Letters from a Muslim Woman -Start Here
New to the newsletter? Here's a list of my best writing
Salaam and Hello!
I’m so glad you’re here with me at Letters from a Muslim Woman. I share the joys and challenges of being a visibly Muslim woman from a multi-generational immigrant background. My writing lies at the intersection of identity, mental health, faith, and motherhood.
Maybe you’re curious about what it’s like to belong to a group of “others”. A group that is misunderstood whether willfully or subconsciously. Being a member of this group is something that affects your everyday, that colours your experiences and interactions. It touches on small inconveniences, like praying in stairwells and on buses, for lack of another space. And it touches on large injustices, like knowing a community member who’s been disappeared in the war on terror, and fearing the consequences of speaking out.
What to Expect
I write personal essays, memoir, and musings about my experiences as a second-generation Muslim Canadian.
Becoming a free subscriber will get you a new essay delivered to your inbox every second Tuesday.
Becoming a paid subscriber for just $5 a month gets you:
unfinished letters for paid subscribers, where I go deeper into unvarnished writing, every other week
access to my full archive
my undying gratitude
and the warm fuzzy feeling of supporting a visibly Muslim woman’s work.
If you don’t know where to start, here are some of my favourite pieces
On the Muslim ritual of prayer: Pray Tell? Five Times a Day I find the Time and Place
On being confronted with another person with my name at work, after years of being the only one: The Name-esis
On Gaza, with Ramadan approaching: To be a Gazan during Ramadan
On Marcellus Williams and the children of Palestine: Witness
On life as a girl-sister: Tell me you have sisters
On worrying about the perception of hijab-wearing women: a bruised hijabi
On Mohamed Salah and the most common name in the world: Why I won’t call him Mo
You can also unlock access to a few of my favourite paid posts here by becoming a paid subscriber
On the racism I experienced in high-school from a teacher who knew me: Hijabs and Handmaids' Bonnets, and Why Teachers Should Know the Difference
On work-life-genocide balance: No escape
On the confusion of missing pop-culture references as a third culture kid: When you don't understand the reference
On trying to come to peace with my fear of heights, and dying: Drawn to the Edge: A Reflection on My Fear of Heights
On Picasso, and whose art deserves to be seen: Picasso's Fame is the Product of Tastemakers
If you aren’t in a position to take out a paid membership, but would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee below or simply share this article with a friend. It helps me more than you realize.
Testimonials
If you need more convincing, here are some nice things people have said about this newsletter.
“A journey through a Muslim woman’s experience, Noha's work gives readers a vital insight into a world that people often make assumptions about but never truly know.” -
of the brilliant“Noha offers a unique and refreshing perspective. You’ll widen your horizons and understand the world from a different point of view by reading her brilliant blog.” - the inimitable
of the unflinching must-read“Beautifully written insights from the point of view of a multi-generational immigrant.” - from
of the thought-provokingTell me about yourself
I would love it if you’d hit reply or leave a comment and let me know what brought you here. Tell me what you’d like to read more about. This newsletter is only just starting!
We found each other via your post on Inner life that I own with Sam Kahn and Joshua Doležal. So glad you joined us there and I now know that Joshua found you. Kudos to him for that. I hope to connect more deeply with you. ~ Mary
Thankful to Writers At Work for leading me to your writing, Noha. I’m very excited to learn by your lens the joys and aches of the hijabi experience.
My husband reverted to Islam after our son was born. We have been together since 2010- he reverted 2020. I’ve been both striving and struggling through the changes and I feel your compassion will be so helpful for me to learn and understand how to be a more supportive partner to him on this journey.