We’ve all had a function to attend where we spent hours in frustration as the pile of pashminas, silk shaylas and textured scarves grew beside us. Sometimes no matter how many different colors and textures of scarves we have, we can’t seem to find the right one that goes perfectly with our evening dress, wedding dress, or eid outfit.

Thankfully there’s a new fancy hijab line called Zahara Nowara. Not only are their hijabs stylish and elegant, some with pearls, roses, and even a tiara, but they can also create custom looks for you based on your outfit or event. They’ve nicknamed their hijabs Evejabs because they’re fancy and usually for evening wear.

I already have a few favorites. I wish they would give them all names, so that I could say that I love the Tiara for example or the Ruched Fuchsia, and the Pearly White. Perhaps the best news is that they ship internationally. So hurry! Perhaps if you place your orders now they’ll make it to you in time for Eid.

Feast your eyes on their amazing collection at Zahara Nowara

Perhaps as someone who is sick and tired of having half naked women, shirtless men, meaningless products and all manner of ridiculous adverts bombard me daily I’m really REALLY excited about this campaign. It’s called Inspired by Muhammad, and it’s a series of Ads with an accompanying website that seek to dispel misconceptions about Islam in the UK. Not only that, but it makes Islam more accessible, and presents it in small easily understood bites.

It’s about time that we Muslims fought back against our misrepresentation in the media. How ironic that we’re using the media (via the web, billboards, and posters) to fight back against our perpetual one-dimensional portrayal as oppressed, ignorant, terrorist heathens. With all the bright cheerful colors contrasted against images of actual Brits, it’s hard not to take a second look. And once you do, you’ll get to read things like “One who sleeps while their neighbor is hungry is not one of us.” or “I believe in protecting the environment. So did Muhammad.”

If you’re an average person who really wants to understand Muslims better, your curiosity will be peaked. And perhaps you’ll try and find out more. And even if you don’t try to find out more, perhaps you’ll find “Muslims” a lot less scary when you realize that they care about social justice, women’s rights (in which Islam actually is the pioneer!) animal rights and so on. So while there’s a part of me that thinks it’s extremely unfair that I’m judged first and have to actually go to the trouble to explain myself, I’m thrilled that since that has become the way of the world, that someone has stood up and explained so I don’t have to. I feel a little giddy almost.

It’s like an “In your face!” to everyone who’s ever used the media whether in a book, or movie to show that we Muslims are just a bunch of burqa wearing, hashish smoking, over reacting ne’er do gooders. I can almost imagine their discomfort as someone who after discovering the ads does some research and finally realizing the truth says to them: “Did you know that while Christianity and the rest of the western world were debating whether or not women had souls, that Islam had given them freedom to inherit, to own property, and yes to choose who they married?”

Sorry, I got carried away a little. But the fact is, I’m really REALLY excited! So to the people who conceived and launched this plan I say thank you!! And may Allah bless you infinitely and may He continue to guide us all.

To check out the campaign website visit www.inspiredbymuhammad.com.

A six-story-tall statue of Jesus nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the way his arms were raised, similar to a referee signaling a touchdown was struck by lightning in a thunderstorm and burned to the ground. Needless to say I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow when I read the headlines. Was this an act of God? Okay, off course it was an act of God, but I meant, was it some sort of sign that God disapproved of the statue?

I know a lot you are going “Yes! Off course it is!” but before you get too excited, I have another theory. Perhaps the statue getting hit by lightening wasn’t necessarily because the statue is a giant idol with it’s hands raised to the heavens. The fact is, there are so many idols in our world today, so much disregard for God and His rules, that if God were to punish us all based on each and every fault, well lets just say that statues of Jesus wouldn’t be the only things burnt to the ground.

My point is this: the six-story-tall statue of Jesus was hit by lightening precisely for that reason. It’s a six-story statue made of steel. It might as well have been screaming at lightening to hit it. For me the most upsetting part of the whole story is the knowledge that this statue that’s now a bunch of charred metal cost $250,000 to finance. And now all that is burned to the ground. Even if it hadn’t been burnt to the ground, it might as well have been, because that’s the biggest waste of money I’ve heard in a Loooong time.

With the recession hitting not just the US economy, but all economies around the world, those $250,000 would have gone a long way towards feeding, clothing, educating, and improving the lives, of hundreds if not thousands of people. The biggest irony is that Jesus was not extravagant, and he preferred to sacrifice and help the poor, so erecting a $250,000 statue of him, seems more like an insult to him and what he stood for rather than a proper tribute.

Take from the story what you will, for me, it reminded me that extravagance no matter how you package it is ugly.

You can read the whole story at abcnews

And if you have the time and the inclination, there’s an entire post on giant statues of Jesus around the world at Annie Lambert Files. According to the author, “75% of the citizens of Monroe think this giant Jesus (Touchdown Jesus) is an eyesore and bad for Monroe. Some of them call him “Drowning Jesus.”

With summer in full swing, I can’t get enough of light breezy dresses. Preferably in some type of cotton or linen fabric.

This Victoria Secret halter dress has me drooling. I love the muted colors of blue and white, and the added touch of the ruffles at the top. I would pair it with a nice white cropped jacket to cover my arms. This one from Aryn K has a very feminine cut and unbuttoned would frame the halter ruffle nicely. I’d top it all of with a light blue chiffon Shayla.

Although at a combined price tag of $131, {$53(for the jacket) + $78 (for the halter dress)} This outfit is more of a dream item than something I’d actually go out and buy. So use this look for inspiration and get cheaper alternatives from your local shopping haunt.

I recently read the story of Smar Abuagla a 13 year old Middle Schooler in Reston who made a bold step to start wearing the hijab. I was moved and felt proud of her. I wished that at her age I had her kind of courage and mental acuity to make such a life altering decision. It reminded me of my own decision just a few years ago when I was much older than her.

I’ve always worn a head scarf and covered my hair. But as we all know there are different degrees of covering. There are the types of sisters who simply cover their hair, but wear the tightest most revealing clothes that you almost want to tell them to take off the hijab. Then there are those who simply wrap a cloth around their head, almost like Rastafarians. I guess I belonged to the latter group. People would comment on my lovely scarves, but unless they saw me everyday didn’t necessarily realize I was Muslim. Don’t get me wrong, I dressed modestly, in my trousers, or skirts, but like I said, my scarf simply covered my hair, it didn’t come down around my neck or even down my chest. So it barely counted as hijab.

I remember a few years ago, I decided that I wanted to wear hijab proper like some of my friends, and people I admired. And it was then that I realized the magnitude of wearing a hijab. How impossibly terrifying it is, to wonder how people would react to it. How would my friends, co-workers, bosses even, react to it? Would they suddenly shun me? Would I suddenly find myself unemployed? A Pariah? Would it limit me? Would it change my personality? I remember standing in front of the mirror in my room trying out different styles of wrapping a scarf. I tried the Turkish Tesettur, but it felt a little too much like cheating. Like I was just channeling Grace Kelly or Elizabeth Taylor. Like I was some trendy hipster wearing the latest Hermes. So I tried different styles, until I found one that I was comfortable with, a Shayla. I felt that it was striking enough to leave no doubt as to my intentions or my religion. And I also thought it was cute enough to be non-threatening, though in hindsight, I was probably too prejudiced to see it as threatening.

I still don’t remember exactly how those first few days went. I remember being scared, and slightly defiant. I also remember people’s eyes doing a slight and subtle double take. And a few comments about my scarf being nice. It wasn’t long before life went back to normal. There were a few people that I avoided because I couldn’t stand to face their censure (as I imagined it). I also “cheated” a few times, going with the Tesettur type scarf when attending certain functions.

Thanks to my new scarf, and new perspective I made a new fabulous circle of friends with Sisters from all over the world. We created weekly Halaqa’s or dinners where we would take over one side of the restaurant of our choice, usually in the back and we would just eat, and chat and get to know each other better.

I realized that in wearing the hijab properly, I forced myself to acknowledge not just to the world, but to myself that I was indeed a Muslim, and very very proud of that fact. I also found myself acting differently, avoiding certain places, because I felt that it would be disrespectful to the hijab if I went there. I also became more involved in the Islamic community and found so much joy in being with my fellow Muslim Sisters.

While my undertaking felt scary to me, it must have been a lot more terrifying for Smar. Nonetheless I’m glad she made the decision and that her friends and school supported that decision. Living in a post 9-11 world, declaring our faith in any public way is a rather scary proposition. A scary one, but one you quickly forget about when you’re walking down the street and a sister or brother who shows no outward signs of being Muslim suddenly smiles a huge smile at you and says “Salamu Alaykum Sister.”

Read Smar’s inspiring story in the Washington Post

There are few things in life as beautiful or as powerful as Salat. It’s your direct connection to Allah at any time, and in any place. And despite the fact that we are only required to pray five times a day, we manage to find excuses and reasons not to. We get caught up in our daily activities and find it to be an unwelcome intrusion. Something that interrupts our work day, our classes, or our entertainment and if we pray at all, we consider ourselves to be pious and angelic for having taken the time to do so.

SubhanAllah, how deluded can we be? We are not conferring a great honor on Allah by praying to him. He is the Master, the Creator, and he has asked us to pray to him. He has told us in the Quran that he is not in need of our prayer. He grants us food, water, shelter, health, success, wealth, so many things which we take for granted. And we can’t even bother to say thanks? Or show our appreciation by praying to him in return. It hardly seems like a fair trade. Giving up thirty minutes out of every twenty-four hours to Allah seems like such a trivial thing that it’s a wonder we make excuses not to do it.

All it takes is one illness, one teeny microscopic virus to weaken our immune system and leave us helpless, and in pain. At times like that we have all our time for Allah. In fact, in those times when we are destitute, we turn to him a hundred percent, begging and praying for our health. Is it not much better, more honorable, to show Him our thanks when all is well?

In our daily lives, if we have a boss, or a relative or someone whose relationship is very beneficial to us. Either because they give us a raise, pay for our school fees, or write us a recommendation letter, we go out of our way for them. We buy them presents, remember their birthdays and compliment them whenever we have occasion to. All so that when the time comes, they’ll give us what we want whether a promotion, a new computer, or help with our homework.

We wouldn’t wake up out of the blue and ask for a promotion without working our butts off. Nor would we expect someone to keep giving us something with nothing in return.

So why can we not apply the same principles to Allah? Why can we not wake up every morning and be thankful? Why can’t we take time during the day to appreciate his gifts to us? And don’t tell me you don’t have the time because as long as you have time to stop and eat, then you certainly have time to stop and be thankful to the one who provided you with that food.

Head over to Islam Great Religion to view pictures of Muslims praying in the most difficult environments, to show you that infact praying in your office is really not a hardship, it’s all in your head.

For years an Abaya has been nothing more than a black dress available in different sizes and different fabrics. Then in the past decade or longer they evolved into something more fashionable. They became not only an overcoat, but an accessory.

All over the Gulf region you can find Abayas decorated with rhinestones, pearls, piping, embroidery and in some places even diamonds. In the past few years, as more and more Muslim designers emerge, and more renowned designers have started designing for Muslims, the Abaya has undergone a drastic evolution. This is not your mother’s or your grandmother’s Abaya. It is no longer synonymous with a Niqab wearing woman or even necessarily a Muslim woman. Today the Abaya is glamorous, modern, dazzling, and yet most importantly still modestly beautiful.

Here are a few Abayas from DAS in the UAE who are at the forefront of those redefining the Abaya.

For the first time (correct me if I’m wrong) a Muslim hosted the MTV Movie Awards this year. I saw a few video clips raving about that fact like hey it’s the most amazing thing that a Muslim is hosting the event. I’m wondering what their deal is? Don’t they know that we Muslims come in all shapes and sizes, with all types of talents, dreams and fears. And that what one Muslim aspires to causes another Muslim nightmares?

I’m just wondering why the big deal, why the emphasis on saying hey guess what? Aziz Ansari, that guy who made millions of people laugh on live TV, yeah him, well he’s a Muslim. Masha’Allah, but so what? He doesn’t speak for me, and chances are he doesn’t speak for you either. He certainly didn’t say he’s suddenly become a spokesperson for American Muslims, so why the fuss? When did Muslims become such a terrifying thing that we scramble for any opportunity to claim any non threatening public figure as our own. Hey we Muslims, we’re funny, we know how to crack jokes, don’t believe me? Don’t take my word for it, just watch MTV.

I’m sure Aziz Ansari is a nice guy, and pretty funny. But I’m just sad that he’s becoming a de-facto poster boy for Muslims. What are your thoughts? Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill as usual?

If you’re looking for new ways to liven up your twitter page and at the same time express your Muslim identity, then StyleIslam has you covered!

They’ve got up to seven different backgrounds for you to choose from with themes ranging from minarets to prayer mats. As per the norm for StyleIslam, the graphics are modern, edgy, and just begging to be used. The best part? They’re all free. Download the whole set, and alternate your twitter backgrounds according to your mood, after all, there’s one for each day of the week.

Read the first issue of Daily Hijabi online at issuu.com! You can zoom in and read the magazine in full screen. Please leave comments below.

And cos ISSUU is so cool, we’ve uploaded the Ramadan issue there as well, check it out again here