The scenario is always the same–your aunt eagerly tells you she has a beautiful, eligible woman who would love to meet you and who comes from a wonderful family—she’s educated, charming and is adept at all household chores. So, you decide to meet; you think, “hey, I’ve got nothing to lose, right?” Well, she doesn’t exactly turn out to be how your aunt describes—she’s at least 10 years older, and doesn’t seem to be very interested in what you have to say. The first meeting goes disastrously, (at least it will make a good story for your buddies,) and you swear off anymore arranged dates.

I’m finding someone myself, you decide. I know what I like, and I’m perfectly capable of doing it on my own. That’s when you suddenly realize just how hard it can be to find someone that you connect with.

Jaleel seemed like a great guy. He was charming, funny and very ambitious. Everything was going great until the day I heard him talking to his mother on the phone.

He was being so rude and short with her, that I couldn’t believe he was actually talking to his mother. I was a little startled, but I wasn’t sure exactly how to perceive this glimpse into another side of him.

You’ve finally found that special someone—they seem pleasant, caring and you have a lot to talk about.  The conversation flows easily, they make you laugh, and as a plus, your friends love them. One little problem: they aren’t Muslim.  Or Christian, or Jewish, or whatever faith it is that you now practice or grew up with.  Maybe they’re Shiite as opposed to Sunni Muslim, or Catholic as opposed to Protestant.

The dilemma here is:  I don’t share the same faith with this person, but I really connect with them.  What to do?  Do you continue a possible relationship?  What would be the issues that arise from such a decision?  The following are things that both people should think about when contemplating going forward in a relationship:

Only days ago, a Muslim woman was asked to leave her local pool for wearing inappropriate swimwear. No, she was not wearing anything that would be considered offensive or revealing. She had donned the popular “burqini” that many Muslim women wear when they go swimming or to the beach.

Carole, a 35-year-old French Muslim convert, had bought her burqini on a trip to Dubai, because she wanted to swim freely while enjoying the modesty that the swimsuit provided. When back in France, she bought summer tickets to her local public pool for herself and her children. It seemed that they were allowed to swim without harassment until an official banned the use of the covered swimsuit for “hygienic purposes.”  Read more>>

Million-dollar real estate deals are made daily in Dubai. Hotels spring up as if of their own accord. Celebrities arrive to the city in private jets, checking in discretely at five-star hotels.

This is not the same Dubai it was 20, even 15 years ago. It has become a destination town, one where rollicking fun, debauchery and indulgence is not only overlooked, but encouraged.  Read more>>

The glaring sun, the waves lapping against the shore, children laughing and playing, bodies displayed for all to see with only scant swimsuits for protection. These are some of the images that come to mind when thinking of the beach, but for many Muslim women, they are not able to enjoy the beach in the same way.

Many modest women avoid swimming in public areas because of the lack of any proper swimsuits that cover them according to Islamic standards. There has been a need for proper swimsuits that would make a woman comfortable enough to step out in as well as to swim in, but these needs had not yet been met. Many women who would swim, would either so do in large swaths of clothes or ingeniously make their own version of a modest swimsuit.  Read more>>

There has been a lot of visual changes in the Middle Eastern music scene.  More Arab women singers are
presenting themselves in provocative terms, as figures who express themselves through fashion, movement and
voice.

Nawal Zoghby appeared in a video dressed in a tight revealing leather outfit. She was backed up by a trio of
women dressed in leather.  Suzanne Tamim offered a video in which she spent most of the running time striking a
series of poses in tight outfits.  Haifa Wehbe video shows her dancing in a rain-soaked outfit while staring into the
camera with her sultriest expression.  Read more>>

You have met someone special, but now you’re weary of the financial consequences of the courting process. Well, worry not. While the economic climate has forced Arab singles to become thriftier with their finances and affected their spending habits on dates, you can still have an awesome date and show your partner a great time.
A few [...]

Question: So the question of  “do you drink?” comes up. People have a tendency to judge, whether they actually say it to you or not. And I don’t blame them, cuz I get completely turned off when I know someone smokes, which is a whole other story. My angle is that I’m a responsible adult, [...]