Aysha Khan
Aysha Khan is a Boston-based journalist reporting on American Muslims and millennial faith for RNS. Her newsletter, Creeping Sharia, curates news coverage of Muslim communities in the U.S. Previously, she was the social media editor at RNS.
All Stories by Aysha Khan
‘We’re going beyond identity’: Shiite students head to Harvard for first national conference
By Aysha Khan — February 28, 2020
CAMBRIDGE (RNS) — More than 270 Shiite undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni are gathering at Harvard this weekend to discuss spirituality, sectarianism, activism and more at the sold-out Ma’rifa Conference.
Muslim runner’s disqualification inspires Ohio bill to end hijab waiver requirements
By Aysha Khan — February 27, 2020
(RNS) — A bill introduced in the Ohio Senate to allow student athletes to wear religious apparel without obtaining waivers was inspired by a Muslim teen who was disqualified from a track meet due to her hijab.
London’s new Faith hub is building young Muslims a bridge back to the mosque
By Aysha Khan — February 26, 2020
LONDON (RNS) — In a city filled with hundreds upon hundreds of mosques, Faith’s founders had no interest in creating yet another one. Nor do they have any interest in stealing away their congregants. Instead, Faith is a gathering space for those who have felt neglected by traditional Islamic spaces — especially women.
Muslim advocates demand Bloomberg apologize for NYPD spying program
By Aysha Khan — February 21, 2020
(RNS) — A coalition of leading Muslim advocacy organizations sent a letter to Bloomberg this week demanding he apologize for the blanket surveillance in the decade after 9/11 and condemn the use of similar spying programs.
Ahmadi Muslims mark 100 years in US with day of service
By Aysha Khan — February 14, 2020
(RNS) — Formally established in the US in 1920, the day its first missionary arrived on the shores of the United States, the sect is the oldest organized Muslim movement in the country.
A daughter’s duty: From Boston, a Uighur woman champions her father’s release in China
By Aysha Khan — February 13, 2020
BOSTON (RNS) — Publisher Iminjan Seydin disappeared into a Chinese detention camp almost three years ago, before he was jailed on charges of inciting extremism. Now his daughter, a medical professional in Boston, is demanding that China release him.
Religious groups applaud new Air Force rules allowing turbans, hijabs, beards
By Aysha Khan — February 13, 2020
(RNS) — The new guidelines allow personnel to request a waiver to wear religious apparel, including turbans and hijabs, and to have unshorn hair or beards for religious reasons.
Cambridge passes resolution against India’s citizenship laws
By Aysha Khan — February 12, 2020
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (RNS) — The Cambridge City Council has adopted a resolution urging India to halt changes to the country's citizenship laws that have prompted massive international backlash and allegations of anti-Muslim bias.
Fighting taboos, British Sikhs work to demystify organ donation
By Aysha Khan — February 10, 2020
LONDON (RNS) — A handful of recent initiatives are challenging taboos around death and organ donation among Sikh and other South Asian communities in the UK.
At Muslim hackathon, techies build community and tools to access Islamic learning
By Aysha Khan — February 4, 2020
LONDON (RNS) — Led by local groups Muslamic Makers and Deen Developers, around 50 young British Muslims joined a two-day hackathon in the city to help build the future of Islamic education.
Sanders wins endorsement from Muslim group, Iowa’s only Muslim state legislator
By Aysha Khan — February 3, 2020
(RNS) — The Vermont senator received an endorsement from Muslim Caucus in America and its advisory committee member Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, a Des Moines native.
A Muslim women’s netball team brings competition — and a sense of inclusion
By Aysha Khan — January 30, 2020
LONDON (RNS) — Two years ago, Muslim students founded a netball club for women in their university’s Islamic society. Since then, the team has grown to an interuniversity club, with Muslims at over a dozen U.K. institutions involved.
Human rights advocates welcome ‘landmark’ UN ruling to prevent Rohingya genocide
By Aysha Khan — January 23, 2020
(RNS) — A unanimous ruling by the International Court of Justice demanded that the Myanmar government prevent any genocidal acts and preserve all evidence of state-led atrocities against the Rohingya minority, including murder, torture, rape and arson.
‘Let Noor Run’ initiative aims to end discrimination in sports, starting with hijab bans
By Aysha Khan — January 22, 2020
(RNS) — A new effort by Noor Alexandria Abukaram, the high school junior who was disqualified from a cross-country meet because she ran a 5K while wearing her hijab, reminds the world that her case was no anomaly.
Precarious US-Iran relations have Muslim voters eyeing candidates’ records on war
By Aysha Khan — January 17, 2020
(RNS) — Muslim voters who sit in the anti-war camp seem most drawn toward Sen. Bernie Sanders, the candidate who has long been a favorite among Muslim voters.
