"The Accusation of Aisha: A Powerful Role Model for the #MeToo Movement" Khutbah by Gail Kennard (2/16/18)

Khateebah Gail Kennard returns to deliver the 38th khutbah for The Women's Mosque of America on February 16th, 2018. Following Rayesa's pre-khutbah bayan on "Codependency as Shirk (Associating Partners with God)," Sister Gail recounts the story of the accusation of Aisha (wife of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him), and how Aisha's insistence on speaking the truth and relying on God alone serves as an example for all of us to stay the course and never resort to shirk -- no matter how trying the times. Gail also touches upon how Aisha serves as a powerful role model for the #MeToo movement.

Gail Kennard was raised in Los Angeles and learned about Islam as a high school student when she read the autobiography of Malcolm X. She accepted Islam while in graduate school at UC Berkeley, and she has been active in the Muslim communities of San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

For the past 20 years, Gail has been president of the architectural business founded by her late father, Robert Kennard, in Los Angeles. The firm designs public buildings, transit, and utility infrastructure projects. The company, Kennard Design Group, is the oldest African-American-owned architectural practice in the western United States.

Gail earned her undergraduate degree in Communications from Stanford University, a master’s degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley — and for the past 60+ years, she has been struggling to earn her post-graduate degree in this life under the guidance of Allah, subhanna wa ta’allah.