Women's Ijtema in India

A couple days ago I returned from a week-long trip to India. I was there because I was asked to speak at a Muminaat Ijtema (a women's educational forum) that was taking place in Mumbai. 

The ijtema was organized by Zaenab Bhensaheb, the wife of Moula's (tus) oldest son. Over 300 women attended. The event primarily consisted of a moderated panel discussion, but also included videos, visual presentations, and a couple of poetry readings/speeches.

The point of this ijtema was to open up a dialogue and reach out to the young women of our community- to create a space in which these women could gain perspective, ask their questions, and be heard. Not too different from the mission of ISFM :)

I was proud to be a part of this ijtema. I think honest dialogue is powerful, and in widening an individual's perspective, you are giving him/her the tools to affect positive change in this world. We all have so much to learn from one another, and united in our desire to carry out Moula's (tus) khushi, we embody potential in the very best sense of the word. I have never been so proud to be a muminah as when I looked out at the audience and realized that I can count myself one of this group of strong, intelligent, curious, beautiful, caring women. It was a powerful moment for me.

I was supported by many people as I endeavored to go on this trip. My mom came with me, so that I had her company and her solid presence with me throughout; Taher gave me immense peace of mind as he beautifully handled the kids, his job, and the house while I was far away; my dad told me he was proud of me- praise that continually ranks higher than any other I have ever been given. Thanks to the women who attended the ijtema and to those who have been sending in their feedback- thanks especially to the lovely young ladies who approached me during and after the event to tell me they were inspired by what was discussed and that they gained fresh perspective.

Alhamdolillah- a great experience :)

this week

dear yusuf:

this week, your father and i made history. we didn't do it alone - far from it. we did it together - around 63 million of us. we voted for a presidential candidate who looked and acted and spoke and believed differently, and he let us know that he was the right person for the job. and so we voted for him. and our votes were counted. and when he won, we each felt that our voices were heard. it was as much a personal victory as it was a national one.

we were inspired to vote, and we are inspired to win. we celebrate.

you were right there with your father and i when we cast our votes. when we watched the results on tuesday night. and in four years when we cast our votes for him again, you'll be there as well. and maybe you will be as inspired as we are.

after all, this week taught us something perhaps some of us have forgotten. anything is possible, yusuf.

let's vote

yesterday, taher and i voted at our City Hall. we found that there was an opportunity to vote early, and so we did. it was especially satisfying to vote the morning after watching the Debates.

truly, this election is historical for all the reasons touted by the media and the bloggers and the analysts. with words like the Environment and the Economy swirling around, this election will be determining the future of the country- the very Fate of the country. with words like Woman and Black and Muslim and Change thrown into the mix, there is no denying that this election is the first of its kind, perhaps in a long time- perhaps ever.

yet for me, this election is historical for yet another reason- maybe the most important reason. the last election saw a lot of apathy on the part of young people. most didn't vote. most didn't watch the debates. most didn't know much about either candidate's platform. this time around, MTV doesn't need to constantly air commercials telling the youth the importance of voting. this time around, people are doing research about the candidates, instead of relying on tidy summaries on easy-to-find websites. this time around, a lack of opinion is hard to find, much less apathy.

this election is restoring the spirit that should infuse every presidential election. youth doesn't just have an interest- the youth is invested. even my 6-year-old niece has an opinion (it's her parents' opinion, true, but it shows what the conversations are in american households this time around.) i hope dearly that this sets the stage for a new attitude on the part of american youth- those who are not 18 will, i hope, be eagerly awaiting their chance to vote four years from now. those who can vote will do so proudly.

i look forward to yusuf growing up wanting to vote, waiting to vote. i voted yesterday and although it's something almost everyone i know can and will do, i am still proud of my contribution. it felt... good.

interfaith conference

this seems interesting, check it out:

http://www.ifyc.org/conference/index.html

Greg Mortenson

Central Asia Institute is an NPO that supports community-based education programs in the remote rural regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. There are over 145 million illiterate children in the world, and CAI is committed to the UN mandate to achieve universal literacy by the year 2015. For 14 years Greg Mortenson has seen the transformative power of education which reduces infant mortality, diminishes the population explosion and dramatically improves the sanitation and health of the rural communities.

CAI is honoring Greg on April 21st with a fundraising dinner. Funds will go directly to Greg's cause. This man has dedicated his life to helping children from the poorest regions of Pakistan; he's already built 58 schools through his entirely grassroots organization.

It is inspiring what one man can do; when hundreds of people assemble themselves behind him, I can only imagine what is possible.

Check out http://ikat.org/ for more information.

brainy day

yesterday, sunday, was a day of discussion.

we had a talebaat event at 11 am; it was one of our Women in Islam series. a panel discussion about the balance of family and career, as well as other relevant issues. the discussion went very well and it was pretty lively; i was very happy with the way things turned out.

i am happy with the direction in which talebaat is moving lately; we are banding more tightly together and with a more specific focus, and i find that talebaat has a character/flavor of its own. we are using the organization to help our jamaat, and at the same time learn more about one another and grow as young american bohra women. i feel inspired by the things we've accomplished through this org, and by the potential for accomplishing even more.

after the event was over, i went to an AMWA meeting. this stands for american muslim women activists, an org i have gotten to know since i contacted one of them about the book i am working on with maria. i went to my first meeting yesterday and i found a group of diverse, strong women who epitomize the way one can be empowered and religious and traditional and bold, all at the same time.

AMWA has many causes, one of which i will elaborate upon in my next post.

i got home feeling mentally exhausted from all the talking that had gone on all day! at that point h, s and baby r came over and we went and got some dinner and then some ice cream and the day ended on a very relaxing note.

ice cream has that power :)