Starting Afresh! A poem by MWA's Khudaija Nagaria for Hiba Magazine

Post by Muslimah Writers Alliance - MWA.

ABOUT MWA MEMBER KHUDAIJA A. NAGARIA
As a teacher by profession, with her MBA degree, Khudaija A. Nagaria found refuge and happiness writing, using her passion for serving Islam. Some of  Khudaija's work can be read in Pakistan’s prestigious Dawn Newspaper’s magazine section. She has also been published in Aailaa Magazine and on the Moments of Perfect Clarity website. Khudaija serves as a contributing editor for Muslimaat Magazine and is a member of Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA).
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Sakeenah: A tale that needs to be heard by MWA's Muslimah Poetess for Muslim Ink Magazine

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READ THE ARTICLE HERE
Sakeenah: A tale that needs to be heard by MWA's Muslimah Poetess

ABOUT MWA'S MUSLIMAH POETESS
Muslimah Poetess is a budding writer with a passion for poetry, autobiographical short-stories and articles. She believes the pen is a gift from Allah and has the power to bring positive change in people’s hearts and lives, if used sincerely for His sake. Her aim is to raise awareness within the Muslim youth community to remind them of their purpose – the honor of worshiping One Lord. She publishes her work on a personal blog, ‘The Muslimah Poetess’, and through social media. She is also an active member of the Young Muslimah Project, and is a contributor to various web projects including, Muslim Eyes and Ideal Muslimah. Muslimah Poetess is also a member of Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) and currently lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with her parents and loves to spend time taking care of them and seeking beneficial Islamic knowledge.

Congratulations to MWA's Asma Nadia: AssalamuAlaikum Bejing! In Theaters Now!

AssalamuAlaikum Bejing, based on the novel written by MWA's Asma Nadia is now a major motion picture that premiered in Malaysia theaters December 30, 2014. Congratulations Asma!! We couldn't be more proud of you!

Synopsis translated from Maylay to English via Google:

The day before the wedding took place, Asma (Revalina S. Temat) get a harsh reality that her lover, played by Ibn Jamil, apparently had an affair with her work colleague Anita (Cynthia Ramlan).

MWA's Shelfari on Amazon has 36 member publications! Check it out, insha'Allah!

Visit the MWA Shelfari Here

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Normal Calm – An Interview with the Author, MWA Member Hend Hegazi

By Papatia Feauxzar
December 29, 2014

Our first interview in this Love Stories category is with the Author of the masterpiece Normal Calm; Hend Hegazi.

Purchase at Amazon.com

What inspired you to write your first book?

I have enjoyed writing since the third grade, and ever since that time, I've dreamt of writing a novel. But to be honest, I thought it would be too hard, too time consuming. But I loved to write…so I wrote short stories. Then one day I thought to myself, "You've always wanted to write a novel…why not just expand on this story and turn it into a novel." So with lots of time and dedication, that's what I did.

NEW RELEASE! The Muslimah Speaks: Her Voice, Her Spirit

NEW RELEASE! Muslimah Writers Alliance - MWA's Janette Grant, owner of Mindworks Publishing, announces its newly released publication, The Muslimah Speaks: Her Voice, Her Spirit, collected poetry written by Muslim women, now available for purchase at CreateSpace.

Edited by MWA members, Janette Grant and Elizabeth Lymer.

Paperback on Amazon $24.29
Kindle Version - $5.99
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Getting Published: A Journey (Part 1) by MWA's Dr. Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor

Getting Published: a Journey, part 1

By Dr. Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor

22nd November 2013

Dr. Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor

Writing can be amazingly satisfying. It can also be time-consuming and onerous at best and frustrating and heart-breaking at worst. But lots of us want to write and get published. I have over the last 3 years managed to write and get published and I have put together a few thoughts to share my experiences with you. As far as my experience goes, I first did a PhD and then wrote a book based on my thesis – I will refer to this during the piece that follows. In my experience, there are four stages to getting published:

MOVIE TRAILER: Islam in Women featuring MWA member Isahah Janette Grant

MWA-NET (July 20, 2013) Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) is pleased to announce that Bridges Foundation has released the official movie trailer for its upcoming movie, Part III in The Fog is Lifting series, Islam in Women, featuring MWA founding member, Isahah Janette Grant. 

The documentary features the interviews of twelve revert Muslim women from Belgium, Britain, Greece, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Germany, USA, Netherlands and Sweden, discussing how their lives were enhanced by embracing Islam. 

Also included in the production, the interview of a non-Muslim woman, a professor from Al-Azhar University, and a professor in the Divinity School at Harvard University. The documentary reveals the secrets behind why Islam attracts more women than men, and aims to refute misconceptions about women in Islam. 


The July 19 trailer release marked a double celebration for Ms. Grant and her sister MWA members. After a prolonged absence of health insurance preempted her ability to seek medical attention, Ms. Grant announced receiving confirmation that her previously treated Hodgkins Lymphoma remains in remission. It was welcome news and an unforgettable blessing in this, the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan. 

Isahah Janette Grant is a journalist for the Houston Islam Examiner and published author. Her publications include a children's book titled, Sameerah's Hijab and the First Day of School; Vol. 1, Lets Learn Our Religion, the first in a children's workbook series, now available online; and Redemption Song - Collected Poems. Ms. Grant's poetry has also been published in three anthology collections, various articles and in the Providence Journal Bulletin newspaper. She currently owns and runs Mindworks Publishing, a community based desktop publishing business, and is working on completing her first work of fiction. 

Ms. Grant is also a founding member of Muslimah Writers Alliance, an internationally based collaboration of Muslim women writers and advocates working to counter negative and inaccurate perceptions of members of the Muslim community, established in 2006.

She studied at Boston University in Massachusetts majoring in Print Journalism and resides in Missouri City, Texas with her husband and son.

MWA Director, Aishah Schwartz was also honored to interview three additional Muslimah reverts for the production back in October 2012 when she attended, as a speaker herself, the 4th Annual (Native European Muslim Assembly (NEMA) Camp in Tunisia. Ms. Schwartz interviewed (from Trailer 5) Anna Stamous (Greece), Pauline Muddle (Egypt) and Priscilla Niels (Indonesia).

Islam in Women marks the third movie/video production featuring MWA members. The first video was a mini-documentary produced for Al-Jazeera, featuring Schwartz and founding MWA member/children's book author, Rania Marwan.

The second production was another Bridges Foundation movie titled, "Jihad on Terrorism".  

Bridges Foundation strives, through projects such as The Fog is Lifting movie series, to open communication channels that narrow the gap of understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims by educating both sides about their cultural differences and similarities.  

A fully final version of the Official Trailer will be online after Ramadan.

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RELATED
MOVIE: Islam in Women Official Trailer
Muslimah Spotlight: MWA Director Aishah Schwartz address reverts at NEMA Camp
VIDEO: My Journey to Islam: American, Aishah Schwartz 

Muslimah Writers Alliance Documentary on Al-Jazeera Wednesday, Dec. 15 
MOVIE - Jihad on Terrorism (English w/Arabic subtitles) (Norwegian)
MWA Director, Aishah Schwartz, Appearing in Documentary 'Jihad on Terrorism'
VIDEO: Trailer, "Jihad on Terrorism" (short version)
VIDEO: Trailer, "The Fog is Lifting"
About "The Fog is Lifting" 

MWA's Eman Shurbaji interviews for Illume Magazine

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Eman Shurbaji studied journalism at California State University, Bakersfield. She is a journalist and writer/editor. Ms. Shurbaji is passionate about her work as there are always stories to be told, and information to be dissipated. She was an intern/trainee at Aljazeera English in Doha, Qatar, further fueling her desire to speak to the masses.

Shurbaji feels as though she a citizen of the world, having traveled extensively. In addition to writing, editing websites/materials, she writes for several nonprofits. She has been a member of Muslimah Writers Alliance since July 2012.

MWA's Cisse Queen Supporting SayNO UNiTE on International Women's Day

Join the Int'l Women's Day conversation by following @UN_Women or @SayNO_UNiTE and the hashtag's #IWD2013 or #womensday on Twitter. And visit MWA on FB at http://www.facebook.com/MuslimahWritersAlliance 

Queen Sheba Cisse is President and Founder of Queen Sheba Village and is an aspiring writer, humanitarian and mother to many globally. She manages homes and families on two continents, America and Africa, and runs an online fashion boutique of African textiles and clothing, as well as Arabian essences for the body and senses, and crafted accessories from our African Motherland—home of our ancestors. Queen Sheba has just completed "The QSV Story (Chapter 2) Queen Sheba Cisse" in Collaboration with Tara Tappert.

Website: http://www.queenshebavillage.org

Facebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/QueenSheba Cisse

MWA's Ruth Nasrullah: Scholarships for Muslim Kids

FULL ARTICLE HERE (Pg. 32)

Scholarships for Muslim Kids by MWA member Ruth Nasrullah - While national tuition rates are on the rise, there are still options to find an affordable path to higher education.

Ruth Nasrullah is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas. She has a masters degree in journalism from Emerson College and is pursuing a master of fine arts in creative nonfiction at Goucher College. She writes regularly for Islamic Horizons, Azizah and Toastmaster magazines and has also been published in the Houston Chronicle, both as a religion blogger and a reporter. Ruth is president of the Houston chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and also serves as president of two Toastmasters clubs. She is married with an adult daughter and two adult stepsons. Ms. Nasrullah has also been a member of Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) since January 2007.

MWA's Janice Tufte: I am a Sister of Many Scarves

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Janice Tufte lives in Seattle, Washington, USA. She has published articles in Our Rising Sun and other resources, and is often quoted in mainstream media publications. Janice produced an Emergency Muslim Resource Guide for three Washington state counties in addition to developing materials for her WarmforWinter project and Islamic Civic Engagement projects centered in the Puget Sound area. She is currently working with HASSANAH Consulting in the development of strategies to successfully ease barriers persons living in poverty face, both with the Seattle University School of Theology Faith and Family Homelessness Project and the Group Health Cooperative Medical Home Consumer Empowerment's three year project. She has also been a member of Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) since January 2007.

See also: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=345916745514754
See also: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=345934445512984

INTERVIEW: MWA member Isahah Janette Grant on her book, publishing and conversion to Islam

MWA member Isahah Janette Grant

Isahah Janette Grant has been a Muslim revert for over 13 years alhamdulillah. She is author of the children’s book, Sameerah’s Hijab and the First Day of School, a journalist for Examiner.com, and a founding member of Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA), an internationally based collaboration of Muslim women writers and advocates working to counter negative and inaccurate perceptions of members of the Muslim community, where she serves as the organization's member coordinator.

Ms. Grant also owns and manages Mindworks Publishing Inc., a community based desktop publishing business. She is also working on completing her first work of fiction. Ms. Grant studied at Boston University in Massachusetts majoring in Print Journalism and currently resides in Missouri City, Texas. (Read Parts 1 & 2 at Muslimah Voices) (Part 3)

MWA's Saba N. Taylor interviews children's book author Asma Zaman

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It is a pleasure to introduce a new author to you all, Asma Zaman, author of Grandpa and Grandma Come to Stay.

Book Description:
Grandpa and Grandma are coming to stay and Muhammed and Musa are so excited! Mommy and Daddy say the twins must help their grandparents.

Why would grown-ups need any help? Can Muhammed and Musa really help Grandma and Grandpa?

INTERVIEW:

Welcome Asma, please tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Asma Zaman I’m a London based Law Graduate and currently pursuing theoretical and practical qualifications as a Psychological Counsellor/Psychotherapist. My aspiration of becoming a writer began at a very young age but only became a reality as a consequence of a long term condition I was diagnosed with about 10 years ago. From not being able to read and write, due to it effecting my neurological system, to now having my work published is a great feeling Alhumdolilah!  Now I actively raise awareness and provide support to fellow sufferers of M.E (Myalgic-Encephalomilitis (an auto-neuro immune condition)) and Fibromyalgia and their careers. (Read More)

MWA's Eren Cervantes-Altamirano shares a Ramadan memory via Muslimah Media Watch

Edmonton’s Al-Rashid Mosque. Image via Flickr.

The First Ramadan

By Eren Cervantes-Altamirano

Six years ago, I moved from Mexico City to Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada. Although I moved here to study, my trip to the north resulted to be a whole religious experience. Having grown up in a nuclear family that had left Catholicism and had sought dogmatic atheism, I was largely unfamiliar with religious diversity. Thus, coming to Canada quickly sparked my curiosity, and here I am six years later with a degree in Political Science and Religious Studies.

My first contact with Islam was when I was still learning English at the University of Alberta. Since Alberta is the centre of petroleum exploration and petroleum engineering education in Canada, I studied in classes where half my classmates were from Saudi Arabia and the other half from China. My first encounters with Saudi classmates, especially males, were quite frustrating. Many of them felt the need to show some kind of pious superiority, while others felt attacked in an environment where their religion was often being connected to 9/11. (Click here to read the rest at Muslim Media Watch)

ABOUT EREN CERVANTES-ALTAMIRANOV
Eren Arruna Cervantes is a University student in Canada. She specializes in gender politics and feminist religious movements, particularly Islamic Feminism. She is a convert to Islam since 2009 and hopes to become an Islamic scholar in the future. In addition to being a member of Muslimah Writers Alliance, Eren also writes for Muslmah Media Watch and hosts a travel blog.

MWA'S Janette Grant offers insight on children's book 'Ramadan' by Farah Kinani

By Janette Grant 

MWA member, Farah Kinani.

When a friend of Farah Kinani’s daughter, Leila, told her classmates that she would not be joining them during lunch one day, no one understood that Leila would not be eating with them because it was the beginning of Ramadan; the Muslim Holy month of fasting between sunrise and sunset, also known as one of the pillars of Islam. Leila's classmates, instead, implored her to hide and eat, or to at least drink. Some even thought she was being punished or given a time out.

Leila's mother, concerned about the confusing and stressful situation her daughter had fallen into – due to the lack of understanding among her peers – decided to prepare and deliver a small talk at the school on the subject of Ramadan.

During her presentation to the 4th graders at the middle school her daughter attended, Ms. Kinani answered basic questions about Islam, shared anecdotes about Ramadan's first-time fasters, and made a brief comparison between fasting traditions within various other religions.

The feedback Ms. Kinani received was both encouraging and inspiring. (Read More)

Reaching Out to Others by MWA member Jennifer Kabir

By Jennifer Kabir

When you have the opportunity to listen to someone speak on a topic several times you begin to notice a common thread running through what they say. I listened intently to daee Aminah Assilmi each time I had the pleasure of listening to her thoughts on this life, Islam and being.

After awhile I began to notice some questions she posed would seem to repeat themselves. Inquiries as to how many of us ever ventured outside of our Muslim communities to interact with others over any good cause was one such question that seemed to be posed at the end of every speaking event she headed.

The responses that seemed to allude to, "Oh yes…that’s me-I’m out there being a part of the grand scheme of things…" were illusive to say the least. (Read More)

ABOUT JENNIFER KABIR
Jennifer Kabir is a journalist, wife, and mother of two. She came to Islam a little over ten years ago. Raised in a traditional American family, Jennifer lived in Southern California for the majority of her life and later moved with her husband to Michigan. The story of how Jennifer came to Islam can be read here.

Pre-Order Muslim Women in Britain: Demystifying the Muslimah, by MWA member Dr. Sariya Contractor

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This book discusses many important issues around the role, rights, responsibilities and resilience of Muslim women that resonate in Muslim communities globally – of our collective successes with regard to gender equity and of our failures.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) Jul 19, 2012 - Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) is pleased to announce the upcoming September 20, 2012 release of a member publication titled, 'Muslim Women in Britain: Demystifying the Muslimah'.

Perceptions of Muslim women in Western society have been shaped by historical and sociological conditions such as colonialism, patriarchy and Orientalism. In Muslim Women in Britain, Sariya Contractor seeks to reinstate the Muslimah as a storyteller who tells her own story.

An exploration of the lives of British Muslim women, this book examines issues of femininity, Britishness, inter-communal relations and social cohesion. Presenting the reader with incisive narratives of Muslim women on familiar topics such as the hijab, Muslim women in the media and feminist debate, particularly in a Western context, Sariya Contractor makes a valuable contribution to the existing literature on Islamic studies, social anthropology, feminist philosophy and social cohesion. (Read More)

MWA Member Author, Fatimah Ashaela Moore Ibrahim Publishes Second Children's Book

"I Love My Hijab" is a useful learning and teaching tool for girls new to Islam in addition to being an informative explanation for young readers and others who may not have previous knowledge of Islam.

By Isahah Janette Grant, MWA Member Coordinator

HOUSTON, TX – Muslimah Writers Alliance member, Fatimah Ashaela Moore Ibrahim has written and illustrated her second children’s book entitled "I Love My Hijab", distributed by Creative Education and Publishing of Falls Church, Virginia. The first of five "True Heart Series" installments, "I Love My Hijab" is based on the true story of an experience Ms. Ibrahim's daughter had when she wore hijab (head scarf) for the first time in public school. (Read More)

MWA Member Spotlight: Ruth Nasrullah

Ruth Nasrullah, MWA Member since 2007.

As the debate about Muslim women's rights rages in many Islamic countries around the world, it is more important than ever for the modern Muslim woman to not only have a voice, but for that voice to be heard amongst the conversations taking place. One such voice local to the Houston area is that of Ruth Nasrullah, a freelance writer and blogger and a founding member of the Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) based in Washington DC. She has covered various topics in her writing, from fundamental issues exposing some of the flaws in American society to clever, informative essays about her experiences as a Muslim woman in America. (Read More)