Okay, let me shout it out for you all to hear: I’m so proud of y’all. Being a Muslimah in these days and times is not easy at all but still, we have to remember that it was even more difficult for our Muslim mothers, Ummul Mumineen, back then. During the life of our Prophet Muhammad, salla llahu alayhe was salam, there were female figures who played huge roles for Islam to prevail. Talking about Khadijah bint Khuwalid, his first wife, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Umm Salamah, Nusaybah bint Kab, who fought in one of the wars, Sumayyah, the first female martyr of Islam, Aisha bint Abu Bakr, our first female scholar, and the list can go on and on. Sisters, these are our mothers, our role models. I call them, our superstars. Take a leaf from them and you would never regret it.

So, what’s up with our own lives? We are struggling to keep our Islamic identity despite the media’s portrayal about Muslims and Islam. Mind you, it is not only in the West that one is being faced with ugly stereotypes. I could remember as far back as my college days in Nigeria. The Christians and Muslim students in my university did not really get along when it came to political or even academic events. We were labeled as fanatics, fundamentalists, idol worshippers, and you complete the rest. That was fifteen years ago and still, the islamophobia is still deep and getting even worse, all over the world.

But hey! I’m so proud of my Muslim sisters, especially the youth sisters who have triumphed despite all odds against their identities. For real, they inspire me. They inspire me because when I was a youth, I knew next to nothing about Islam. Born into a Muslim non-practicing family, I grew up knowing so much about Catholicism than Islam, at least for eleven straight years, (in elementary and high schools) until I got into college. All praise is only due to Allah, the One in whose hands my soul is. I wonder what I would have turned into had I not known Islam at all. I thank Allah for His hidayah, guidance.

In Nigeria, where young Muslim women are facing blatant discrimination because of their beautiful adornments, and in the United States, where Muslim women are viewed as dummies, or crummy mommies, I feel a sense of pride, gratitude, and awe at the works all my sisters are involved in, from all regions in the world.

So, I am shouting it out again: I am proud of you all. Do not relent. Have no regrets. No good deed goes unrewarded. Always have the best of intention, which is seeking Allah’s pleasure.

Aluta Continua. Victoria Ascerta.

The Struggle Continues. Victory is certain.

Hot cocoa is a great drink to warm you up on a cold winter day. But do you want to add a twist to your otherwise boring hot chocolate? Here are a few ideas! Fill a cup with milk, warm it up for a minute, and add a spoon or two of Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Mix. Then add the ingredients below!

For a Peppermint Hot Cocoa:
-1 crushed peppermint candy cane or 3 crushed peppermint candies
-enough whipped cream to cover the top of the cup

Add 3/4 of the crushed peppermint candy to the hot cocoa. Mix thoroughly. Top the cup with whipped cream. Then sprinkle the rest of the peppermint candy on top of the whipped cream.

For a Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa:
-1 tsp of smooth peanut butter
-enough whipped cream to cover the top of the cup

Carefully mix the peanut butter into the hot cocoa. Top the cup with whipped cream.

For a Brown Sugar Hot Cocoa:
-1 tsp brown sugar
-enough whipped cream to cover the top of the cup

Mix the brown sugar into the hot cocoa. Top the cup with whipped cream. Then sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar on top of the whipped cream.

For a Spiced Hot Cocoa:
-1/8 tsp cinnamon
-1/16 (fill a 1/8 tsp halfway) nutmeg
-1/4 tsp vanilla
-enough whipped cream to cover the top of the cup

Mix the cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla into the hot cocoa.Top the cup with whipped cream. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon onto the whipped cream.

Does My Head Look Big In This?
By Randa Abel-Fattah
Published by Orchard Books

This hijab story is about a Muslim Australian teen named Amal. Amal is a fun girl hanging out with friends in Melbourne. She makes the decision to finally wear the hijab. At school the principal is shocked and wants to have a meeting with her parents. Teens taunt her but also ask her some questions. Can she handle it and keep her head high?

I like this book because she goes through some obstacles that some of us face today. Amal almost represents who I am and probably you too. So pick up this great book and see for yourself.

Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta (1304-1369) was a 14th century Moroccan scholar and qadi (judge). However, he is better known for his long distant travels throughout the Muslim World in the 1300's observing their diverse cultures, customs, traits and the geography of the lands he visited.

An illustration of Ibn Battuta

Here are ten interesting facts you ever wanted to know about Ibn Battuta, the great muslim traveler and explorer.

1. He was 21 when he first began his trip across Africa.

2. He made Hajj 4 times during the course of his journeys.

3. He traveled around the Muslim World for 30 years.

4. He visited 44 modern day countries across 3 continents.

5. He is the only traveler of his times to visit EVERY Muslim country.

6. His travels took him some 75,000 miles. That's the same distance of going around the earth 3 times!

7. He never took the same road twice, unless it was an emergency.

8. His first employment was as a traveling Qadi (judge) for a caravan going for Hajj.

9. Alexandria, Egypt was one of his favorite cities he visited.

10. He is known to have been married many times, but it is unknown how many children he may have fathered.