# Take That Cosmo! Muslim Girls Gain Ground Muslim Girl Magazine Caters to Issues Being Faced by Young Muslim Women MMALEERA SHEIKH Excauipur (Yor« Universiry} TORONTO (CUP) -- Whether you need relationship advice, fashion tips, a dose of celebrity gossip or a story about inspira- tional women who are just like the rest of us, it is all in the one-stop magazine Muslim Girl. The bi-monthly magazine — intended for young Muslim women aged 14 and up — was launched in the U.S. in Janu- ary 2007. The magazine’s editor, Ausma Khan, is also a hu- man-rights lawyer and activist who left her teaching position at Northwestern University in Illinois to become the editor- in-chief. Muslim Girl magazine has a purpose. It understands Muslim teenage girls are like every other girl, but not entirely. They like to shop, watch movies and hang out with friends, but what makes them different is they also enjoy studying the Qur’an and may also cover their heads for religious purposes. Some Muslim girls also tend to have different values com- pared to North American girls of other religions. For example, dating is something that is not allowed in the religion. So, ifa Muslim girl picks up Cosmo Girl, YM or any other women’s magazine, she may not be able to relate to articles such as “How to Please Your Man’ or ‘How to Find Out if Your Crush Likes You’. Although Muslim Girl magazine does discuss romantic re- lationships, it discusses other kinds of relationships. It focuses on how to strengthen ties with parents, friends and siblings. It also answers common questions that many Muslim girls may have. One reader wrote into the advice column to ask how she could explain to someone in her class that she was not permit- ted to date. These are issues that are not discussed in typical magazines. Muslim Girl empowers young Muslim women. It gives them hope and tells them that although they may look or act differ- ently (according to the norms of North American society), they can still contribute and be as successful as every other female if they work hard and continue to prove stereotypes wrong. In every issue, a Muslim girl from around the world is recog- nized for doing something remarkable. In the November/De- cember issue, a girl from Saudi Arabia named Muna Abusu- layman made headlines for being the first headscarf-wearing television personality in a non-religious, state-owned channel Meow Records Selects Songs for Wax Society in the Middle East. The magazine is full of Muslims from places all around the world such as China, Bangladesh, Turkey and Indonesia, who share their stories and hope to redefine the face of Muslim girls. Jenna Evans, an avid reader and cover girl for the Novem- ber/December issue, finds it hard to fit into the mainstream category because she herself is half British and half Indian. She felt quite alone before reading the magazine. “T was captivated by the magazine’s stories and images be- cause I could see myself and my own experiences reflected in them,” said Evans, “I felt inspired by the young and ac- complished women I read about, and I believed that my own story would make an important contribution to the message of the magazine. I wrote to the editor persistently for a chance to share my experiences being a mixed Muslim. I want to take the ‘embrace diversity’ message one step further. We certainly must use diversity to build bridges in our communities.” The magazine features discussions about different aspects of religion, which is often missing from other magazines. It al- lows Muslims to stay involved with their interests while con- tinuing to learn about their religion. A dozen Prince George bands will soon be featured on 7-inch painted vinyl records, put out by Meow Records, a small music store on Brunswick Street, through the Wax Society project, After a couple months of submissions coming tn by bands throughout the city, Meow Rec- lords owner Bryndis Ogmundson has made her final decisions as to who will grace the Was Society records, which will be put out by the small record store every month throughout 2008 starting with a record at the end of this month. Corbin Spencely, Hlicit Dissent. Meow Records is currently selling six and 12-month subscriptions for the record collection, as well as individual records for a slightly higher price of $8 each. The songs aré all currently unreleased original songs recorded for the Wax Society. For those musical groups who missed out on submitting songs for the Was Society, Meow Records is releasing a CD in March as part of a SPCA fundraiser. 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