women in leadership

I wish Sr. Aminah Assilmi had survived that accident the Friday morning of her death as she did the one in Chicago. But I can see her smiling, still full of plans, because whenever I met her, she had some fantastic ideas about what needed to be done for Islam in America.

Aminah Assilmi (nee Janice Huff, 1945-March 5, 2010) was an American Muslim activist, Emmy-award winning broadcaster, speaker and director of the International Union of Muslim Women. She was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world in 2009.

"Why are there no women speakers?" This is how I came to know her, straight, forceful, full of haya, but not shy when it came to speaking the truth. Polite but firm. May God bless her with the best place in Jannah.

Many Muslim women feel disempowered and disconnected in our community. Strengthening women in the Muslim community is a long-term process, but here are some simple ways to begin. 

The 9/11 attacks ushered in a new era for Masjids, whereby they became centers where Muslims and non-Muslims met face-to-face in the context of tragedy and solidarity. But are they ready to fulfill this new role?

Masjids are the springboards for spiritualiity and community activism. Here are a couple of things we recommend Masijds can and should aim for this year.

About 345 persons responded to our web based survey which was originally issued on 8.18.2004. 74% of the respondents were women and 12% were men. Here are the result of our survey.