Al-Talib provides an independent perspective on issues important to Muslim communities. Targeting a college-age audience at UCLA, we seek to create an outlet for activism and creativity on and off campus, a platform for representation of all facets of the Muslim-American communities and a safe space for sensitive topics. We believe that this sort of dialogue, no matter how uncomfortable it may be at times, is necessary in order for our community to appreciate and celebrate its diversity.
On April 23, the Palestinian Student Union at UCLA, UMMA Volunteer Project and Palestine Children’s Relief Fund hosted a panel featuring three physicians who traveled to Gaza during the genocide: Aslam Akhtar, an emergency medicine physician; Ahmad Hussein, a vascular surgeon; and Jawad Khan, a hand surgeon. Speaking before a crowded audience of students and…
There is a particular kind of joke that circulates in American social media when news of Middle Eastern casualties appears. It is not quite humor—humor implies wit, implies an attempt to find meaning in the absurd. These jokes, these memes, the laughter on social media… they are something else. They are deflections. They are shields.…
Cries of “ICE out of L.A.” roared across UCLA’s campus on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, stretching from Bruin Walk to Royce Quad, to Janss steps, and back to the Bruin Bear. More than 1,000 demonstrators participated in the “UCLA ICE Murderers Out Walk Out,” calling on the university to declare itself a sanctuary campus and…
On a Tuesday morning in April, while the gullies of Kashmir stirred awake with the bleating of shepherds and the soft rise of the call to prayer threading through the cold air, violence tore through a land that has already bled more than any map can hold. Kashmir’s horror is always disguised by its own…
Syria redenominated its currency. On Jan.1, 2026, the new notes officially began to circulate. According to the “Journal of Applied Economics and Business,” redenomination is the process where “the nominal value of circulating paper money changes–in practice, it decreases.” The new bills span from 10 to 500 pounds. In the prior system, the highest lira…
On May 24, the Palestinian Student Union at UCLA hosted its second annual charity gala, in partnership with the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). The room was filled with elegance, laughter, joy and reflection as the founders of the Palestinian Student Union, including Jana Saadeh and Baraa Abu Ghalyoun, delivered their compelling narratives about what…
On April 23, the Palestinian Student Union at UCLA, UMMA Volunteer Project and Palestine Children’s Relief Fund hosted a panel featuring three physicians who traveled to Gaza during the genocide: Aslam Akhtar, an emergency medicine physician; Ahmad Hussein, a vascular surgeon; and Jawad Khan, a hand surgeon. Speaking before a crowded audience of students and…
“Invite all to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner. Surely your Lord alone knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is rightly guided.” (Surah An Nahl, Verse 125) Allah calls upon us to invite others to Islam softly. There…
As the 2026 Spring Quarter settled in, bringing with it bright skies and a familiar warmth, UCLA’s Muslim Student Association eagerly prepared for another annual retreat. This year, the group journeyed north into the great giants of Sequoia National Park. The four-hour drive was a welcome contrast to last year’s eight-hour trip to Zion National…
Ramadan at UCLA does not arrive all at once. It begins quietly, months before the first crescent is sighted, inside meeting rooms, over late-night messages, in spreadsheets and shared documents that slowly take shape. Long before the campus feels the rhythm of fasting days and illuminated nights, there is a small group of students already…
“The most excellent fast after Ramadan is Allah’s month, Al-Muharram” (Sahih Muslim 1163a) As Muslims welcome a new Islamic year, we also enter the blessed month of Muharram, one of the four sacred months chosen by Allah (God). While many people see the new year as an opportunity to set goals and make changes, Muharram…
“Invite all to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner. Surely your Lord alone knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is rightly guided.” (Surah An Nahl, Verse 125) Allah calls upon us to invite others to Islam softly. There…
“Muslim women lack agency”—this is a notion that American and European media have consistently perpetuated. From the objectification of their bodies to the recurring trope of the “liberated” hijabi who must remove her veil to find love or success, Western storytelling has long treated the Muslim female identity as a problem to be solved rather…
Our eyes light up when we hear its name. The heart beats in excitement as we gaze at the sky, searching for our beloved crescent to emerge through the stars. Our souls await its tranquility, yearning to spend the blessed, quiet hours of the night in conversation with its Lord. We’ve approached the end of…
We all wake beneath the same sky. The sun rises without favoritism, spreading its light across oceans, deserts, crowded cities and forgotten villages alike. Yet on this same planet, under the same heavens, people live in entirely different worlds. For some, morning begins with ease: a warm home, clean water, a phone buzzing with reminders,…
Between classes, shifts, group chats and the constant pressure to stay ahead, life can start to feel like a race with no finish line. The expectation is to already know the right major, the right career track, the right timeline. Success becomes a checklist. Progress becomes a comparison. Control becomes the illusion that keeps everything…
