Being Me : Muslimah Empowered 2012

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ    I was fortunate to be able to attend the Being-ME (Muslimah Empowered) women’s only conference organised by Mercy Mission Malaysia last Saturday 30th June 2012 held at the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC) from 8am to 11pm. 

This is the inaugural Islamic Women’s Conference in Malaysia that allows the opportunity to address the daily challenges facing the Muslim Woman today.  The one-day conference featured lectures by prominent speakers like Yasmin Mogahed, Dr Fadila Grine, Myriam Francois-Cerrah, Dr Hajah Sofia and Raya Shokatfard.

 

 

I came across Yasmin Mogahed’s articles at the time where I was doing a lot of soul-searching and self-reflection.  I keep going back to her piece called “Fall In Love With The Real Thing”.  She is amazing at connecting Islamic concepts with real world solutions to problems many Muslims are experiencing. She takes basic Islamic belief (tawheed, taqdeer) and makes it not only relatable but digestible. She inspires people to look beyond the distractions of the dunya and remember the true purpose of life and how to live without losing hope.  I was so looking forward to listen and meet her in person, that I booked my ticket as early as April 2012. 


She mentioned in her talk last Saturday "you are not a slave to anybody, you are not a slave to fashion, you are not a slave to beauty, you are not a slave to a men... but you are a slave only to God".

 [Yasmin Mogahed]

It was an emotional session with Sister Raya Shokatfard.  A native of Iran, Sister Raya’s family migrated to California in 1969 when she was 20 years old. A mini-skirt wearing model who owned a clothing store, drove a Rolls Royce and spent her time at a beach house, religion and modesty, so central to Islam were far from her mind.  She felt an emptiness that led her to explore world religions, from Hinduism to Buddhism to Christianity, eventually arriving back to Islam. A video deliberating the audiences about her journey of life was played.  A very determined person.

In my experience attending religious lectures, I prefer to listen to foreign speakers. Not that I do not appreciate local speakers, I do. But attending the religious lectures presented by the international speakers allow me to understand and learn Islam from a different perspective. Correspondingly seeing things from a different angle. I was impressed at how they structure their talks, inserting humour to an already serious topic, the choice of words used and the most important thing is the punctuality...perfect time management, as they adhere to the allocated time given.  These are the key elements of being a good speaker.

[Kak Ros & me]

[The participants...ladies only]