Istanbul, mid-December 2025. The global interfaith organization* of which I am currently the president organized, for the first time since October 7, 2023, a meeting of its Middle East – North Africa branch, with 50 participants chosen from among the leaders of the many “cooperation circles” that the organization has in these regions, for 4 full days.

They came from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt… There are Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, Jews (Orthodox and Reform), Orthodox Christians, Coptic Christians, Protestant Christians, Druze, Baha’is, a Scientologist.

I was, how can I put it, a little anxious about having Israeli Jews and Palestinians, and other worthy representatives of the Arab world, in the same room. I was wrong.

You don’t learn about the world through the media, whether social or otherwise. You learn by traveling, and for the past two years, Israel and Palestine haven’t been among my destinations. You also learn by listening to people who live what you want to learn about. And I learned so much in four days.

Everything that happened in Istanbul is shrouded in secrecy for the safety of the participants, especially regarding their identities. That is why I will primarily use fictitious first names.

From anti-Jewish fighter to peacekeeper

One of us, Amin, came to tell me his story. He’s in his fifties, slim, with an elegant bearing, a weathered face, and dark eyes that sparkle with life. Amin has lived in a refugee camp in Palestine, seemingly his whole life. He told me that when he was younger, he was a “fighter” against Israel. He was convinced that a good Jew was a dead Jew, and that he would earn his place in paradise by killing the enemy. Until the day he met our interfaith organization, fifteen years ago. In short, this encounter made him realize that he could talk to a Jew. And that if he could talk to him, it meant that the Jew was also a human being. With this realization, he understood that he had been lied to all his life, and he decided to dedicate his life to helping people see their humanity as something that transcends all prejudice. “  We are first and foremost human beings, before we are Jews, Muslims, Christians, or anything else,  ” he told me. “  Without that, we are nothing, and war begins .”

Not only has Amin come a long way, but in his refugee camp, he faces daily the influence of Hamas and others who don’t share his view of the enemy’s humanity. He also has to deal with the abuses sometimes (or often, depending on who I listen to) committed by Israeli soldiers, which only complicate matters. But he remains steadfast. He explains that he teaches young people how to pass checkpoints by observing Israeli soldiers and imagining them at home, with their families, at the beach—anywhere they would find a human image, regardless of the soldiers’ behavior. The result, he tells me, is often (though not always) miraculous. It’s the soldiers who then change their attitude and become, in effect, more humane.

His analysis is this: each of the two groups (Israelis and Palestinians) sees the other as something devoid of humanity. If one of them infuses humanity into their gaze, then the other receives it and becomes what they have always been: human. It’s not much, but it’s all they have to fight for, and ultimately, it’s all that can make a difference in this part of the world. For him, that’s a divine mission.

The enemy children

Steven is a devout Israeli Jew who runs an organization in Tel Aviv that teaches dialogue for peace to young people. When the October 13th massacre occurred, he felt compelled to do something to prevent succumbing to hatred. He knew that nothing would ever be the same again, and even before, things weren’t great… So he launched a project for the young people who followed him—Palestinian Muslims and Christians, and Israeli Jews, Muslims, and Druze—to preserve and strengthen what he calls “the connection beyond divisions.” Through writing, young Israelis and Palestinians collaborate to express their suffering, their difficulties, their hopes, their resilience, and their courage—the courage to imagine a future of peace where the present seems to contradict them. Two books have already emerged from this project.

Yet his project was not universally accepted. Many of his students’ parents called him to criticize the fact that their children might sympathize “with the enemy.” He, too, remained steadfast. Often, it was the children themselves who convinced their parents of the merits of the approach, and of the “lack of merit” in the enemy’s rhetoric.

Do they hate it a little, a lot, passionately, or not at all?

One day, I asked Mohamed, a Palestinian from Bethlehem, if it was true that people in the West Bank hated Israelis. A somewhat silly, naive question, but if I didn’t ask him, who would I ask? Mohamed was Muslim, but he told me he didn’t really practice. He didn’t really care about practice. For him, God doesn’t express himself through practice. To each their own path. He replied, ”  That’s true, but not only that. You have to understand that for many Palestinians, all they know about Jews are the soldiers, those they encounter at checkpoints, those who regularly mistreat them, those who have sometimes killed children in their neighborhoods. Before, there were more Palestinians who went to work in Israel and had more opportunities to interact. Since October 2023, that number has drastically decreased, and the divide has widened even further.” So yes, many people hate Israelis. Perhaps you would hate them too if you were in their situation. And then there’s the propaganda. Propaganda has a field day. It dehumanizes Jews, and every time a Jew commits a wrong here, it wins. There’s only one solution: dialogue and the recognition of our shared humanity. This shared humanity comes up like a recurring theme, day after day, conversation after conversation.

Equal height and equal rights?

Then there’s Karin, an Israeli journalist, who manages to speak to me privately. She tells me I absolutely must talk to Sara, a young Baha’i woman from Jordan, because she’s convinced that a solution in the Middle East might come from the Scientologists and the Baha’is, because the Jews (including herself), Muslims, and Christians are too entangled in these age-old conflicts; they’re trapped in existential struggles that prevent them from seeing things from a broader perspective. They want to save their own skin, and to do that, they have to destroy “the other.”

So I talk to Sara, who is absolutely fantastic. Every day she takes five hours on trains (yes, trains, not just one) to help children in a refugee camp on the border with Palestine. Once, I ask her if Baha’is face discrimination in Jordan. She immediately says no, but when I ask her a little more, I learn that they don’t have the same rights as others (which, of course, is the very definition of discrimination). The difference in rights, from what she tells me, mainly concerns family rights, but the more I talk to her, the more she shows me that they are, in fact, discriminated against. We get used to everything, to the point where we don’t even see the problem anymore. She says she loves her country, and that for that reason, she’s willing to accept the hardships. I tell myself that I love my country too, but that doesn’t change my rejection of discrimination. I think we’re being taken for a ride when they manage to make us believe we have to accept the unacceptable in the name of some kind of patriotism. But anyway, it doesn’t matter, Sara is brilliant and full of genuine kindness.

There’s also Kamal, a Lebanese Druze. When Kamal learns that I’m friends with Sheikh Bader Kasem, a prominent figure in Druze Islam (who lives in Israel), he wants to learn more about Scientology . When he learns that I, too, believe we are immortal spiritual beings who pass from body to body, life after life, he’s happy because he’s no longer alone.

All these religions are a breath of fresh air.

There’s also Mina, a Christian from Egypt, a renowned professor of medicine, who didn’t even know my religion existed. It’s the first time he’s heard its name. He knows me, but it had never occurred to him. So, he starts talking about it while we’re all gathered together. And everyone begins discussing how there’s nothing better than learning that there aren’t just five major religions in the world (Christianity, Islam, Druze, Judaism, and Baha’i). They want me to tell them about all these religions they know so little about. It’s a breath of fresh air for them. The world is vast, diverse, and rich. It reinforces their belief that the most important thing is that we are all human. Hallelujah.

Adar, for his part, is Kurdish, from Iraq. He talks about Mandaeism , an ancient religion that now only has a few thousand followers, mainly in Iraq. I ask him if he practices it; he says no, he’s Christian. But he says that in Kurdistan, everyone does what they want. I doubt it, but I don’t really know. So he invites me, along with his two companions, one of whom is part of the Kurdish government. I said I’d go. And I will.

The other’s language

And then there’s Shlomo. Shlomo is Jewish, but he taught Arabic in Israel his whole life. For him, language is the gateway to peace. If you speak the language, you understand. If you understand, you don’t wage war. He published a Hebrew/Arabic dictionary, which has been reprinted several times. He explained to me that his parents, in his younger years, were very disappointed with his life path. Teaching Arabic, you have to be a little crazy. But anyway, he became the National Inspector of the Arabic Language, a lecturer at the Faculty of Education of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Israel’s representative to the European Committee for Reading and Literacy. So they were forced to admit that he had made something of his life, and they changed their minds. Shlomo seems not to care; he’s old and he’s seen it all. And yet he is still present at all the gatherings, even at over 80 years old.

Mariam, from Hebron in Palestine, is a Christian. She speaks a grating Arabic, not because it isn’t beautiful, but because she speaks so loudly and always seems to be yelling at you, even when she smiles and you understand that she likes you. She complains. She complains about Israel, which “makes her life miserable.” She complains about Hamas, which “makes her life miserable,” she complains about the Palestinian Authority and its “corrupt President,” which “makes her life miserable.” But she pats everyone on the shoulder, Jews included, with an energy that knows no bounds.

She also tells me about the Israeli settlers. She says that in many places the settlers and the Palestinians get along very well. They live together and work together. Why am I surprised?

Peace?

Understand this clearly: these are not pro-Israel Arabs. They are not pro-Palestine Jews. They are not eccentric dreamers from some beatnik fantasy. These are people who have lived through the harsh realities of war, and who continue to grapple with them, but who have not lost their intelligence or their humanity.

Finally, on the last evening, we celebrated Hanukkah, lit the candles, and listened to the prayers in Hebrew. No photos, please; it’s not like we’re having a village festival. And taking photos is dangerous. But we celebrated anyway. Together.

And then everyone went their separate ways. On the group messaging app, which some had to leave and delete from their phones before returning to their countries, the conversations continued for several days. Everyone went back home, to the fight, the fight for a better world, for a better region, for a better neighborhood, for better people. We promised we would see each other again. And we did.

And we know. We know that peace is possible and that those who say otherwise are, deep down, the ones who don’t want it. We know that war is not inherent to humankind, because, precisely, humanity is the solution to war. From the moment we see it, recognize it, and grant it its humanity. Does that sound naive? No, it’s a flower nourished by the blood of victims, which, despite everything, has grown, and which defies the status quo.

* This is the world’s largest grassroots interreligious organization, with over 1,200 affiliated groups in more than 110 countries. Founded by the former Episcopal Bishop of California, Reverend Bill Swing, it celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. Beyond its creation and scale, these 25 years have primarily demonstrated the strength of its model: decentralized interreligious cooperation, driven by local actors themselves. URI has enabled very diverse communities to meet, overcome religious and cultural divides, and work together for peace, reconciliation, education, equality, social justice, and the care of the Earth. By prioritizing inclusion, shared governance, and concrete action over rhetoric, it has helped to embed interreligious dialogue in daily life and make it a genuine driver of lasting social transformation.

This article was first printed in French, on Rebelles. It is reprinted with permission.

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In a region more accustomed to headlines of loss than of listening, the Institute of International Education (IIE) has chosen to honor something quietly radical: healing. The 2025 Victor J. Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East has been awarded to Nitsan Joy Gordon and Jawdat Lajon Kasab, the co-founders of the Army of Healers, for building spaces where Israelis and Palestinians — Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Bedouins — can grieve, speak, and rebuild trust together.

The two leaders will share the US$20,000 prize, marking the 21st anniversary of an award created to recognize joint Jewish-Arab partnerships advancing peace.

The Army of Healers emerged after October 7, in response to what Gordon and Kasab describe as a region living inside collective trauma. Rather than launching a political initiative, they created something more fragile — and more human. Today, their program has trained 30 facilitators from across communities and now supports more than 20 healing circles with over 400 participants, conducted in multiple languages and across age groups.

Through ten-session dialogue groups, participants confront fear, express grief, and slowly relearn how to see one another as human beings. “In moments of deep division,” Gordon and Kasab say, “the world needs an army — not of soldiers holding weapons, but of healers cultivating pathways toward peace.”

The circles draw on Internal Family Systems therapy, movement and dance therapy, playback theater, nonviolent communication, and trauma-informed dialogue. The work is hosted under the Israeli nonprofit Together Beyond Words.

Why the Goldberg Prize matters

The Victor J. Goldberg Prize is unique. It does not reward governments or institutions. It honors pairs — one Jewish Israeli and one Muslim Arab — working together at the grassroots level. Victor J. Goldberg, a former IBM executive and longtime IIE trustee who endowed the prize in 2005, emphasized this spirit during the ceremony:

“Nitsan and Jawdat are inspiring examples of the brave individuals and groups who are building platforms of mutual trust and cooperation. Most importantly, they have not lost their commitment to bringing people together to get to know one another as human beings.”

He added that the prize exists to keep hope visible when despair dominates.

Over its 21-year history, the Goldberg Prize has honored 26 pairs whose work has reshaped how peacebuilding looks on the ground. Past laureates have included:

Israeli and Palestinian educators who rewrote textbooks to remove demonization of “the other.” Families who lost children in violence and chose reconciliation over revenge. Medical volunteers who treated patients regardless of religion.

IIE President Emeritus Allan E. Goodman summarized their legacy: “People who started out hating each other and rejecting each other’s narratives somehow managed to overcome all that to do something good.”

Placed in this lineage, the Army of Healers represents a new generation of peace work — one that recognizes trauma as a political force, and healing as an act of resistance.

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In Islamic culture, the hijab stands as a symbol of modesty, identity, and faith for Arab and Muslim women. We firmly believe wearing a hijab or a Muslim head scarf should be an act of faith and a woman should always decide. Some women believe the hijab is empowering. But how to avoid hijab hair?

When your hair is tied up it doesn’t get air or the sun. Here’s a guide on how Muslim women can treat their hijab hair with care and reverence. Jewish women who cover their hair or who wear wigs can also use these tips. Some Jewish women call their head scarves a snood.

Understanding Hijab Hair and the woman Muslim head scarf

Hijab hair refers to the hair of Muslim women who cover it with a headscarf as an expression of their faith. The hair may face challenges such as dryness, breakage, and lack of volume due to prolonged covering. Understanding these challenges is the first step towards effective care.

Read More: Queer Muslims in Boston choose to wear a Muslim head scarf 

Consider the material that your head covering is made from. Silk, cotton, wool blends and linen will breath naturally. A Jersey hijab is made from cotton. Consider using an eco fabric, harvested sustainably.

The foundation of healthy hair lies in a balanced diet. Incorporating nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats can promote hair strength and growth. Additionally, staying hydrated ensures that hair follicles receive adequate moisture, combating dryness caused by the hijab. Some people take biotin to increase hair growth, and at a certain age your dermatologist might suggest some vitamins for your hair. Speak with your girlfriends. They will have tips too.

Gentle Cleansing and Hydration

Frequent washing may strip hijab hair of its natural oils, leading to dryness and breakage. Opt for gentle, sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners to cleanse and hydrate without harsh chemicals. Focus on the scalp to remove buildup and promote circulation, but be mindful not to overwash, aiming for 2-3 times a week, not more.

Sealing moisture into hijab hair is essential for preventing dryness and brittleness. After washing, apply a leave-in conditioner or natural oils such as argan oil or coconut oil to the lengths and ends of the hair. This creates a protective barrier, keeping moisture locked in throughout the day.

Read more: Why Muslims don’t drink alcohol

Protective Styling with your Muslim head wrap

When wearing the hijab, opt for loose and breathable fabrics to minimize friction and allow airflow to the scalp. Remember natural fabrics dyed with natural dyes. Avoid tight hairstyles that can strain the hair follicles and lead to breakage. Instead, choose gentle styles like braids or loose buns to keep hair secure without pulling or tugging.

Nighttime Care

Before bedtime, loosely braid hijab hair to prevent tangling and breakage while sleeping. Silk or satin pillowcases can also reduce friction and help retain moisture, preventing dryness and frizz. We prefer cotton but it’s your choice. Additionally, consider using a silk or satin hair bonnet to protect hair from friction caused by movement during sleep.

Hair slugging is a trend some people swear by. The basic idea is to apply a thick layer of oil or petroleum jelly to your hair before bed, and then wrap it up to keep the moisture in. As mentioned, this can help to hydrate your hair, reduce frizz, and make it look shinier. We don’t believe petroleum is a good idea for the job. Try a natural oil instead.

The popular but expensive Ouai hair oil is said to work well. With the ingredients list you can make your own:

Rice Bran Oil – emollient plant oil with nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids (oleic acid: 40%, linoleic acid: 30%, linolenic acid:1-2%), antioxidant vitamin E, emollient sterols and potent antioxidant gamma-oryzanol.

Asian women use rosemary oil on the scalp and say it prevents thinning. Dilute one you might find with almond or another weak edible oil and do a test patch first to see how your scalp reacts.

Regular trims are essential for maintaining healthy hijab hair. Trimming every 8 to 12 weeks helps prevent split ends and breakage, keeping hair strong and voluminous. Even if the ends are not visible due to the hijab, regular maintenance ensures overall hair health.

Read More: Head coverings and the problem with modesty police in Iran

Mindful Hair Accessories

Be mindful of the hair accessories used under the hijab. Avoid using tight clips or hair ties that can cause tension and breakage. Instead, opt for soft, fabric-covered hair ties or scrunchies to secure hair without causing damage.

Every woman’s hair is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. Experiment with different products and techniques to find what best suits your hair type and needs. By adopting a holistic approach to hair care, Muslim women can ensure that their hair remains healthy, strong, and beautiful, reflecting the beauty of their inner selves.

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On the road to Mecca in Saudi Arabia four hundred years ago, one could stop at a professional sorcerer: it seems that Muslim pilgrims walking from Cairo in Egypt to Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula would make a stop at these professional sorcerers. Dinns are a real thing in Islam, so beware if you cross one when out on a pilgrimage or if one enters your home. This guide may help you get the dinns out.

You know about the Evil Eye and hamsa, hamsa, hamsa for keeping it away? It’s an old practice in the Middle East. Finding some sources to superstitions are the strange magical tools found along pilgrim routes and described by Israeli researchers in the Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World. The researchers found stones and sculptures, some broken, and guess these objects were used in magical rituals carried out in order to ward off the evil eye, to heal diseases and more.

According to the researchers, “This discovery reveals that people in the Early Ottoman Period—just as today—consulted popular sorcerers, alongside the formal belief in the official religion.”

Itamar Taxel of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Uzi Avner of the Dead Sea-Arava Science Center, and Nitzan Amitai-Preiss of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem were involved in the study that looked at the objects found in the Eilat region in the 1990s.

The group of objects is associated with rituals or ceremonies and comprises predominantly dozens of fragments of clay globular rattles, mostly similar to table tennis balls, containing small stones, that sound when the rattle was shaken. There were 2 miniature votive incense altars found, a small figurine of a naked woman or a goddess with raised hands, a characteristic feature of deities or priests; a few other figurines, and crystal pebbles.

The examination of the clay used for the ceramic objects has shown that they came from Egypt.

This is the first time that such a large assemblage of ritual objects of this kind has been found, and it is even more unique at a temporary site and not a permanent settlement.

The magical objects were found next to the Pilgrimage Road (Darb al-Hajj, in Arabic) that led from Cairo, crossed the Sinai Peninsula, and continued in the region of Eilat to the town of Aqaba, and then crossed the Arabian Peninsula on the way to Hajj in Mecca and Medina. This route was in use from the first centuries after the rise of Islam, from the 7th century to the 19th century.

“The spot of these artifacts next to the camping site, and the comparison of the artifacts to those known in the Muslim world, as well as the fact that these artifacts were found together as a group, lead to the understanding that they were used in magical rituals,” the researchers announce, adding:

“The artifacts were found broken, and they may even have been purposely broken in the ceremonies. It seems that these rituals were carried out at the site by one or several people who specialized in popular magical ceremonies. From the literary sources, we know that there was a demand for magical rituals among people from different strands of society. Such rituals were carried out daily alongside the formal religious rituals—including in the Muslim world—and it is probable that the pilgrims making their way to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina were no exception,” they add.

The Darb el-Haj road will be part of tourism and educational activities in Israel showing how cultures past lived their lives in the Holy Land.

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In Western minds, jinn, or djinns, or genies – are Disney figures drawn out of the Orient’s mythical past. But belief in jinns as living creatures with supernatural forces thrives in modern times too.

According to Wikipedia, a survey undertaken by the Pew Research Center in 2012 shows that “…at least 86% in Morocco, 84% in Bangladesh, 63% in Turkey, 55% in Iraq, 53% in Indonesia, 47% in Thailand and 15% elsewhere in Central Asia, Muslims affirm the existence of jinn. The low rate in Central Asia might be influenced by Soviet religious oppression.”

The majestic jinni below was carved into the palace wall of Assyrian King Sargon II,  722-705 B.C.

So powerful is the belief that in Saudia Arabia, for example, sorcery and dealing with jinn is punishable by death.

It’s thought that jinn are figures from pre-Islamic Arabia which Islam absorbed. They are not worshiped, which may be why belief in them is acceptable to Muslims. Jinn are said to be made of fire or of air, and are neutral in character until they chose to follow Allah, or not. Although able to live untold years, they can die, and share other human characteristics, such as the need to eat, drink, and mate. Jinn can mate with humans, too. A modern story by A.S. Byatt, “The Djinn In The Nightingale’s Eye,” draws on this belief.

They are invisible, but can manifest physically in human or animal form, or as a frightful blend of both, or as fire. Lonely, deserted places are believed to be where jinn are found.  Jinn haunt ruined houses, the empty desert, and maybe even public places like this deserted train station below.

Epilepsy, narcolepsy, and mental and physical illness are attributed to the malicious workings of jinn, as well as natural phenomena like sandstorms.

Demons are a different class of creature in the hierarchy of supernatural beings. They’re believed to corrupt the hearts of the faithful and lead them astray. This weaken the human spirit and makes it easy for jinn to harm or possess the person.

Not all is bad with jinn, though. A sympathetic one may be helpful. A powerful magician can subdue a jinni to his will and make him do or get things.  The 16th-century Persian miniature below shows  jinn working to build a wall for Alexander the Great.

Humans and jinn may come to an agreement, where a jinni will do magical favors for someone in exchange for something he desires. In many stories, the jinni grants three wishes in exchange for freedom from bondage.

There are many stories where humans triumph over adversity with the help of friendly jinn – stories that have been handed down over centuries, and are still told.

Mohammad wrote throughout the Koran that adherence to the law, and reciting specific prayers at prescribed times, averts evil spirits. More advice: keep wudu (ritual hygiene), because jinn dislike cleanliness. Eating seven dates first thing in the morning also does it. Jinni are afraid of iron, so a magician can weaken and dominate a jinni by sticking a needle through the jinni’s robes.  The belief that iron averts evil spirits is shared around the world. Think of horseshoes hung near the entrance to rustic homes, barns and stables.

The toilet is also considered a jinn-ridden place. Cast a protective barrier between yourself and the jinn haunting the lavatory: enter with the left foot first, and recite, “In the Name of Allaah; my ‘ilãh I seek refuge in You from the male and female devils.”

Wearing an amulet pouch like the one pictured below will guard you against the evil eye and jinn.

Stay pure in body and heart, pray at all prescribed times, and jinn won’t bother with you. They like sinners better.

Image of female genie trapped in a bottle by Mystic Art Design at Pixabay; Deserted station by Lucas Hartman at Pexels;  16th-century Persian miniature, amulet pouch via Wikipedia;  Assyrian wall jinni via LifeScience

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According to Islam, being breastfed is a right for all children. Now Abu Dhabi has passed a clause in their Child Rights law that requires all women to breastfeed their children – up to the age of two.

Islam has some pretty interesting points of view when it comes to breastfeeding, where it is recommended that a child nurse at least until the age of two.

There are loads of environmental and health benefits to breastfeeding, basically cutting out an entire industry of formula, cow-made or soya products; breastfeeding makes sure your baby gets all the vitamins and micronutrients, some not even known to science. It also helps a woman get make in shape and good spirits after giving birth. Some say it’s worth more than oil, like the author of this book.

But to make it law? What does this do for women’s rights?

The Minister of Social Affairs, Mariam Al Roumi, according to The National, told law makers that men would then be able to sue their women if their wives didn’t breastfeed. But Salem Al Ameri from Abu Dhabi said that being breastfed was a right of all children. Another lawmaker agreed that the required age should be two. That it should be seen as a duty and not an option for women.

The legislation is also working on laws for workplaces to supply nurseries for those women who want to work and who now must breastfeed.

While this law might serve the wealthy locals, it is hard to imagine that given the region’s track record on labor rights that this wonderful idea of a nursery in all workplaces would apply to non-natives.

Despite some Muslim countries such as Morocco being quite conservative, it is not uncommon to see nursing women in public – feeding the child in carefully placed holes in the abaya.

As a breastfeeding mother of two, I admire some aspects of the way Muslim mothers nurse, and support nursing. To make it law, however, takes a very natural act and makes it stressful for the women who want to nurse and who find it hard to do so. Nursing is not easy for first time mothers, so any laws if they were to be passed must also rule out medical conditions, including breast enhancement surgeries, for those who simply cannot.

We’ve covered breastfeeding and Islam in depth on Green Prophet. If you want to follow the topic, read about how Muslim women make adopted babies their own with breastfeeding; Arab countries have some of the highest rates of infant mortality. Read here about how breastfeeding, a fading art, can reduce the odds of death. Or you might be interested to know how to breastfeed your baby in a hijab or other modesty gear. Read here.

Curious to what this means for you in Abu Dhabi, I’d try the La Leche League in Abu Dhabi for more.

Image of breastfeeding Muslim woman from Shutterstock

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Founded in order to promote a culture of peace and tolerance in the United States by human rights attorney Shaz Kaiseruddin, the inaugural hijab design competition held in Chicago over the weekend was a huge hit. From elaborate coral arrangements to wraps piled high on models’ heads, the show turned out a surprising variety of 21st century hijabs that both honor and turn tradition on its head.

Sarah Musa, second from the left, won the grand design for the camel quilted ensemble worn by her sister standing right next to her.

Sold out to a diverse audience, the design competition had a star-studded panel of judges that included such luminaries as designer Nailah Lymus, who was dressed for the occasion in a wild, avant-garde outfit, Parsons Professor Shireen Soliman and Dr. Aminah McCloud, a Muslim American scholar.

“Derek Khan, America’s Next Top Model guest judge, was the biggest critic of the group-which was an essential role” said Shaz, whose dream it was to show that hijabs are as “American as blue jeans.”

“The event showed that the hijab does not have to be an after-thought, consisting of just a color matched scarf.  It can be integrated into the attire, enhancing the overall look and elegance,” her father added.

The design competition was open to non-designers to present their American-styled hijab and styles and promotes an end to the violence, hatred and discrimination that Muslims often face in the United States.

“Seeing my dream become a reality made me want to help everyone experience the same and pray everyone has a team that will help push them past naysayers,” Shaz said in a recent press release.

She received particular support from her husband and father, Ahmed Minhaj and Mohammed Kaiseruddin.

The grand prize was awarded to New York’s Sarah Musa, whose design included an entire ensemble that makes the traditional Arab scarf look like a table cloth.

A quilted camel-colored shirtdress hangs over slim pants while the head covering consists of a turtleneck with a head cap – almost like a hoody but much more classy. The outfit modeled by Musa’s sister, who does not normally cover herself, is completed with a pair of boots.

Yasmeen Sabir won the style component for a tropical scarf coupled with a coral motorcycle jacket, boyfriend jeans, a yellow cardigan, and gravity-defying blue heels .

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Referencing the many expatriates living (and generating wealth) in the country, he said something I’ve never forgotten: “In my own country, when I speak to people in Arabic, they answer me in English. Everywhere I go. Can you imagine? We are a minority in our own country.” Now, nearly two years later, the Al Ain Zoo reports that Emiratis make up 33 percent of their workforce. That’s 160 young Arabs working for a zoo.

Gone are the days of the typical “lazy Arab.” They exist. For sure they exist (and this is a universal condition), but a relatively small minority is chasing not just their individual dreams, but the dreams of their families and their tribe as well.

They completed their studies in Europe or the United States, or – increasingly – back home, and now they are doing the hard work of undoing mistakes accumulated over the last fifty years since discovering oil in 1960. And they’re doing it in their own culturally-relevant style.

It’s a beautiful thing. But more beautiful still:

UAE Social Transformation  

For years we’ve reported terrible stories about the treatment of both domestic and wild animals (read about how this Dubai resident walks around with a cheetah on a leash), and they continue to manifest in disturbing ways, but it is clear that the UAE in particular has undergone a radical transformation when 16,000 young people are striving towards the singular goal of saving endangered species.

“Al Ain Zoo’s Emirati employees play a vital role in the zoo’s overall strategy, delivering our message of conservation with unique insight into the UAE’s natural environment and history,” said Ghanim Al Hajeri, director General of the Zoo.

“The career opportunities are endless – whether in animal care, tourism or administrative roles – and UAE National employees act as ambassadors for our nation, allowing visitors to experience our culture from a different perspective.”

Honing skills of each unique contributor corresponds with Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 which sets out a program “to lay the foundations for a socially cohesive and economically sustainable community that preserves the Emirate’s unique cultural heritage,” Mariam Al Shamsi, Director Human Resources and Strategy said in a recent statement.

Hey, if it gets kids off the couch and moving their feet in nature, that’s fine by us.

The post Al Ain Zoo Hits Record of Sustainable Emirati Employment appeared first on Green Prophet.

Even if you didn’t give birth to the baby, you can still feed it to make it “yours” in Muslim communities. Here’s how.

Under Islamic Sharia’a law, western adoption practices are frowned upon. When children are abandoned by their birth parents, they may become foster children of other families, but they are not allowed to take on their foster parents’ last name, or to have any rights of a mahram (an unmarriageable kin with whom sexual intercourse is considered incestuous). Only one thing has the power to overcome these restrictions: Breastfeeding.

In countries such as Saudi Arabia, where Islamic law is the rule, breastfeeding an infant or child under the age of two years gives the adopted child the rights of birth making them a mahram.

The Holy Quran clearly states, “Let another woman suckle (the child) on the (mother’s) behalf” (65:6), “Forbidden to you are…your mothers that have suckled you and your foster-sisters” (23:4), and the Hadith by Aisha (blessing of Allah upon her) says, “Breastfeeding denies what is denied by birth.”

These statements support the notion that other than the birth mother, any lactating woman can be the milk-mother of a child and give that child the same birthrights as her own. It is agreed upon by Islamic scholars that in order for her to accomplish this she must feed an infant three to five satisfying feeds.

A satisfying feed is approximated at around 50 ml of expressed breast milk; as soon as she has completed these three to five feeds, she is considered a milk-mother by Sharia’a law and has rights to the child that are identical to those of any birth mother. Having a milk-mother means the child will be a child to her husband, a sibling to her children, and a relative to all extended family members.

Contrary to what many people think, any woman can breastfeed, whether she has recently delivered a baby or not. It is biologically possible for a woman to lactate or relactate, regardless of her childbearing status. I have experienced this possibility in my breastfeeding resource center in Jeddah Saudi Arabia, where I live, while working with several adoptive mothers.

My clients are women who had been married for many years and had difficulty conceiving a child. Under my supervision the mothers adopted and breastfed infants around the age of four months old with 250 ml of expressed breast milk.

Lactation and milk expression took approximately two weeks. To encourage lactation, the mothers began by orally taking 60 mg of Domperidone a day and several cups of brewed Fenugreek while pumping and stimulating their breasts every two hours.

During the first week, small beads of milk could be seen coming out of the nipple; by the end of two weeks, the mothers were able to express 250 ml of breast milk, fulfilling the need for the five feeds to make the children their own.

In some instances, as soon as the child was fed the full 250 ml, the mother ceased the medication and stopped pumping as the milk diminished naturally.  In other instances the mothers continued to pump and feed the babies the milk that was expressed.

Adoptive breastfeeding is a beautiful option for couples in the Middle East who want to adopt a child and give him or her full family rights, and for a child who needs loving parents. Adoptive breastfeeding is a tool that can be used to improve lives. It forces the biological relationship to be primary to rearing an adopted infant. Through breastfeeding, nature has given women a means to give life, improve circumstances, and correct social problems.

More resources on breastfeeding in Islam:

Breastfeeding in a hijab

Muslims who breastfeed save the planet

A Fading Art

This guest post is by Dr Modi Batterjee from the Al Bidayah Breastfeeding Resource and Women’s Awareness Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She’s written a wonderful book on breastfeeding, A Fading Art.

The post How Muslim Families Use Breastfeeding to Make Adopted Babies Their Own appeared first on Green Prophet.

With more than a billion Muslims in the world, Arab activists claim that Muslim leaders are pretty much silent about global warming and environmental issues. AP is reporting this as world leaders gather in Doha, Qatar for the UN-mediated COP18 climate change talks this week. Arab activists from Lebanon sent Green Prophet the same message today in a press release asking for Arabs, not necessarily Muslims, to step up to the plate to be part of the solution. 

Qatar is one of the world’s polluting countries, with the largest carbon footprint per capita. Its economy like others in the Arab Gulf region is built on natural gas wealth (in other cases oil) and extravagance. But the situation is polarized when we talk about Muslims and Arabs since many Arab/Muslim countries like Egypt, Jordan and Syria are very poor and compared to western nations are relatively benign when it comes to the over all picture of carbon emissions per capita.

Still the Muslim imans and clerics can be pretty powerful if they send a message to their community through the mosques.

Activists from more than 15 Arab countries such as Qatar, Mauritania, Morocco, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Oman, Egypt and Bahrain will also call on their own leaders – during the first climate negotiations ever held in the Middle East -to submit concrete voluntary pledges for mitigation targets at COP18 in order to fulfill their own responsibilities in reducing Greenhouse gas emissions.

IndyACT also recently formed the  Arab Youth Climate Movement.

The post Activists at COP18 in Qatar: Islam and the Arab-world Not Eco Enough appeared first on Green Prophet.