. If you love an older mom out there, share this episode with her! God knows she won’t talk to her doctor or to us about it! Don’t forget to listen t...

The vertically multigenerational family is not new to America, or to the world. We discuss the pros and cons of vertical and horizontal generations in a household, talking about the trauma we’ve witnessed and how we take the good parts of our histories to build future families. Alternatives to intergenerational families are explained, as well as the costs. The economic realities that are forcing families into multigenerational households is going to be faced head-on in this episode. This opens a...

Kaitlin Abdelrahman joins us today to talk about how and why she launched On-Call Halal, delivering halal meals at suhoor AND iftar to Muslim healthcare workers in Kansas City. When all things are tough and we have to juggle so much. Kaitlin added one more thing to her amazing repertoire in order to turn lemons into lemonade. Of course, she’s sparked a conversation and movement that we hope will continue and span the breadth of our nation’s front line workers. What a power mom mashaAllah! Whene...

A mother who adopted her child thought she would walk away and enjoy her life with her new family, but she was never more wrong. In this episode of Mommying While Muslim, find out what happened that changed this mother's life forever, what she's doing now to help future generations, and how her son's adoption 3-years ago will have a lasting impact for generations to come. You will also discover how you can help in her quest to make life better for hundreds, if not thousands, or orphans. Links:...

A newly converted Muslimah and a new immigrant Muslimah met 40 years ago in Chitown and discovered they had more in common than they thought. Darlene Hussain and Qurrat “Annie” Jafri join us today to spill the beans on what happened when they became Muslim moms in America! We talk about the painful things: mom guilt, reverse Muslim discrimination, postpartum depression, social isolation, first generation woes, kids being bullied….and let’s not forget the fun stuff, like how Zaiba and Uzma are ea...

Eissa Albinali joins us today to discuss life in lockdown in Spain and what we are taking for granted here in the States. He’s a super creative expat with some amazing ideas to share, and projects he’s got started on YouTube we can bring right into our living rooms. He’s also got great advice for teens to utilize their time, get their creative juices flowing, and advice for moms on how to support our kids this quarantined Ramadan. Remarkable kids come from remarkable moms, so let’s not forget t...

Maryam Munir, the founder of The Parent Empowerment Project, joins the Mommying While Muslim team in order to bring positive parenting expertise to our repertoire. Even though out on a family emergency, Maryam kindly joins us from overseas today to talk about key buzz words in the parenting field today. Links:https://youtu.be/NrB8Iamo0OA The Parent Empowerment Project: https://teepep.com/ Mommying While Muslim doesn’t have any financial relationship with Life360, and Zaiba is glad they’re takin...

Do we hang up our womanhood, our God given sensual selves, once we have kids? And if we do, WHY? The Village Auntie spills it all, as she does best, to help us reclaim our feminine histories in order to be better mothers. Part of that reclamation includes restoring the fundamentals about what Islam teaches regarding feminine sexuality, and how critics are quick to forget or minimize those religious truths in order to feed cultural taboos and shame culture. Find out about her journey, her book, a...

Do you know if you have a “loosey goosey” or a “tight pelvis?” Let’s talk wetting our pants while we wet our pants (it’s on the video if you missed it), as well as pelvic pain, its causes, the physical and sexual dysfunction that results, and treatments. You may not have heard about vaginal massage before, but here’s where you can find out how terms like that and valium suppositories are actual medical interventions for real women’s problems. Links: Dr. Tayyaba Ahmed on IG @drtayahmed Dr. Tayya...

Zaiba & Uzma learn how prophetic sexual tradition is really female-centric. Saba explains the effects of Eurocentric and colonial influences on Islamic sexual beliefs and practices. Normalizing sex again, and normalizing our need to be fulfilled, especially in this aspect of our God-given nature, is our right and we need to learn to exercise. We also need to teach that to our kids, who are often wondering about orgasm, masturbation, and other sexual practices we were taught as “deviant,” but it ...

Three Muslim moms take on the glass ceiling of sexuality, exploring taboos on Muslim women’s sexuality and addressing the truths and half truths about it. Rather than have sex happen TO them, moms deserve to experience sex as active and important recipients of sex as a God given right. Hear Zaiba and Uzma channel their inner adolescent as they learn to talk about sex, baby, just like grown ups! Aalia truly brings on the blush by discussing sexual paraphernalia by Pure Romance that you won’t tal...

Rubina Cohen, our recurring contributor, joins us today to give insight into her unique experience with PPD. We compare notes, commiserate, provide some more facts, and talk about resources available to mom sisters. It’s just not talked about enough in our regular circles and we don’t want to see another mom go through this. So let us remove the multicultural stigma Muslim American moms face for our community. Rubina's experience inspired her to create a product for postpartum moms as well as a...

Dr. Fareeha Malik, DDS, and mom of 2 joins Zaiba & Uzma to describe how she felt after delivering her children, how it impacted her relationships, and how she found healing. Bringing home a baby doesn’t always mean mom’s eternal happiness. Not all mothers feel “the way they should” after the baby is born, and may feel lost if they don’t know where to turn for resources. This endangers not only mom but also a newborn. Our audio sounds different on this episode, so bear with us. We were also so in...

Zaiba and Uzma review how they fed their babies, what led to those decisions, and the social backlash they received for their choices. What’s normal, what’s real, and what’s the Islamic perspective on our Muslim American boobs and bottles? Links: Find Senators up for re-election in 2020: https://www.270towin.com/2020-senate-election/ Breastfeeding duration recommendations: https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/breastfeeding/conditioninfo/recommendations La Leche League on Muslim perspectives ...

Join your co-hosts today as they discuss their personal journeys of pregnancy and delivery, sprinkled with the Islamic tenets by which they tried to conceive and receive their little blessings from Allah. It may not always be rosy or even healthy, but it always happens when the time and His plan is right. Links: Our Precious Sprouts by Muhammad Jibaly What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff Quran Weekly video by Omar Suleiman on pregnancy loss: https://youtu.be/98e-lm6wLj4 Muslim ...

Fact check! Uzma misstated the TLC show as "Arranged Marriage," but it's actually "Married at First Sight." Neither is a very good reflection of the arranged marriages discussed today, but of the two shows, the first is a closer version, but we never got around to talking about it! We focused on the absurdity of never talking to someone before you marry them. Some people (Muslim and non Muslim) think Muslims get hit over the head and dragged to the mimbar to get married on their big days. That'...

In this first episode of the Mommying While Muslim of 2020 we discuss the rebirth of our popular podcast, changes that both Uzma and Zaiba are making in 2020, plus we will be talking giveaways. We have researched and have aligned ourselves with some extraordinary products. Now, we want to share what we have discovered. And, wait until you hear the promise that Zaiba makes to Uzma. 1) Web: http://www.mommyingwhilemuslim.com 2) Email: mailto:mommyingwhilemuslim@gmail.com 3) FB: Mommying While Mus...

Is it still a dilemma? When does assimilation cross the line into imitation? And what happens when you have a non-Muslim family that observes Christmas? These and many other questions, including above all, how to maintain our kids’ Muslim American identity are on today’s show. Fun fact: This episode was recorded fall 2018 as we started planning the podcast, edited ourselves, but it hasn’t aired until now, so we’re especially nostalgic about our intentions in this episode. All the feels! Please...

Today's episode features TWO special guests, CCF Associate Director Leena Al Arian and Legal Director Kathy Manley. Leena has lived through the arrest and detention of a family member and can speak to the psychological effects on families of laws that target and entrap Muslims in the United States since 9/11. Ms. Manley describes the legal realities uniquely faced by Muslims in the United States, forcing us to pay attention to the laws in our country and working to support those affected by them...

FACE is helping us spiritually and physically cleanse our worship spaces of the crimes of hidden marriages, physical, sexual, and financial abuse that sometimes occurs by leadership. Although our minority Muslim community plays ostrich, MWM is not about that game. We want our masajid to recruit the right people to guide our families, and stop protecting leadership at the expense of those affected by abuse--the ones abused, which could include our children and families. Brush the sand off your ba...

This episode is NOT meant to be heard by children unless our mom audience feels they're ready for it. If you're a survivor of any sexual trauma, as a child or as an adult, you may not be ready for it either, so gauge your ability to revisit the past. We are here for you either way. If you need resources to deal with PTSD due to a history of abuse, we have links for you below, and we are always just a DM/PM or email away. This episode IS meant to prepare us to hear the hard truths about child se...

While holidays may look different for everyone, the spirit of the season is gratitude and family. Zaiba and Uzma discuss their "Thanksgiving" histories and how they became enlightened by motherhood, adulthood, and "getting woke" to all the hidden truths they didn't learn as American kids. How do we come to grips with our dark past to push a better way forward? Pull up a chair to find out. Don't forget to SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, RATE, AND REVIEW this episode! Links: 1) To learn a more just view of Ame...