Muslim Girl is a magazine launched this month in the United States. It's marketed to young Muslim American girls aged 14-18 after a nation-wide study revealed the terribly, terribly shocking news that "American teen Muslim girls are much like teen girls everywhere." For that they get to have a life style magazine all their own. (Arabic)
So what do Muslim American (or is it American Muslim?) girls do?
Apparently, they "... go to public schools, watch a little too much television, read teen magazines, surf the Internet, use Google, enjoy YouTube, play video games, shop a lot, talk on the telephone and spend time just hanging out." (oh, come on. I'm sure they do a few other things too!)
But let's not ignore the differences: "for example, they get news at Al Jazeera, socialize at IslamiCity and count among their top hobbies, Qur’an study."
These scary difference, however, can be tolerated in light of the happy fact that Muslim teens come from relatively well-to-do households with money to spend. Drool and launch.
Ausma Khan, the editor-in-chief, explains how the magazine seeks to dispel stereotypes of American Muslim youth:
“We’re showing hijab-wearing basketball players alongside contemporary fashion designers and artists. We want to dispel the notion that Muslim teens conform to one particular model. Veiled or unveiled, Muslim girls participate fearlessly in sports, the arts, international travel and their local mosques.” (read more)
This is a worthy goal and shouldn't be hard to achieve. What is more challenging and interesting, however, is the ideal of Muslim girlhood that the magazine will market to its young readers. I'm no fan of life style teen or women's magazines, so I'm skeptical of this one too. I'm skeptical for other reasons as well but will keep my mouth shut for now.
For its first cover the magazine chose the face of a hijabi girl with red, white, blue star stickers on her face (I would have gone with a montage of girls to highlight the diversity, but, hey, I'm weird). She's not wrapping herself with the American flag yet, but comes pretty close. Perhaps next time. Unless they decide to go with a provocatively coy star and striped burqini clad Muslim Mademoiselle.
Anyone interested in starting Bad Arab Girl Magazine with me? I know it will sell. Or is it too...
Ok. You fill in the blank; I have to go make dinner.
12 comments:
Sounds like a good idea. But won't there some muslims who may not like this idea? Perhaps not I suppose. I don't understand why she looks like she's in an American flag, myself. O_O What was the point of that?
Anyways, I'd like to see Bad Arab Girl Magazine. :-P That would be interesting.
I believe you have to be a girl to be included, that set me out so I just won’t to know what was for dinner.
Q - What would you do as a teenage Arabic girl are we not just a bit deferent, that is one question that always come to mind when I run into some of the teen Arabs,
I think that Layla the author of
http://arabwomanblues.blogspot.com/
will be more than happy to start the Bad Arab Girl Magazine with you Amal.
Sakura kiss,
some muslims will surly not like it. some might even call it "bid3a" or the work of the devil or something or another.
She's pretty much sitting in a flag. Why? to prove she's really truly sicerely absolutely patriotically unambiguously unabashedly AMERICAN.
Now that you did NOT get that will cause them to stick an American flag in her mouth and in both of her eyeballs : ) What have you done?
philistini,
Roasted whole chicken, roasted vegitables, rice with sh3aireyh and pine nuts. And you thought I was going to say foul!!
sure, Arab girls are/can be different from ?? fill in the blank. But so what? Then don't forget some Arab girls are good Arab girls and some Arab girls are bad Arab girls : )
Rabee,
I checked her out. Maybe. But she likes Saddam more than I do so we might end up having a few editorial fights.
A better name would be "Hijab Girl" :) But as to whether this is going to change the perception of Muslim teen girls etc., I doubt it since I have yet to see a magazine titled Jew Girl or Christian Girl ????????
Anyhting that has Muslim in it now seems to sell, and that's why we have this magazine. I have recently read a book titled Muslim narratives, but, trust me, none of the novelists and thinkers he discusses self-identifies as Muslim. So, he figures calling them Muslim might help sell the book and place it in a good press, Indiana, if I remember well...
I am just frustrated...
ng
They do have Christian magazines for teens. I linked to one in my post. It's called Realiteen. The marketing of religion as life style continues. Don't you love how flexible capitalism is?
Yes,Muslim stuff sells. What interests me more is the construction of an American Muslim identity that is all over.
I'll check out the book you mention. Maybe you should review it : )
i agree..the whole flag thing is bit too patriotic for my taste- and those stripes- like omg, soooo not in style rite now.... at least according to 'seventeen'. ;)
whatever- count me in for bad arab girl.
I knew there was at least one other bad Arab girl out there! Predictably, she turns out to be Palestinian!!!
Bullshit is free of cost
ok maybe the flag thing is weird and stuff but i think but you appreciate that someone wants to make a connection with other countries and i dont think any of you ever even thought of that i guess she is the only peacful one huh!come on like get a life and btw not all muslims you should pick your word very carefuly ok thank you...
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