My Articles

Network Weaver • May 7 2025

How Muslim Voices Can be Amplified Through Collaborative Journalism

The idea of liberation goes beyond personal freedoms or the ability to move through the world unchallenged. It speaks to a larger, shared responsibility to amplify truth, challenge falsehoods, and foster understanding across the divisions that too frequently separate us.

TIME Magazine • April 23 2025

Mahmoud Khalil’s Case Brings Family Separation into Focus

Mahmoud Khalil remained confined as his wife gave birth to their son. The separation wasn't due to logistical impossibility but a denied request for temporary release, highlighting what some experts describe as a pattern of using family separation as leverage against specific communities.

Raseef22 • April 8 2025

What a Fascism Expert Sees in Mahmoud Khalil’s Fight for Justice

To explore the broader implications of Khalil's detention, I spoke with Alberto Toscano,  author of "Late Fascism" and columnist for In These Times, about what Khalil's case signifies for the state of democracy and civil liberties today.

Offbeat Research • March 26 2025

The Road to Damascus: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government

The United States’ continued designation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a terrorist organization is one inspired by a track record of insularity.

TIME Magazine • March 7 2025

What the New Houthi Terrorist Designation Means for Yemen

Critics argue the terrorist designation—which carries penalties for doing business with the faction—could exacerbate an already dire situation where millions of civilians rely on aid to survive.

Raseef22 • February 10 2025

The Politics and Propaganda of Hostage Swaps

In the theater of conflict, the release of hostages becomes a telling performance on the world stage. When Palestinian prisoners are released, the act is swift. The hundreds of oft-unnamed men, women and children embrace their loved ones in a flurry of tattered grey prison garb. No stage is needed for the cast members of Israel’s rolling prison system.

TIME Magazine • February 6 2025

Designer Rachel Scott Is Redefining Luxury

Rachel Scott wants to change our understanding of luxury. Scott, who founded the fashion brand Diotima in 2021 and has a studio in New York City’s Chinatown, draws her inspiration from Jamaica, where she grew up.

The Food Section • January 27 2025

Welcome to Halalabama - The Food Section

When I spoke to the founder of one of Alabama’s most renowned halal food trucks, he apologized for not being able to give our conversation his full attention: he was in the middle of making strawberry barbecue sauce to pair with lamb ribs. Ashurah Ali Mustaqeem carefully curates his rolling menu—including curried oxtails, Caribbean jerk chicken, and agave-glazed fried chicken and waffles—so every item registers as boundary-pushing and deeply rooted in the cultural fusion of Alabama’s South.

Raseef22 • January 22 2025

The Path Back to a Free Syria Is Rooted in Faith

The journey back to Syria is laden with emotional, logistical, and economic obstacles. Much like the Prophet Muhammad’s own migration, in Islam, reclamation is a continuous effort that requires global support.

TIME Magazine • December 13 2024

Last North Gaza Hospital for Premature Babies at Risk

“It's not a game when they throw leaflets or when they announce that there are evacuation orders,” Mahmoud Shalabi, Deputy Director of Programmes at Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) told TIME from Gaza City. Shalabi and his family have been internally displaced for more than seventy days.

TIME Magazine • September 13 2024

Lessons from the Gaza Polio Vaccine Campaign So Far

Despite the restrictions and security concerns medical workers have experienced with the first round, the organizations involved are cautiously optimistic about the future of the campaign and the second round.

TIME Magazine • August 23 2024

Gaza’s Doctors Face a New Battle: The War on Polio

Polio has resurfaced in Gaza for the first time in 25 years, thriving in the same conditions in which people are dying. In Gaza, the medical safety of thousands of children depends on the safe delivery of vaccines to the region. The history of polio shows us the disease is well-equipped to distress Gaza past the point of return.

TIME Magazine • August 17 2024

The Infants Among the War Dead: Baby Twins Killed in Gaza

In Gaza, where the death count has reached more than 40,000 people, the Health Ministry calculates that women and children account for more than half of the dead. Images of Gaza's youngest victims summon the strongest response.

TIME Magazine • May 15 2024

The Solemn History Behind Nakba Day

Every year on May 15, Palestinian people across the world observe what is known as Nakba Day, the solemn anniversary of the day in 1948 when the Arab-Israeli War began, precipitating a wave of displacement and expulsion among the Palestinian population.

TIME Magazine • March 10 2024

Why Ramadan Is a Time of Activism for Many Muslims

As the holiest month of the year for Muslims, Ramadan—which begins on the evening of March 10 in 2024—is a time of spirituality, self-discipline, and compassion. For many who observe, that focus on compassion also translates into an increased focus on social justice and activism.

Muslim Climate Watch • February 1 2024

The Eco-Conscious Journey of Black Muslim Americans

The Black Muslim American community shares crucial advice on environmental advocacy while showing resilience as they navigate systemic obstacles. Spirituality within the Black Muslim community is a repetitive theme in both understanding and coming to terms with the climate’s trajectory.