So evidently a lot of folks are getting here today because someone name-checked me in a Dutch blog–thanks to whoever did that, but what on Earth were you guys talking about? I tried translating via Babelfish and the results were pretty unintentionally hillarious. I’m gathering there was some Christian issue about which Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev had something to say–maybe it was a gender thing? I can’t tell. Anyway, I’m all curious, if someone feels like sharing!

In other news, I have a new favorite magazine. Or a new magazine that I love, anyway. It’s called Muslim Girl, and I found it randomly on my local newsstand, and couldn’t resist picking it up. It’s fabulous!

It’s totally as cool as you would hope it would be–inclusive, flexible, asks its readers, “is your mosque
girl-friendly?” and profiles Muslim chicks doing cool/unusual things (soccer player, spoken word poet, etc.), seems to consider stuff like how one defines modesty and whether to wear hijab a personal decision (and has a non-hijabi as a cover girl in this last issue), does cute fluffy YM-demo appropriate stuff like gush about Harry Potter and then interviews women who witnessed the Bosnian genocide without blinking. It seems right on re: navigating the various issues of staying true to your religion while still integrating as much as possible in the big world (and has at least several features in which the interviewee makes a point of saying that God wants us to think through our actions and have, well, kavvanah, more than God wants strict, unthinking ritual adherence). And they had an article on interfaith dialogue, which always makes me happy. This is how religion should be sold to the preteen/teen set, really. Oh, and their fashion spreads are non-sucky.

Now, granted, the fact that I’m 15-20 years too old to be their target demographic and, you know, not Muslim did get in the way of my interest a little, but really? I’d give this to my (theoretical) kid over Seventeen magazine any day.

(partially x-posted to JewSchool.)