Magazine Reaches Teen Muslim Girls in U.S.

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Muslim Girl magazine, now in its sixth month of publishing, aims at helping Muslim girls cope with the challenge of remaining true to their Islamic values in a media-driven culture saturated with sexual imagery. The glossy bi-monthly features stories and advice columns that address issues other teen magazines won't tackle, at least from the viewpoint of devout Muslim teenage girls.

The San Francisco Chronicle interviewed six teenage Muslim girls about the magazine at the Muslim Community Association center in Santa Clara in a story published Monday online.

Yousur Alhlou, 17, said that when her girlfriends invite her to the movies, she must decline if any boys are going because Islam doesn't allow dating or any romantic interaction between men and women outside marriage. Manal Bejaoui, 17, said women are more conspicuous targets for bigotry because they wear a hijab.

Saba Anees, 16, said being the only Muslim in school means not only explaining her customs, but feeling responsible to represent Islam. "People get their first impression of a Muslim from you. It's like you have to give a good impression for all Muslims," she said.

Editors estimate roughly 400,000 Muslim teenage girls live among the 6-8 million Muslims living in the United States, most of whom are affluent and well-educated. The magazine's Toronto-based publisher, execuGo Media believes this audience possesses untapped consumer power. An April study commissioned by the ad agency JWT described Muslim Americans as one of "America's biggest hidden niche markets" with an aggregate disposable income of $170 billion.

The editorial challenge, said Editor in Chief Ausma Khan, is to be inclusive of the many different interpretations and racial and ethnic varieties of Islam. The magazine's greatest commercial challenge is that it can't accept "90 percent of the advertising that you see in most magazines" because it is too racy, said Khan. Still, she said, the magazine hopes to be "self-sustaining" by the end of the year.

Muslim Girl Magazine | Welcome