Good news, for all the single mamas in Kelantan, Malaysia: a state representative wants local legislators and magistrates to marry you. According to AFP, the chairwoman of the state's family and health committee thinks that dudes with good, stable jobs should up their "quota" for wives. "Quota" meaning the number of wives these stable dudes are cool with having. 

The problem that requires polygamy as a solution is that there are too many unmarried, single mothers in Kelantan, and throughout Malaysia. As you likely know, Malaysia is a largely Muslim nation (55 percent of its 28 million residents). … Read More

Religion has never played a large part in my life. I grew up celebrating "Christian" holidays like Easter and Christmas, but in America, these days are so mainstreamed and commercialized, they almost seem secular. I've never minded not having a religion, and I like the fact that because I'm a blank religious slate, I can approach new religions without prior assumption. I've learned Hindu traditions while in India, marveled at the Muslim mosques while in Indonesia, caroled in a Carmelite monastery, and recently visited a Zen Buddhist center for meditation. Having lived in the open-minded Bay Area for most of … Read More

The New York Times reported this weekend that Muslim clerics are increasingly agitated about depictions of premarital sex and loosened-up gender roles on TV. During the holy month of Ramadan, which is taking place right now, there have been an usually high number of programming canceled at the behest of religious leaders.

But these programs aren't anywhere near as racy as Sex & the City and Desperate Housewives. No, these shows cover content that we often take for granted in the West:

..."Noor," the popular Turkish series that ran over the summer... violated Arab cultural taboos in a number of … Read More

As Told To Marisa Belger

It was during my second month of medical school—as I was cutting anatomy class—that I met Ron. We bonded over our mutual dislike of the subject, and I felt like we had an instant connection.

In the course of that first conversation we also wound up discussing our backgrounds: Ron, I learned, was Israeli-Jewish; I was Iranian-Muslim.

The relationship grew serious quickly. Ron proposed a year and a half in, and we planned a Jewish-Persian wedding, where we drank wine, did readings in Hebrew, and let my relatives grind sugar over us to add sweetness to the … Read More