I don't know when I first heard the term "shaykha". I think my friend was joking with me about how maybe one day I'd become one given the zeal I had as a new Muslim. She and her older brothers had taken to affectionately calling me "shaykha" because of that zeal. We laughed and kidded around about the term, but she informed me that she was serious–I really could be a shaykha if I wanted to. Shaykhas had always existed and weren't any innovation … Read More
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Paper Jihad 