Biography of Aishah Schwartz 2002-2017

Aishah Schwartz, an American Muslim revert to Islam, is founder and director of the 2006 established Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA), an internationally-based collaboration of Muslim women writers and advocates working together to counter negative and inaccurate perceptions regarding members of the Muslim community and the Islamic faith.

She is also a retired career litigation legal secretary, published freelance writer, Demotix/Corbis photojournalist, humanitarian and internationally renowned human rights activist with a focus on the rights of Muslim women, and the plight of the Palestinian people affected by the Israeli imposed illegal embargo on Gaza.

In addition to activism, writing, reading, and photography, Aishah enjoys traveling and has visited Egypt (where she has resided since 2007), Saudi Arabia, where she lived for a year (2004-5), Morocco, Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia, Cyprus and Hong Kong; bucket list includes Indonesia, Malaysia and Oman. Her favorite things are family, snorkeling in the Red Sea and posting photos of her cats, Jessica and Sakinah on social media.

Achievements and activities since since Aishah Schwartz became Muslim in Washington, D.C. (2002):

2017 – Included in Huffington Post list of #Muslims2Follow; Established Private Citizen Obama Network; Supported campaign againstTrump Administration Muslim/Travel Ban and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe campaign against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL); Published Author: About Islam and Medium.

2016 – Listed at Women's Activism NYC; Listed among 100 Favorite American Muslims to Follow on Twitter; Campaigned in support of Presidential Nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton; Campaigned against the Dakota Access Pipeline; Published Author: Muslims in Calgary - Canada and About Islam; Author at Medium; Campaigned in support of World Hijab Day; Campaigned for and Petitioned the White House against the Dakota Access Pipeline in Support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; Photography included in article at Mashable.

2015 – Photojournalist: Demotix/Corbis Images; Published Author: OnIslam; Interview: Cii Broadcasting, South Africa – A global Islamic Radio Station; Listed: Top Muslim Women Twitterati – Storyteller; Copyeditor for OnIslam; Selected to represent the My Face for Peace campaign, an independent peace initiative launched in 2012 in Hamburg/Germany; Quoted at OnIslam: ["The BISCA event establishes that there are worthy scholars much greater in number than what is represented by the existing short-list of those on what is otherwise referred to as, the 'celebrity speaker tour'."]; Campaigned in support of World Hijab Day; Participated in United Nations Orange Day End Violence Against Women campaign; Published in Sisters Magazine; Listed among Well-Known Muslim Women in Hijab.

2014 – Referenced in "Reasoning With God" by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, an accomplished Islamic jurist, scholar, and Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law where he teaches Islamic law, Immigration, Human Rights, International and National Security Law, regarding support of the campaign addressing Saudi King Abdullah for release of the gang raped "Qatif Girl"; Photojournalist: Demotix/Corbis Images; Published Author and Copyeditor: OnIslam; Photography published in Rouge Magazine – Saudi Arabia; Listed as a "Mighty Muslimah"; Campaigned in support of International Purple Hijab Day to end violence against women; Poetry included in anthology, The Muslimah Speaks: Her Voice, Her Spirit by Mindworks Books; Published at Arab News: Even a Smile is Charity.

2013 – Photojournalist: Demotix/Corbis Images; Published Author: OnIslam; Featured in Le-Ta'arafou Magazine, Cairo, Egypt (Arabic); Photography featured in BauNetz Magazine, Germany; Featured in Annisa Women Insight Magazine, Indonesia; Featured in Correspondents, Cairo, Egypt; Published in The Muslim Times; Featured in Republika, Indonesia: Aishah Schwartz, Hidayah dan Burkini.

2012 – Photojournalist: Demotix/Corbis Images; Guest speaker Native European Muslim Assembly (NEMA) Camp, Tunisia; Interviewer for Bridges Foundation Documentary, Islam in Women; Radio Interview: Voice of America; Joined Medical Convoy to Gaza delivering hospital emergency-room supplies; Attended Ministry of Police graduation, Gaza; Reported on 1st Anniversary of Egyptian Revolution for Demotix; Credited for book title, "Reawakening the Dream" by Egyptian author, Hatem A. Aly; Supported campaign for the right of Saudi women to drive; Featured in video: My Journey to Islam; Addressed open letter to President Barack Obama on Gaza

blockade; Supported Jan. 18 Wikipedia blackout in opposition to SOPA/PIPA; Joined Egyptians for Nakba commemoration at Rafah Border, Egypt; Participated in and reported on Post-Jan25 Revolution Demonstration in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt; Demonstrated in support of Libyan Revolution in front of the Libyan Embassy and at the Arab League Headquarters, Cairo, Egypt; Supported campaign to end FGM in Egypt; Campaigned against US torture abroad; Campaigned against killing of civilians in Syria; Campaigned in support of Palestinian prisoner hunger strikers; Participated in United Nations International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women; Extended appreciation to CBS's 60 Minutes for Palestinian

Occupation report; Recognized by Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il), for support against racial profiling; Featured in Republika, Indonesia: Mualaf Aishah Schwartz (Part 2) Pembela Hak-Hak Muslimah; Featured at Voice of America (VOA) Indonesia: Kelompok Perempuan Mualaf AS Kampanyekan Anti-Rokok Selama Ramadan.

2011 – Photojournalist: Demotix/Corbis Images; Published Author: The American Muslim; Speaker, Bridges Foundation documentary, Jihad On Terrorism; Reported on Egyptian Revolution in Cairo, Egypt; Included in Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE) listing of 100 Extraordinary Muslim Women; Participated in UN End Violence Against Women campaign; Participated in and reported on 100th International Women's Day Event in Cairo, Egypt; Included in Al-Jazeera Photo Essay on 100th International Women's Day; Participated in and reported on 5th Week of Pro-Palestinian Protests in Cairo, Egypt; Joined 'Friends of Free Libya' in solidaritydemonstration at Libyan Embassy, Cairo, Egypt; Joined in Tahrir Square demonstrations in Cairo, Egypt; Featured in Al-Wafd News Journal, Cairo, Egypt; Took a stand in support of the Tunisian Revolution; Received response from the White House Response in asking President Barack Obama to Support 'No Gaza Student Left Behind' campaign; Featured in Youm7 newspaper article, Cairo, Egypt; Supported the Occupy Wall Street movement; Supported No-Fly Zone over Palestine; Supported Gaza Youth Breaks Out call for international United for Palestinian Freedom March; Campaigned in support of seamen's compensation rights, Hurghada, Egypt; Reported on Supported Maritime Tourism Revolution Participants to End Corruption in Hurghada, Egypt; Campaigned for release of foreign correspondent detained in Cairo, Egypt; Joined coalition members from 47 national and international cities participating in the call for a National Day of Action to Stop FBI repression and grand jury witch hunts; Launched annual Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) Ramadan blog.

2010 – Featured in a mini-documentary titled, زمام المبادرة – عائشة شوارتز/Lead the Way – Aishah Schwartz, produced by iFilms of Cairo, Egypt for Al-Jazeera Arabic TV, the documentary premiered December 1, 2010; Published Author: The American Muslim; Featured in October Weekly Magazine, Cairo, Egypt; Featured three times in Al-Wafd News Journal, Cairo, Egypt; Included in what started out as a 45 member coalition that grew to 115 members, calling for investigation into FBI targeting of activists; Petitioned President Barack Obama on West Bank settlements; Condemned Islamophobic rhetoric and called for support for freedom of religion and speech; Commended U.S. officials for speaking out against Quran burning; Religious Land Use Act; Joined coalition mobilized in responding to Israeli attack on Gaza Flotilla; President for Center of Pluralism, Mike Ghouse wrote [on Gaza support efforts]: “This includes four of our heroes, whom I know –

Aishah Schwartz…”; Led campaign against Domestic Violence in Cairo, Egypt commemorated in conjunction with the one-year anniversary marking the tragic beheading of Aasyia Zubair Hassan (1972-2009); Co-sponsored a protest in support of guardianship reform and for the release of a Canadian national in front of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC, and in front of the White House, in association with the Comit'e de Soutien 'a Nathalie Morin,' of Canada, Muslims for Progressive Values and Responsible for Equality, and Liberty (R.E.A.L.), based in Washington, DC – "The women of Saudi Arabia continue in pursuit of much needed reform in the Kingdom's existing guardianship laws. Many people confuse 'reform' with 'abolish'; the movement is not to dissolve guardianship, it is merely to improve

the conditions of women suffering from uneven-handedness and to provide alternative recourse for those not benefiting from the protections that the law is intended to provide." – also published at Examiner National; Launched online campaign against forced divorce in Saudi Arabia contributing to the reunion of Fatima and Mansour Al-Timani; Petitioned members of the US Congress and President Barack Obama to end the embargo on Gaza and marched against it in Washington, DC; Recognized by Rep. Brian Baird's Open Congress Blog for support of the Palestinian Conflict/Gaza; Quoted by Ma'an News Agency (MNA) for commending Rep. Jonathan Tasini (D-NY) for his stance against Israel's building of new settlements in East Jerusalem and its ongoing embargo on Gaza; Participated in the film production of a sequel to the Bridges Foundation project, "The Fog is Lifting", titled "Jihad Against Terrorism", the DVD was released in January 2011.

Requested federal action against Islamophobia; Launched Non-Islamophobic Muslim News Facebook Page; Joined Jewish Voice for Peace in call for end to settlement construction and blockade on Gaza; Rejected ideological exclusion in U.S. delays of visa for Palestinian journalist; Launched the 'No Gaza Student Left Behind' campaign with a press release, open letter to President Obama published at Congress.org, online petition drive and posters in support of the reported 700+ students in need of exit visas for pursuit of studies abroad; Joined International Federation of Journalists supporting strikers in Cairo, Egypt; Joined coalition urging appointments to Post 9/11 Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board; Joined 911 Freedom Coalition in calling on President Barack Obama to enforce

2009 – Published Author: The American Muslim; Blog recognized by The Daily Reviewer among Top 100 Muslim Blogs; Demonstrated in Cairo, Egypt in support of the International March on Gaza; Participated in and reported on the Gaza Freedom March from inside Gaza; Featured in Al-Wafd News Journal, Cairo, Egypt; Served as a steering committee member for the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE).

2008 – Published Author: Naseeb Vibes; Referenced in a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report titled "Perpetual Minors", for work in support of equal rights for women in the Grand Mosque Equal Access campaign; Published at The Muslim Link Newspaper – Washington-Metropolitan Area; Supported campaign and petition against FGM in Egypt.

2007 – Included in Pulitzer Prize winner Donna Gherke-White's book, Face Behind the Veil; Participated in the Anti-War March on Washington; Published Author: The American Muslim; Published Author: Naseeb Vibes; Hosted, a leadership delegation in conjunction with a program titled, "Islam in America; a Project for Russia", from Russia at the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. The program was part of the Delphi International Program of World Learning International Visitor Leadership Program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department; Launched "Say 'No' to Forced Divorce, 'Yes' to Reforms" campaign challenging guardianship and forced divorce laws in Saudi Arabia, online petition signed by citizens of 40 countries, 56 foreign cities, 21 U.S. states, and 45 U.S. cities; Served as a guest panelist on the Washington DC-based TV program, "Islamic Perspectives" discussing guardianship reform in Saudi Arabia; Appeared on Channel Islam International, a part of the Cii Network of South Africa, in support of an initiative to take Islam to the masses at one of South Africa's premier Johannesburg events, The Rand Show. Additional guests included: Idris Tawfiq, a former British Catholic Priest who accepted Islam, and Na'ima B. Robert, author of "From My Sisters' Lips."

2006 – Founded Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA); Launched online campaign to preserve the women's courtyard prayer space at the Grand Mosque; Featured by renowned feminist Margot Badran in Al-Ahram Weekly for success in preservation of Women's Prayer Space at the Grand Mosque, Makkah, Saudi Arabia – "Aishah Schwartz, founder-director of the Muslimah Writers Alliance in Washington, set up the Grand Mosque Equal Access for Women Project that circulated a petition protesting the restrictions [on women]. Very quickly over a thousand signatures Arab News feature on Mosque campaign, "It is an undeniable manifestation of

Islamic belief and teaching that we are to uphold what is right and abhor that which is inherently wrong. The fact that the signatures on MWA's Grand Mosque Equal Access for Women petition are, to date, representative of Muslim voices from 38 different countries and 28 states across North America, is demonstrative of the fact that the issue at hand must not be taken lightly."; Quoted in Associated Press NBC News article on the Makkah Grand Mosque campaign, [The plan has started causing ripples outside the kingdom. The Washington-based Muslimah Writers Alliance, an organization of Muslim women writers, is sponsoring an online petition drive against the study. “At no other time in history, either before or after the time of the Prophet Muhammad, have women been relegated to lesser advantageous positions within the (mosque),” Aishah Schwartz, the group’s director, said in a statement. “The proposed plan is no more acceptable today than it would have been when the teachings of Islam began to be delivered over 1,400 years ago,” she added.]; Reported and participated in March on Washington in support of justice for Gaza/Palestine and Lebanon; Supported National Hunger Awareness campaign; Published at The Muslim Link Newspaper – Washington-Metropolitan Area; Reported on kidnapping of American journalist Jill Carroll.

2005(4) – Spent a year living in Saudi Arabia; performed Hajj; Led a national campaign in association with America's Second Harvest, organized to rally the Muslim community in support of National Hunger Awareness in Washington, DC; Recognized by President and CEO of America's Second Harvest, Robert Forney, who stated, "We are honored to be aided in our National Hunger Awareness Day 2005 efforts by members of so many diverse faiths, including Ms. Schwartz."; Interview: Cii Broadcasting, SA – A global Islamic Radio Station (Part 1) (Part 2).

2004 – Speaker and organizer for protest at Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. dressed as the Statue of Liberty; Participated in the live filming of the hour-long premiere episode of the WETA-TV series "Senso Reports" – Target Washington, in Arlington, Virginia.


2003 – Speaker at The National Press Club in
Washington, DC in support of Muslim Voter Registration campaign; Quoted in CBS News article, "Muslims Get Out The Vote", "The more visible we are, the more we'll get those people out there, who are just sitting at home, the way I was – active. It's important for people to see us. It's important to vote, stand-up and speak. It'll help relieve some of the misperceptions the general public has of us."; Interviewed for Nile TV on voter registration campaign in Washington, DC.

2002 – Became Muslim on April 19, 2002, making her statement of faith (Shahada) in a Jummah prayer service at The World Bank in Washington, DC.

Activism Photo Albums: 
63rd Nakba Commemoration, Rafah - May 15, 2011
American Activist, Aishah Schwartz Joins Pre-Nakba Celebrations
Candlelight Vigil in Remembrance of Vittorio Arrigoni (1975-2011)
25 Jan Revolution Groups Keep Unresolved Demands Alive
Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Echo Call for Third Intifada May 15
Egyptians & Palestinians Protest Israeli Embassy, Cairo
RALLY: Recognition of National Transitional Council in Benghazi
Libya Solidarity Demonstration, Embassy of Libya, Cairo
Libyans Protest Outside Arab League Headquarters
Thousands Protest to 'Save the Revolution' in Cairo, Eqypt
American Activist, Aishah Schwartz Visits Tahrir Square in Cairo

Links: 
Aishah Schwartz Biography (2002-2017)
Aishah Schwartz LinkedIn
Aishah Schwartz on YouTube
Aishah Schwartz on Twitter
Aishah Schwartz Facebook Profile
Aishah Schwartz Activist-Writer Facebook
Aishah Schwartz on Instagram
Aishah Schwartz About Islam Author Bio
Aishah Schwartz Author Bio at Medium
Aishah Schwartz on Twitter
Aishah Schwartz Muslims2Follow
Aishah Schwartz on Pinterest
Aishah Schwartz Personal Blog - Aishah's Journey
Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) Blog
Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) on Facebook
Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) Facebook Ramadan Blog
Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) Blog
MWA's NON-Islamophobic Muslim News (NIMNEWS)
Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) Press Room
Aishah Schwartz Bio at PRLog
Aishah Schwartz Activist-Writer Press Room
Biography: Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE)

Contact

Copyright © 2017 Aishah's Journey Blog
Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. Contact author for all other rights, which are reserved.

My Journey to Islam: American, Aishah Schwartz

The video below is a product of this event.

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.

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

Click on image to view larger size.

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)

Biography: Aishah Schwartz (2010-11)

Updated to cover 2002-2017 here.

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Aishah Schwartz (bibliography), an American Muslim revert to Islam since April 2002, is founder and director of the 2006 established Washington, D.C.-based Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) and a retired career litigation legal secretary. She is also a published freelance non-fiction writer/journalist and internationally renowned human rights activist with a focus on the rights of Muslim women and the plight of the Palestinian people affected by the Israeli imposed illegal embargo on Gaza.

Ms. Schwartz's writing, primarily autobiographical, generally focuses on countering misconceptions about Islam and her own life as a Muslim. Relating her experiences as an American Muslim woman traveling in the Middle East, her stories gained world-wide notoriety via the internet.

She eventually also became a featured writer for Naseeb Vibes, one of the world's largest online Muslim e-zines and social communities. Ms. Schwartz's articles are also regularly published at The American Muslim (TAM) and various other outlets.

Shortly after becoming Muslim, while volunteering at the 2003 ISNA Convention she was interviewed for Nile TV and later that year participated in a voter registration campaign at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, which led to her first "quote" in a CBS News story.

As a writing activist Ms. Schwartz focuses on civil and human rights issues within the Muslim community at-large, particularly those adversely affecting Muslim women.

She addressed President Jacques Chirac, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, in front of the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. as hundreds gathered on January 17, 2004 in protest of an impending law prohibiting Muslim women from wearing hijab.

In 2004 Ms. Schwartz also participated in the live filming of the hour-long premiere episode of the WETA-TV series "Senso Reports" - Target Washington (2004); appearing twice in cameo.

In 2005 she lead a national campaign in association with America's Second Harvest, organized to rally the Muslim community in support of National Hunger Awareness Day and developed a Hunger Awareness guide for participants in the Muslim community that was distributed to masjids across the United States.

Robert Forney, President and CEO of America's Second Harvest stated, "We are honored to be aided in our National Hunger Awareness Day 2005 efforts by members of so many diverse faiths, including Ms. Schwartz." In 2006 she continued the Hunger Awareness campaign as Founder and Director of Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA).

Through MWA her activism received international recognition in 2006 after a successful campaign to avert removal of a prayer space in view of the Kabba designated for women in the courtyard of Makkah's Grand Mosque. The impact the campaign website, online petition, poster declaring "We Have A Right to Pray in This Space!", and press release, all directed to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz. was reported on by Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly. "Aishah Schwartz, founder-director of the Muslimah Writers Alliance in Washington, set up the Grand Mosque Equal Access for Women Project that circulated a petition protesting the restrictions [on women]. Very quickly over a thousand signatures were collected."

Women inside Saudi Arabia and around the world, meanwhile, carried on protesting in the media. "It was the most striking example to date of concerted Islamic feminist global protest and one that authorities could not ignore," stated Margot Badran, Senior Fellow, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

On September 11, 2006, the proposal was overturned based in part on pressure from international media outlets and response to the online petition endorsed by Muslims worldwide.

In July of 2007, in her capacity as Director of Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA), and in conjunction with a program titled, "Islam in America; a project for Russia", Ms. Schwartz hosted a leadership delegation from Russia at the Islalmic Center in Washington, D.C. The program was part of the Delphi International Program of World Learning International Visitor Leadership Program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

In 2008, Human Rights Watch (HRW) recognized Ms. Schwartz's work in support of equal rights for women in the Grand Mosque Equal Access campaign in its report titled, "Perpetual Minors".

Ms. Schwartz was also recognized for her work in tackling equality within the masjid in the 2007 paperback release of Donna Gherke-White's 'Face Behind the Veil', a widely read collection of stories shedding additional light on issues facing American Muslim women.

Launching another Saudi Arabia-based campaign in 2007, again directed to the Saudi King, Ms. Schwartz tackled the need for reforms in the Kingdom's laws regarding guardianship of women with the "Say 'No' to Forced Divorce, 'Yes' to Reforms" campaign, which combined the cause for reuniting Fatima and Mansour Al-Timani, a couple forcefully divorced due to alleged 'tribal' differences.

Mansour Al-Timani and his wife, Fatima were finally reunited nearly 5-years from their divorce, however, the Say 'No' to Forced Divorce, 'Yes' to Reforms petition, signed by people from 40 Countries, 56 Foreign Cities, 21 U.S. States, and 45 U.S. Cities, continues in support of reform.

Ms. Schwartz also had the opportunity discuss the issue as a guest panelist on the D.C.-based television program, "Islamic Perspectives".

An unexpected surprise came to Ms. Schwartz in September of 2009 when her blog, "Sister Aishah's Islamic Journey" was recognized by The Daily Reviewer as one of the top 100 Muslim blogs. The Daily Reviewer selects only the world's top blogs (and RSS feeds), sifting through thousands of blogs daily to present the world's best writers. Blogs selected for inclusion are authoritative on their respective niche topics and are widely read. To be included in The Daily Reviewer is a mark of excellence.

In 2010 Ms. Schwartz hit the ground running.

Beginning with the December 2008 illegal Israeli massacre on Gaza, Ms. Schwartz, already actively involved in campaigning to end the embargo on Gaza through extensive writing and in marching against it in Washington, D.C., became more personally involved, petitioning members of the U.S. Congress and President Obama through various projects (see MWA Press Room); work that led to her eventual personal siege breaking journey to Gaza in December 2009. (Video) (Enter GAZA in search box mid-right of this page to learn more.)

On returning from Gaza in January 2010, she was compelled to do more. In support of the reported 700+ students in need of exit visas for pursuit of studies abroad, Ms. Schwartz launched the 'No Gaza Student Left Behind' campaign in June 2010 with a press release, open letter to President Obama, online petition drive and posters.

In June 2010 the woman's rights movement in Saudi Arabia resurfaced as guardianship reform, in conjunction with the rights of foreign nationals, once again came to the forefront as King Abdullah of prepared for a June 29 visit to the White House. Ms. Schwartz again lent MWA's support, to demonstrations that took place in front of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C., and in front of the White House, in association with the Comit'e de Soutien 'a Nathalie Morin,' of Canada, Muslims for Progressive Values and Responsible for Equality, and Liberty (R.E.A.L.), based in Washington, D.C.

"The women of Saudi Arabia continue in pursuit of much needed reform in the Kingdom's existing guardianship laws," stated Ms. Schwartz.

"Many people confuse 'reform' with 'abolish'; the movement is not to dissolve guardianship, it is merely to improve the conditions of women suffering from uneven-handedness and to provide alternative recourse for those not benefiting from the protections that the law is intended to provide," Ms. Schwartz added.

The new year was also marked by participation in International Hijab Awareness Day, an event organized in support of bringing awareness to physical abuse within Muslim communities - commemorated in conjunction with the one-year anniversary marking the tragic beheading of Aasyia Zubair Hassan (1972-2009).

Taking her activism away from the keyboard in the summer of 2010, Ms. Schwartz participated in the the film production of a sequel to the Bridges Foundation project, "The Fog is Lifting", titled "Jihad Against Terrorism", also featuring Imam Suhaib Webb and others. The DVD is scheduled for January 2011 release and should be available online at the Bridges Foundation website, insha'Allah. NEW! View DVD cover here!

To round out the year, Ms. Schwartz was given the opportunity to showcase her organization, Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA), through a mini-documentary titled, زمام المبادرة - عائشة شوارتز/Lead the Way - Aishah Schwartz. Produced by iFilms of Cairo, Egypt for Al-Jazeera Arabic TV, the documentary premiered December 1, 2010 (repeated on Wednesday's throughout the month) and is now available on YouTube. The short-film also features MWA member and new author, Rania Marwan, who recently published her first book in a series on Islamic manners for children, "Laila and Pesto the Fly".

When the Egyptian Revolution broke out on 25 January 2011, Ms. Schwartz reported from her home in Egypt and visited Tahrir Square on 8 Feb. 2011 (photos). Cairo's Al-Wafd News Journal covered her visit.

TO LEARN MORE VISIT

THE 2010 MWA PRESS ROOM
and/or the Pre-2010 Press Room

2010-11 ARABIC PRESS

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AISHAH SCHWARTZ ON GAZA

AISHAH SCHWARTZ ON SAUDI ARABIA