During the month of Ramadan, Muslim women across the country will bring the Quran to the housebound, prepare meals for the hungry and reflect on what it means to be Muslim women today. More and more, they are working through formally organized women’s groups, which may also address education, social services or politics. The growing number of these groups provide a ready-made forum for addressing issues ranging from who prays in the mosque to how the proposed Iraqi constitution treats women.

Groups run the gamut. New England Muslim Sisters Association addresses the education of women while shying from political topics. The Baitul Salaam Network in Atlanta runs shelters for women rebuilding their lives after domestic violence. And Karamah in Washington, D.C., focuses on human rights. After 9/11 and the increase in harassment of women wearing headscarves, such groups expanded their role to include educating the public about Islam and presenting women not as silenced partners, but as active participants in community life.

Ramadan will begin around the evening of Oct. 4, with the sighting of the new moon.

Why it matters
As Muslim issues continue to make news nationally and internationally, there’s no better time to seek out women’s groups, whose members can offer an often ignored perspective on Muslim life. The holy month of Ramadan is a good moment to ask women about their concerns and hopes for their communities, as well as political issues ranging from the war in Iraq to genocide in Sudan.

Angles For Reporters
• Profile a Muslim women’s group in your area. Find out what activities they are involved in, and what they discuss – education, their community, women’s roles in the mosque or in other countries, politics? Do they educate themselves or others about the Quran? Are members of different backgrounds and ages? What tensions exist and how are they addressed? Does the group interact with other faith groups? Has it changed in membership or focus in recent years? Is the group involved in any activities to assist victims of Katrina?
• How do the women observe Ramadan? What do they say is Ramadan’s significance for women?

National/international sources

• Yvonne Y Haddad, professor of the history of Islam and Muslim-Christian relations at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., says the number of Muslim women’s groups has increased due to “Islamaphobia,” particularly after 9/11. Women’s groups, she notes, provide support and friendship in a hostile environment. Some groups focus on interfaith dialogue to dispel ignorance, and some members have gone on to become Muslim spokespeople. An increasing number of women’s group participants are wearing the headscarf, she says. Contact 202-687-2575, haddady@georgetown.edu.
• Liyakat Takim, assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Denver, says the country is seeing a few more women’s groups and a movement accentuating the rights of women. Women, he says, are exerting their authority and rediscovering their social and religious space. He says more women are leading the Friday prayers and rejecting earlier interpretations of Muslim sacred texts. Also, more social service groups are trying to protect the rights of abused women. Contact 303-871-3503, Ltakim@du.edu.
• Judith Tucker, a professor of history at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., specializes in the history of Islamic law and gender. Contact 202-687-5238, tuckerje@georgetown.edu.
• Omid Safi is assistant professor of Islamic studies in the philosophy and religion department at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y. He edited a collection of essays on progressive Muslims. Contact 312-228-7690, osafi@mail.colgate.edu.
• Marcia K. Hermansen is a professor of theology at Loyola University in Chicago and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World (MacMillan, 2003). Contact 773-508-2345, mherman@luc.edu.
• Alia Hogben, executive director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women in Gananoque, Ontario, which hosts web site chapters across the country, holds conferences and produces publications of scholarly books. The group helps Muslim women become integrated in Canadian life and educates them to see Islam “as a pro-woman” religion through women-friendly reinterpretations of the Quran. Contact 613-382-2847, info@ccmw.com.
• One Nation — a philanthropic collaborative led by Muslims and non-Muslims from leading nonprofit public education and advocacy organizations, think tanks, corporations and academic institutions — lists experts on Islam and women’s issues and a page of “fast facts” about women and Islam. Contact Sharene Azimi at Fenton Communications, 212-584-5000, sazimi@fenton.com.

Background

• See the web site of the Muslim Women’s Support Association, which is designed to “uplift, support and involve women of the community.”
• Browse the web site Jannah.org, which provides resources for Muslim women.
• See a Ramadan primer on Beliefnet.com.
• Read a Nov. 23, 2003, Post-Gazette story, “Women share memories of Ramadan.”

Regional sources

IN THE NORTHEAST
• Nataka Crayton is Boston area representative of the New England Muslim Sisters Association, based in Springfield, Mass. Formed in 1985 to promote Islamic rights for women, the group encourages networking among Muslim women, holds quarterly meetings and hosts a women’s conference. NEMSA focuses more on education and religious issues than politics, and its members address such issues as the cultural differences that separate Muslim women. Contact through the Islamic Multi-Service Organization, 617-442-4676, nataka_crayton@hotmail.com.
• Angela Sabir is a participant in the monthly sisters’ breakfast at Masjid Al-Qur’an in Dorchester, Mass. The purpose of the group is to encourage bonding among women, promote women’s education and raise timely topics, such as discrimination among Muslims. Email asabir@msn.com.

IN THE EAST
• Irfana Anwer is executive director of Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights in Washington, D.C. Since 1993, the group has been committed to supporting the rights of women in the United States and internationally through grassroots advocacy and activism in collaboration with scholars worldwide. The organization provides legal referrals and direct Islamic legal advice regarding divorce. The group also sponsors lectures on faith and feminism and hosts a leadership program for women nationwide. Contact 202-234-7302 or 7303, karamah@karamah.org.
• Sister Aisha al-Adawiya is executive director of Women in Islam in New York, N.Y., a social justice and human rights educational and advocacy organization. The group has organized forums on such topics as civil liberties, interfaith social justice, the famine in Niger and genocide in Sudan. Its members support women’s access to the mosque and other Islamic organizations. Contact 212-576-8875, womeninislam@usa.net.
• Fasiha Khan is president of Muslim Women of Maryland in College Park, Md., a student group of the University of Maryland. The organization promotes sisterhood among Muslim women by encouraging them to learn about their religion. Its members sponsor lectures, speak in women’s studies classes and hold an event for Muslim women for the breaking of the Ramadan fast. Contact by email only, mwm_umd@yahoo.com.

IN THE SOUTHEAST
• Ambreen Ahmed is assistant executive director of FAITH: Foundation for Appropriate and Immediate Temporary Help in Herndon, Va., a social service program that helps women coping with domestic violence and provides financial assistance to women in need. Contact 571-323-2198, info@faithus.org.
• Deborah Abdul-Raheem is president of the International League of Muslim Women of Atlanta. Women’s League of Atlanta. Contact 404-608-1823, dsignsbyrasheeda@aol.com.
• Tayyibah Taylor is editor in chief and publisher of Azizah magazine in Atlanta, which bills itself as “more than a magazine: It’s a catalyst for empowerment.” The magazine, she says, celebrates women’s accomplishments and encourages them to define themselves. Although the magazine generally steers away from politics, it ran pieces on the Patriot Act and American woman in Iraq. Contact 404-815-0067, Tayyibah@azizahmagazine.com.
• Hadayai Majeed is a co-founder of the Baitul Salaam Network in Atlanta, made up of groups and individuals from across the Muslim – and non-Muslim – community. Founded by four Muslim women, the group provides temporary shelter for women who have left abusive homes. Contact 404-366-6610, Haleem1@aol.com (email preferred).

IN THE SOUTH
• Aminah Assilmi is director of the International Union of Muslim Women in Oden, Ark., and Sparks, Nev. This 15-year-old educational organization is dedicated to increasing women’s knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah and helping them to find Islamic solutions to problems. The group encourages women to get involved in their communities and address domestic issues, such as poverty and child abuse. Members try to correct misinterpretations of the Quran, such the idea that men are permitted to strike women, and to educate non-Muslims, particularly in their children’s public schools. Contact 870-326-4517, Aminah@liveislam.org.
• Brenda Sharif is president of the International League of Muslim Women of Memphis. Contact 901-274-3484, sp8sharif@aol.com.

IN THE MIDWEST
• Sahirah Muhammad Aleem is international president of the International League of Muslim Women, which has headquarters in Detroit, 38 chapters in the United States and four in Africa. Founded in 1980, the social service organization works with the homeless and women in distress, including victims of domestic violence. The organization runs two homes in the Detroit area and provides baby-sitting and referrals to social service agencies. During Ramadan, members will read the Quran to the sick and housebound for all 30 days. The group includes a junior league of younger members. Contact 313-341-5627, dsignsrmheedh@aol.com or emailsfred2634@aol.com.
• Dorothy Rahman is president of the International League of Muslim Women of Chicago. The social service organization works with the homeless and women in distress, including victims of domestic violence. Contact 708-748-0612, dott7r7@aol.com.
• Hiba Nasser is co-founder of the Muslim Women’s Network in Columbus, Ohio, a small group of trained volunteers from diverse backgrounds who support families by mediating and providing referrals. Contact 614-470-2848, Hiba_oneus@yahoo.com or Mwn839@hotmail.com.
• Janan Najeeb is executive director of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition. She speaks on behalf of her organization and Muslim women in many forums in Milwaukee. Contact 414-759-7761, jmnajeeb@aol.com.

IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Najma Ghouse is a member of the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation, which had its formal kickoff in Dallas in August. Its goal is to support Muslim women and their families through educational, charitable and social services. Contact 972-880-4192, tmwf@tmwf.org.
• Nazli Currim is a member of the American Muslim Women’s Association in Gilbert, Ariz. The group helps refugees from such countries as Iraq and Bosnia and women who are newly divorced, widowed, sick or homeless get back on their feet with interest-free loans and scholarships. During Ramadan the association runs an Adopt-a-Family program in which wealthier families take care of needy families. Any tensions between members of different backgrounds, she says, dissolve because of their common purpose. Call 480-497-9616, ncurrim@yahoo.com.
• Sabiha Keskin is program manager of Cultural Cup Food Bank in Phoenix, Ariz., which provides the community with emergency food boxes. Though the program is nonsectarian, it’s a Muslim-run organization, and Keskin and founder Zarinah Awad follow the Islamic principle of helping people in need. Muslim women and girls volunteer to help. Contact Keskin or Awad at 602-266-8370, culturalcupfb@quest.net.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• Tiffany Horton is president of the Muslim Women’s League in Los Angeles. The organization works to “implement the values of Islam and thereby reclaim the status of women as free, equal and vital contributors to society.” The group sponsors conferences, spiritual retreats, summer camps and leadership development programs, and it publishes position papers on such issues as gender equality. Contact 626-358-0335 (voice mail), tehorton310@hotmail.com (email preferred).
• Shamim Ibrahim is president and founder of Niswa Association (Women in Arabic) in Los Angeles. Founded in 1990, this Muslim social service organization runs a shelter for Muslim women and acts as a liaison with county agencies. Contact 310-748-9087, niswainc@netzero.com.
• Nahid Angha is founder of the Sufi Women Organization in San Rafael, Calif. The group seeks to promote cooperation and friendship and to honor the work of Sufi women. Contact 415-472-6959, sufiwomen@ias.org.