MWA Celebrates Ramadan 2012 Blog Project Resounding Success

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"MWA extends Eid greetings to one-and-all, and appreciation to the viewers who supported this year's campaign. May the peace and blessings of Ramadan remain within us until we meet again in 2013, insha'Allah" – MWA Director, Aishah Schwartz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 23, 2012 - Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) is thrilled to announce that its 2012 MWA Celebrates Ramadan blogging campaign was a resounding success!

During Ramadan 2012, the MWA Celebrates Ramadan blog project, featuring member experiences, poetry, recipes and photos, more than doubled the amount of page views in a single month alone over the number it had accumulated throughout the previous year.

MWA Director, Aishah Schwartz, would like to express appreciation to the following MWA Celebrates Ramadan blog project contributors: Asma Zaman, Eren Cervantes-Altamirano, Farah Kinani, Isahah Janette Grant, Jennifer Infante, Jennifer Kabir, Khulood Arendse, Nancy Biddle, Rasha El Khateeb, Saba N. Taylor, Sariya Contractor and Zainab John.

Top posts included: Asma Zaman's reflections and remembrance on Ramadan, Farah Kinani's Ramadan resolution, Janette Grant's inspirational post on how to connect in Ramadan, and Jennifer Infante's favorite Iftar recipe: Mediterranean rosemary herb lemon chicken.

Special thanks is also extended to MWA Member Coordinator Isahah Janette Grant for cross-publishing several of the MWA's Ramadan blog posts at Examiner.com.

Additionally, MWA Director, Aishah Schwartz, was invited to give a brief radio interview on MWA's Ramadan Buddy 2012 Quit Smoking campaign (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKQrcT1CjqA). The Indonesian language article is available online at http://www.voaindonesia.com/content/kelompok-perempuan-mualaf-as-kampanyekan-anti-rokok-selama-ramadan/1489100.html and has been viewed nearly 2,000 times to-date.

Indonesia's leading mainstream publication, Republika, also published the VOA article at http://www.republika.co.id/berita/dunia-islam/islam-mancanegara/12/08/16/m8tljw-saat-ramadhan-perempuan-mualaf-as-kampanye-antirokok.

To round-off the second annual MWA Celebrates Ramadan campaign a YouTube video (http://youtu.be/-SnD2XI7xOw) has been added to the blog providing a visualization of the Eid prayer via Egypt together with the traditional Eid Takbir as the soundtrack. A commercial photo album of the event was also published at the London-based photojournalist site, Demotix (http://www.demotix.com/news/1396581/end-ramadan-eid-ul-fitr-prayer-hurghada-marina-mosque-egypt).

"On behalf of the membership, I would like to extend Eid greetings to one-and-all, and appreciation the viewers who supported the 2012 MWA Celebrates Ramadan campaign. May the peace and blessings of Ramadan remain within us all until we meet again in 2013, insha'Allah," stated Schwartz.

Learn more about the activities of MWA members at http://mwa-online.blogspot.com or visit the MWA Press Room at http://pressroom.prlog.org/mwa-net.

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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.

VIDEO: Aishah's first week of Ramadan 2012; check it out!

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 Rania Marwan of Cairo, Egypt Publishes First Book

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Inspirational Children's Story 'Laila and Pesto the Fly' Available for Purchase Online

WASHINGTON, D.C. (MWA) March 15, 2010 – Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) director, Aishah Schwartz, is pleased to announce the publication of book written by member Rania Marwan of Cairo, Egypt, "Laila and Pesto the Fly", illustrated by Fatima Asheala Moore, and published through Creative Education and Publishing (CEP), of Falls Church, Virginia.

"Laila and Pesto the Fly" is the story of a young Muslim girl's interest in an unexpected topic that opens the door to an surprising lesson. When the idea to do something she had never thought of before flashes into her mind, Laila finds a new friend flying in to save the day!"

Not only is this an inspirational children's story, but Rania's story is equally as inspirational! She is truly an asset to not only the Muslim community but to the organization as well," stated Ms. Schwartz.

Ms. Marwan, 32, an MWA member since July 2009, received her masters degree in Public Administration from Cairo's American University in 2005. After receiving her degree, Ms. Marwan worked as an assistant lecturer at the German University of Cairo teaching Human Resource Management, Leadership and Motivation, Staffing and Development, Introduction to Management and more. She more recently left that position to begin her Ph.D. studies in Islamic Ethics.

"Teaching is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences of my life, but as a Muslim, having the opportunity to write an inspirational story for children is like a dream come true," Ms. Marwan stated.

In a message posted to her fellow MWA members, Ms. Marwan wrote, "I have been a silent member, quietly enjoying the feeling of being part of a group with such supportive and caring members. Please allow me to crowd your mailbox and thank you for always being there for each other! If someone would have told me two years ago that I would be a writer, I would never have believed it; I would have even laughed at the joke! I thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for using me, and allowing me to write, in my very humble attempt to show the beauty of Islam."

Ms. Marwan added, "I want to thank Fatima Asheala Moore for providing the captivating illustrations that bring Laila and Pesto's story to life. And I would also like to offer a special thank-you to my sister in Islam and guide, fellow MWA member Isahah Jeanette Grant."

"Laila and Pesto the Fly" can be purchased both in the U.S. and internationally for $6.00, online via PayPal at CEP's website. The direct link is: http://www.creativeeducationandpublishing.com/laila.html

Creative Education and Publishing (CEP) is a proud a contributor to building strong American Muslim community that takes pride in its culture and heritage while contributing to enriching the American society.  Striving to infuse creativity through a wide variety of interactive competitions and publications, utilizing stories, posters, activity books, educational cards and games, designed to make learning fun, CEP publications provide faith and identity strengthening educational support designed to help Muslim children integrate into and contribute to American society.

To learn more visit CEP online http://www.creativeeducationandpublishing.com/index.html

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Established in 2006, MWA is an internationally-based collaboration of Muslim women writers working together to counter negative and inaccurate perceptions regarding members of the Muslim community and the Islamic faith.

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Muslimah Writers Alliance

1808 Eye St., N.W., Suite 147

Washington, DC 20006

TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD IN PDF WITH ACTIVE LINKS CLICK HERE.

(Version includes photo of author and cover of book.)

PR VERSION WITH ACTIVE LINKS HERE.

TO PURCHASE 'LAILA AND PESTO THE FLY' ONLINE CLICK HERE.

TO CONTACT MWA OR THE AUTHOR, RANIA MARWAN, CLICK HERE.