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November 2006
"Women in Islam" will be the focus of a community discussion at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn Campus November 30. It will be facilitated by Sister Aminah Assilmi, a renowned scholar of Islam and the President of the International Union of Muslim Women.
Assilmi was a Southern Baptist, feminist and a broadcast journalist when she discovered Islam in college. After accepting Islam, she experienced much turmoil in her life, including the loss of her job as an award-winning broadcaster for wearing the hijab (covering of the head and body). A defining moment came when she tried to cash a check at her bank wearing the face veil. A bank security guard drew his gun and threatened to shoot if she made any questionable moves.
In addition, she suffered the loss of her marriage and custody of her children because a court ruled that HER "unorthodox religion" would be detrimental to them. Since then, Assilmi says her children have converted to Islam as have her parents and her ex-husband. A bone cancer survivor, Assilmi has made two pilgrimages to Mecca, a holy trip that Muslims are instructed to take in their lifetime. As Director of International Union of Muslim Women, she travels extensively speaking on college campuses and Islamic conferences.
This event will be held Thursday, November 30, from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. in Room 170 at USM on 51 Westminster Street in Lewiston. A light dinner will be served. The public is invited to attend at no charge. For more information, please contact Khadra Jama at mohamedkhadra@yahoo.com.
The International Student Organization of Lewiston-Auburn (ISOLA), a multicultural and international student group, is hosting this event. The ISOLA mission is the promotion of diversity in the United States. ISOLA sponsors academic studies, events, and programs that bring together African-American, Asian American, Latin American, Native-American, and Euramerican experiences.
www.usm.maine.edu/lac/isola. |
