“I’ve forgotten my keys again. I’m such an idiot!” 

“These glasses make me look so old.”

“Ugh! I look horrible in this outfit.” 

“Another job rejection. I’m a loser.”

No parent wants to see their child hurting physically, mentally, or emotionally. Life will always present situations where this will happen, however, and it is our common fear that we won’t be able to fix it and scar our children with lingering trauma for the rest of their lives.

Close your eyes and imagine you are back in high school. You are sitting in English class, with your cheek resting on one hand as you write seemingly meaningless words into your notebook.

In the mid-1990s, I spent my junior year of college studying abroad in southern Spain. At the time, I was not a Muslim. In fact, I knew almost nothing about Islam.

Most of my readers probably know my conversion story by now, even though every time I tell it I remember some finer details that I previously forgot to mention. For those that have never heard it, the abridged version looks something like this: 

When we think of Islamic cultural legacies, we often reflect on Islam’s Golden Age during the 8th to 13th centuries, Islamic Spain, the Mali Empire, and later the accomplishments of the great Ottoman sultans.

Hispanic Heritage Month began in the United States as a way to celebrate the many different cultures of Hispanic and Latino peoples while also recognizing their struggles, contributions, and achievements. It is observed every year from September 15th to October 15th.