Muslim Women Activists in North America : Speaking for Ourselves

by Bullock, Katherine

• ISBN13: 9780292706668
• ISBN10: 0292706669
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-09-30
• Publisher: Univ of Texas Pr

Summary

In the eyes of many Westerners, Muslim women are hidden behind a veil of negative stereotypes that portray them as either oppressed, subservient wives and daughters or, more recently, as potential terrorists. Yet many Muslim women defy these stereotypes by taking active roles in their families and communities and working to create a more just society. This book introduces eighteen Muslim women activists from the United States and Canada who have worked in fields from social services, to marital counseling, to political advocacy in order to further social justice within the Muslim community and in the greater North American society. Each of the activists has written an autobiographical narrative in which she discusses such issues as her personal motivation for doing activism work, her views on the relationship between Islam and women's activism, and the challenges she has faced and overcome, such as patriarchal cultural barriers within the Muslim community or racism and discrimination within the larger society. The women activists are a heterogeneous group, including North American converts to Islam, Muslim immigrants to the United States and Canada, and the daughters of immigrants. Young women at the beginning of their activist lives as well as older women who have achieved regional or national prominence are included. Katherine Bullock's introduction highlights the contributions to society that Muslim women have made since the time of the Prophet Muhammad and sounds a call for contemporary Muslim women to become equal partners in creating and maintaining a just society within and beyond the Muslim community.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	xiii
Katherine Bullock
Silent Revolution of a Muslim Arab American Scholar-Activist	1	(18)
Nimat Hafez Barazangi
Allah Doesn't Change the Condition of People until They Change Themselves	19	(14)
Ekram Beshir
War Zones: Anecdotes	33	(22)
Mariam Bhabha
Activism as a Way of Life	55	(18)
Katherine Bullock
My Life Journey	73	(6)
Muniza Farooqi
Rawahil	79	(10)
Khadija Haffajee
Rocking the Boat and Stirring the Pot	89	(8)
Rose Hamid
Struggling with Words, Striving through Words: My Odyssey in Activism	97	(6)
Gul Joya Jafri
Working to Help All the World's Children	103	(8)
Laila Al-Marayati
Building a Community for the Next Generation	111	(6)
Olivia Monem
In Pursuit of Peace and Justice	117	(12)
Nadira Mustapha
Activism: A Passion for Justice	129	(6)
Samadah Raquibah Amatul Nur
Activism: A Part of Life	135	(16)
Mona Rahman
Life of a Muslim Woman Activist	151	(14)
Margaret Sabir--Gillette
Muslim Activist: Mother and Educator	165	(12)
Freda Shamma
Taking the Bus to the World of Islamic Activism	177	(6)
Samana Siddiqui
Is the Reward for Good Other than Good?	183	(10)
Shahina Siddiqui
Undoing Internalized Inferiority	193	(6)
Tayyibah Taylor
Glossary	199	(2)
Bibliography	201	(2)
About the Contributors	203