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    June 22, 2011

'I Speak for Myself' ' US Muslim Women Tell Their Stories

   Frances Alonzo, Davin Hutchins | Washington
   A collage taken from the book "I Speak for Myself" depicting women who
   contributed their stories to the compilation
   A collage taken from the book "I Speak for Myself" depicting women who
   contributed their stories to the compilation

   A group of Muslim American women has embarked on a quest they have long
   considered overdue. Feeling neither heard nor understood, they told
   their stories in a collection of essays which encapsulates an
   overarching challenge they face daily ' how to find a balance between
   staying true to their faith and navigating established societal norms
   in a country partly accepting, yet also partly weary of Islam.
   Compiled and co-edited by Maria Ebrahimji and Zahra Suratwala, the book
   ' '[1]I Speak for Myself' - contains first-person narratives by 40
   Muslim women born and raised in the United States who, as the editors
   point out, have been 'negotiating a dichotomy of Islamic and Western
   values since birth.'
   Representing many walks of life, the women point out that the book is
   not intended as a response to existing stereotypes nor as a
   pontification about a post-9/11 world, but is simply an attempt to
   provide others an honest and unfettered glimpse into their lives.
   VOA Middle East spoke to the book's editors and some of its
   contributors.

   IFRAME: [2]http://www.youtube.com/embed/NJeKQsgLY5s

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References

   1. http://www.ispeakformyself.com/
   2. http://www.youtube.com/embed/NJeKQsgLY5s
   3. http://twitter.com/VOAMiddleEast
   4. http://www.facebook.com/pages/VOAMiddleEastVoices/124360240958667?%20%20%20%20v=wall

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