From the Editor's Desk! 

As salaamu alaikum and hello everyone!

Greetings from your Haute Hijab blog/content editor! I hope you are well, insha'Allah! This is the debut of a new monthly column – From the Editor's Desk – which is a way for me to talk to you about what's happening on the Haute Hijab blog, what's coming up and things that are on my mind that I think may interest you.

As the editor of this space, I am in charge of everything you see published on the blog, and I'm constantly seeking a balance between the fashion and product-oriented pieces, the lifestyle content you crave and important topics, series and news events. After all, while Haute Hijab is a fantastic company that sells beautiful hijabs to help instill confidence in Muslim women, our number one brand pillar is to build community, and this blog is geared towards that – being a destination site for all things pertaining to Muslim women.

This means that we cover the latest in fashion trends and produce product education pieces about our hijabs (specifically) and all things pertaining to the mechanics of how one wears hijab (generally). But, also we dive deep into articles about faith, Muslim culture and lifestyle, relationships, parenting, trend pieces and news articles about what's happening around the world that you should know about.

All this is to say that it's my job to keep a pulse on what's important to Muslim women (and Muslims in general), and I've got nearly two decades of covering Muslims in America to back up our story choices for this blog. However, I'm also – like you – always learning and growing. I make mistakes sometimes, and I try to acknowledge that and dialogue with you through whatever platforms you comment on – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or here directly on the blog.

I've been here nearly a year now, and I hope you like what you are reading (and seeing) here on the blog! I'm certainly enjoying working with my blog writers, Nargis Rahman, Danah Shuli and Layla Abdullah-Poulos, as well as HH team members who also contribute to the blog – Noor Suleiman, Erin Smith, Mona Mostafa and of course our own Melanie Elturk!

This month we've got a lot of great articles, stories and content coming your way! We started out the month with an intimate interview with CAIR-San Francisco Director Zahra Billoo, who recently was ousted off the board of the Women's March. We also will be talking with Melanie about her inclusion in the annual Inc.'s 2019 Female Founder's 100 List.

On the fashion front, we have some great stories coming your way on the fall dark florals trend, how to pair print hijabs with print clothing and a two-parter on all you need to know about layering. We'll also be exploring the dynamics of Halloween as Muslims (trick-or-treating or not) and featuring two interviews for you with some dynamic Muslim women – IG's @villageauntie, a certified relationship and intimacy counselor AND IG's 4c_hijabi, an expert in hijab and hair care for Afro Muslimahs.

Muslims protesting in Berlin on behalf of Uighur Muslims in China. Image source: Claudia Himmelreich, Fact Finders Berlin, CC BY 2.0, Flickr Creative Commons

Two other long-overdue articles coming out this month (insha'Allah - I'm working to secure an author for the second one) is one that will break down the situation for Uighur Muslims in China and what we can do to help, and one that explains the dangerous and difficult situation Muslims are facing in Kashmir, India. There is so much happening around the world among Muslim communities for us to know about. Often we feel like there is nothing we can do sitting in our homes, when the reality is that there are many ways to help those in need.

That is just some of what we are covering on the blog this month. I'm also working to develop a series on grief and trauma and how it affects our faith, which stems from the rise in mental health initiatives and news in our Muslim communities, my own personal experiences as well as some eye-opening sessions I attended at this year's ISNACON convention in Houston, Texas.

I hope you will come back to the blog again and again to read these stories and engage with us across our social media platforms! Please let me know what you want to have us cover, what you're interested in. Some of the best story ideas come from you!

Take care! Like I tell my kids every morning as I kick them out the door, remember to start your day and all your stuff with Bismillah-hir-rahman-nir-raheem.

Editorially yours, Dilshad