Journey of a Muslimah: Illuminating the Path
Speakers:Free confidential, private and professional counseling sessions, Entertainment, Fashion Show, Skits, and more...
MCA Banquet Hall
3003 Scott Blvd
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Phone: (408)727-7277 ext 415
Early Registration $30.00 May 15
Late Registration $40.00 per person
Students/Senior Citizens/Single Moms:
$25.00 before May 15
$30.00 after May 15
Includes lunch & dinner on Saturday.
All sisters welcome, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Register at www.mcabayarea.org
Friday, May 21
Brothers and sisters all welcome to Friday evening sessions
(Free Admission)
6:00 Registration
7:00 Main Session I –
Actualizing the Dream of a Blissful Marriage
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind
except to worship Me.” (Quran 51:56)
Speaker: Yasmin Mogahed
Moderator: Nada Qadry
Location: Banquet Hall
Maghrib Prayer
8:20 Athan
8:20 Maghrib Prayer
8:45 Main Session II –
The Criminalizing of Muslims
and Muslim Youth post 9/11
“O you who have believed, be persistently
standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice,
and do not let the hatred of a people prevent
you from being just. Be just; that is nearer
to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah
is acquainted with what you do.” (Quran, 5:8)
Speaker: Reem Salahi
Moderator: Manal Bejaoui
Location: Banquet Hall
Isha Prayer
09:43 Athan
10:00 Isha Prayer
Saturday, May 22
All Saturday Programs are Open to Sisters Only
9:30 Registration & Tea/Coffee Service
10:15 Quran Recitation and Welcome
Humera Hai
10:30 Main Session I – Provisions for the Journey
Speaker: Rania Awaad
Moderator: Nada Qadry
Location: Banquet Hall
11:30 Parallel Session One & Workshops
MSA Hour
Session A – Social Activism:
Stepping Up Political Representation
Speaker: Reem Salahi
Moderator: Alaa Suliman
Location: Board Room
Session B – The Swan Among Ducks
Speaker: Yasmin Mogahed
Moderator: Nada Qadry
Location: Mothers Room
Youth Hour – (ages 14-18)
Session C – Youth Round Table
Speaker: Asha Habad
Moderator: Maryam Amirebrahimi
Location: Banquet Hall
Visit our Nutrition booth and consult with the expert nutritionists.
Nutrition booth is open from 12:00 to 3:00 pm
Consultants will be available from 12:00 to 1:45 pm
Dermatologist Booth: 12:30 to 1:45 pm
12:30 Lunch – MCA Banquet Hall
Zuhr Prayer
1:10 Zuhr Athan
1:30 Zuhr Prayer
1:45 Main Session II –
What Your Children Want You to Know
“And Surely we have honored the children of
Adam, and we carry them in the land and the sea,
and we have given them of the good things, and
we have made them to excel by an appropriate
excellence over most of those whom we
have created” (Quran 17:70)
Speaker: Munira Lekovic Ezzeldine
and Thana Hassan
Moderator: Karimah Al-Helew
Location: Banquet Hall
2:40 Coffee Break, Bazaar and Social
Bazaar is located in the MCA Game Room
2:50 Parallel Session Two & Workshops
MSA Hour
Session A – Realities of Marriage:
Actualizing the Dream of a Blissful Marriage
Speaker: Munira Lekovic Ezzeldine
and Yasmin Mogahed
Moderator: Alaa Suliman
Location: Board Room
Session B – The Islamic Perspective: Birth Control
Speaker: Dr. Sarah Azad
and Shaikha Ayesha Ahmed
Moderator: Saleha Pirzada or Nada Qadry
Location: Banquet Hall
Session C - The Personality Complex
This workshop will cover communication according
to personality type. There are four different
classifications of people; figure out which type
you are and the classification of peers. This
workshop is both entertaining and enlightening.
Speaker: Rehmat Kharal
Moderator: Manal Bejaoui
Location: Mothers Room
Session D - Straight Jihad; Struggle for Success
Speaker: Maryam Amirebrahimi
& Karimah Al-Helew
Location: Gym
3:40-4:30 Main Session III – The Ultimate Connection
“And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will
respond to you.’” (Quran, 40:60)
Speaker: Rania Awaad & Maryam Amirebrahimi
Moderator: Alaa Suliman
Location: Banquet Hall
“You are the best people ever raised for the good of mankind because you have been raised to serve others; you enjoin what is good and forbid evil and believe in Allah” (Quran 3:110)
4:30-5:30: A Life of Giving Back –
In Service of Humanity;
Serving God
Finding the Best Way to Make a Difference
Speakers: Eman Eltayyeb, Alaa Suliman,
Reem Salahi and Zahra Billoo
Moderator: Nada Qadry
Location: Banquet Hall
Asr Prayer
4:56 Asr Athan
5:45 Asr Prayer
6:00 Parallel Session Three & Workshops
MSA Hour
Session A – Female Scholars of the Past Times;
Preserving ‘Yourself’ from the
Commonness of the World
Speakers: Mulki Habad and Rija Ansari
Location: Banquet Hall
Session B – Fiqh Power Hour –
Ask any questions you have!
Speaker: Rania Awaad
Moderator: Humera Hai
Location: Mothers Room
Parenting Hour
Session C – You've Got Mail:
What's In Your Child's In(ner) Box?
This workshop will focus on the effects of media and
the internet on the social and spiritual lives of young
Muslims. Participants will explore what support children
of all ages need to make responsible and ethical decisions
in face-to-face and on-line relationships.
Speaker: Yasmeen Husain,
Abiya Ahmed, and Hadeel Etman
Location: Board Room
6:45 Dinner – Banquet Hall
Maghrib Prayer
8:19 Maghrib Athan
8:19 Maghrib Prayer
8:30 Around the World, Closing Remarks and Dua
Around the World –Youth Multicultural Fashion Show and Apparel featuring Elegant Formal Wears from Alalusicouture
Skit: The Mosquers, Nasheed
Isha Prayer
9:43 Isha Athan
10:00 Isha Prayer
10:15 Tasting the Sweetness of Salah: Qiyam Al-Layl
“And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad],
concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to
the invocation of the supplicant when he calls
upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience]
and believe in Me that they may be [rightly]
guided.” (Quran, 2:186)
Speaker: Maryam Amirebrahimi, Sara Kinaci,
and Khadijah
Location: Women’s Prayer Hall
Reem Salahi is an activist and attorney specializing in national security and civil rights. She is a member of the National Lawyers Guild and the President of the Muslim Bar Association of Southern California (MBASC). Formerly, Reem was a Bridge Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California and a Fulbright Fellow in Amman, Jordan.
Currently, Reem represents the “Irvine 11,” the 11 students arrested during Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren's talk at UCI on February 8th. On the side, she hosts a weekly internet radio show called Objection! where she examines civil rights, national security and foreign policy matters streaming on Thursdays at 6 pm PST at www.onelegacyradio.com.
Raised in the U.S., Ustadha Rania Awaad began her formal study of the traditional Islamic sciences when her parents permitted her to travel to Damascus, Syria at the age of 14. Her desire to continue studying the Deen resulted in multiple trips back to Damascus, interspersed between her high school, college and medical studies. She was honored to receive Ijaazah (authorization to teach) several branches of the Shari’ah sciences at the hands of many renowned scholars, including many female scholars. She has received Ijaazah to teach Tajwid in both the Hafs and Warsh recitations from the late eminent Syrian scholar, Shaykh Abu Hassan al-Kurdi. In addition to completing several advanced texts of the Shafi’i madhhab, she is licensed to teach texts of Maliki fiqh, Adab and Ihsan.
She has also completed a medical degree and is currently pursuing medical residency training in psychiatry at Stanford University. Her medical interests include addressing mental health care concerns in the Muslim community – particularly that of Muslim women. She has been awarded grants from the NIH (National Institute of Health) to conduct research on this topic and has presented her findings at several medical conferences. Other on-going endeavors include the compilation of a manual addressing female-related medical issues from a fiqh-oriented perspective as well as a manual on raising Muslim children in the West. She currently serves as the director of the Rahmah Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching Muslim women traditional Islamic knowledge. Ustadha Rania is both a wife and a mother; she has been counseling and teaching women classes on Tajwid, Shafi’i Fiqh, Ihsan, marriage and raising children since 1999.
Yasmin Mogahed received her B.S. in Psychology and her Masters in Journalism and Mass Commu nications from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After completing her graduate work, she taught Islamic Studies and served as the Sisters’ Youth Director for the Islamic Society of Milwaukee.
She is currently a writing instructor at Cardinal Stritch University, a staff columnist for the Islam section of InFocus News, and a regular contributor to Islamonline.net. Her written works, including a book chapter on the portrayal of Islam post-911, have appeared in print and online publications worldwide.
Sr. Mulki Habad was born and raised in San Jose. Growing up she spent most of her time at MCA, thus the Muslim community has been a vital part of her life. She is passionate about learning and hopes to give back to the community that has been so pivotal in her growth.
Munira Lekovic-Ezzeldine completed her Master's degree in Marriage and Family Counseling at California State University, Fullerton. She received her undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Ezzeldine is currently co-hosting an internet radio show, Family Connection, on One Legacy Radio.
She was a columnist for Muslim Girl Magazine and has written two Islamic Studies textbooks for the Bureau of Islamic and Arabic Education. She has also written a chapter in the book Muslims in America: Contemporary Issues. Ezzeldine has contributed articles to Azizah Magazine, The Minaret Magazine and Al-Talib Newsmagazine. She continues to speak and educate on the topics of marriage, gender equity and parenting at conferences and universities throughout southern California. She is married and the mother of three boys.
Dr. Sarah Azad was raised in the Bay Area. She is currently involved with the MCA Friday night youth program. Sarah Azad is an OB/GYN and has a private practice in Mountain View.
Figh and Islamic Sharia
Eman Altayyeb is the Academic Director of the Bay Area Arabic School in Palo Alto, California. She holds the office of President of the Board of Directors for this non-profit school where she has been involved for 10 years. Eman earned her BS in Microbiology from the University of Kuwait and worked in the pharmaceutical industry with Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Bristol Myers Squib's Middle East offices.
Eman has been active in volunteer opportunities from her university days where she ran a student club focused on biological studies. She continued her volunteer activities with the Muslim Community Association in Santa Clara when the Kosovo Relief Committee was established. She joined the Women's Committee at MCA in various activities and is also a member of her children's school PTO. Eman is also a dedicated volunteer with the Spiritual Care team at Stanford Hospital. Eman has 3 boys and believes strongly in living the role of an involved Muslim by being an ambassador through community activism.
A passionate advocate for social justice, Maryam Amirebrahimi graduated from SJSU with a degree in Child and Adolescent Development, with a research emphasis on equity in education. Through AmeriCorps, she worked with the Hispanic/Latino population on education excellence and interned with CAIR.
While at SJSU, Maryam served as the MSA President and was active with various organizations. Upon graduation, Maryam moved to Cairo to study Arabic and Qur'an. She continued her research on the effects of poverty in education with families experiencing destitution through personal observation. About a year later, she returned, got married and began working as a teacher. Maryam has a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Doe Martial Arts and loves playing basketball.
Sister Rija grew up in Ohio. She received her bachelor degree in biology with a minor in psychology from Wright State University in Ohio in 2004. Thereafter she attended the Quran Institute in Pakistan from 2005 to 2007, where she studied for two years and taught classes for one year.
Sr. Rija got married in 2005. She currently lives in California with her husband.
Rehmat Kharal graduated from the University of Toronto in 1998 with her Bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology and her masters degree in Marketing and Finance. Upon her graduation she was hired as a corporate trainer for a Fortune 500 company. She has been a corporate trainer for over 11 years and has coached many top executives and has won several awards.
Today, Rehmat is a communications coach working with both children and adults on the art of speech. Rehmat specializes in couples communications; teaching couples to speak to each other in a respectful manner, teaching them how to listen to what their partner is really saying and teaching them how to be heard effectively. Rehmat has also studied communication during the Life of Prophet (PBUH) and has intertwined the teachings of Islam with modern communication techniques.
Asha Habad is currently a student at Cal State East bay working on her Bachelors Degree along with her teaching Credential for Elementary education. Her passion lies with working with youth. She has worked rather extensively with them in the past and hopes to continue to work with them in different contexts.
Alaa Farah Suliman moved to the US from Sudan 10 years ago. She graduated from Cal Poly, San Louis Obispo with a BS in Electrical Engineering. She currently works in her field at Space Systems Loral, where she has been there for the past 4 years. When she is not working, she balances her time between family, friends, and community service. Her most current service projects include Feed the Fasters (an Oakland based project to feed the homeless), Islamic Relief where she volunteers and organizes local events, as well as an active member and organizer for AlMaghrib Institute's Bay Area chapter. She is passionate about global change, social justice, and her 6th grade youth halaqah.
As a Muslim, Libyan/American teenage girl, Thana describes herself as an activist, who has passion for her country and helping other muslims. She was practically raised at the MCA. She enjoys playing sports such as laccrosse and soccer. She attends Henry M.Gunn High school and inshaAllah plans to major in political science.
Promoting justice and understanding in the world is what Zahra Billoo strives to achieve in her role as the CAIR San Francisco Bay Area chapter's Programs and Outreach Director. But, her commitment to social justice and the community began long before while she was still a college student. She has been a devoted labor rights advocate for years; she started as an intern for a local chapter of the California Faculty Association, a labor union for California State University (CSU) faculty members. Zahra has also worked as Field Organizer for the Service Employees International Union, and was awarded Peggy Browning Fund Fellowship to work with the National Employment Law Project. Zahra is also an active young leader in the community, who places value in the importance of civic engagement, quality education and youth empowerment.
While in college, Zahra excelled as a student leader by serving as an Executive Officer for the California State Student Association and Muslim Student Association (MSA) West. She also worked for the freshman orientation program at CSU Long Beach and as a Government Relations intern at the CAIR Los Angeles chapter. Today, she gives back to the youth community as an adviser to MSA West and an executive officer with the Muslim American Society Youth National. Zahra graduated Cum Luade from California State University, Long Beach with a B.S. in Human Resources Management and B.A. in Political Science. She also recently completed her law degree at the University of California, Hastings College of Law.
Ayesha Ahmad was raised in Jordan and received a Bachelors degree in Islamic Shariah Law from the University of Jordan. She then moved to the United States and has done various workshops with Muslim women discussing issues related to fiqh. She currently lives in the Bay Area with her husband and four children.