Why I Stopped Writing for MuslimGirl …
A lot of people have wondered why I and other writers, editors, and designers have left MuslimGirl. I started writing for MuslimGirl in August of 2016 and stopped writing for them during the spring of 2017. My first article was about the stigma surrounding Muslim converts. I continued to write about issues pertaining to converts, as I am one myself. I also wrote on politically related issues as well as live-tweeted for MuslimGirl during election debate season.
I left MuslimGirl for many reasons. The most significant being the mean girls’ mentality that took place in the MuslimGirl message forum (Slack) and the lack of communication.
I would write articles and not get feedback. While I know that may be common for some media outlets, I expected more from MuslimGirl because I was not being paid and wanted to work to become a better writer. Instead of feedback, I was slowly but surely put down by one editor.
This occurred after a one-on-one phone call I had with the editor in chief Amani, wherein I discussed my displeasure with the miscommunication across the board nor did I appreciate how my editor treated me and my unpaid labor. To my understanding, Amani went and told the editor about what I said, leading to worse treatment by the same person. She asked me to write about how interning for CAIR, the Council on American and Islamic Relations, helped me to prepare for the Trump presidency. She asked me to write that information out as a listicle, and I did just that. I sent her what she requested, and she responded by saying she wanted something more “newsy,” despite having originally requested otherwise. She then stooped to insulting language in asking, “Have you even read a newspaper or magazine?”
That was the last straw for me. I wasn’t going to be poorly treated any longer, especially when I wasn’t getting paid. I am not that desperate, and I have dignity. I left them and started writing for the Huffington Post. I also have bylines in Yahoo, Mvslim, etc.
I and several other writers, (some who left after the Orly ordeal, I stopped writing for them before the Orly ordeal mainly because of how I was treated by a particular editor) a few years ago, started a group through WhatsApp, where we discussed how upset we were with the way we were treated and many other reasons. Several of us contemplated for years about coming forward because we were scared to speak up. We were afraid about retaliation from Amani for merely telling the truth. I kept quiet, but some did publicly announce why they left MuslimGirl, while others sent a letter to Amani asking for a change or for her to step down. Some actually cared enough about the platform, that they wanted to stay on but just wanted Amani to step down as the Editor in Chief, as she was not focusing on MuslimGirl and was focusing more on the book that she published. Unfortunately, she did not want to take ownership of her lack of dedication to MuslimGirl as well as make the changes that she was asked of. I stopped writing for them before this had taken place.
