The Women's Mosque of America

Q&A with Sr. Nayawiyyah Muhammad (12/28/18)

Q&A Discussion Circle w/the Imam -- Sr. Nayawiyyah shares her strategy to create positive change in your life without having to fight about it with others or with family members. She also shares her wisdom on the question of how to balance living our faith at a personal and public level, and she clarifies that we do not have to choose between faith and activism if we are doing both with the right intention and peace in our hearts. Then she talks about implementing affirmations to cultivate more positive feelings and let go of the negative emotions that are harming our souls.

"Standing On Truth, Stepping Out In Truth" Khutbah by Hajjah Abrafi S. Sanyika - 2 Year Anniversary (1/27/17)

Khateebah Hajjah Abrafi S. Sanyika delivers the 25th khutbah for The Women's Mosque of America's 2 Year Anniversary on January 27th, 2017. In her powerful and information-packed khutbah, Hajjah Abrafi draws upon the important themes of honoring our ancient histories and standing firm in our truth as we struggle for justice, including standing up for #BlackLivesMatter.

Bio:
Hajjah Abrafi S. Sanyika is a proud native of Chicago, which was founded on the shore of Lake Michigan by an African fur trader, Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable. She marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and listened as a young child to the life-affirming teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Even then she knew that there is only One God, because that is what her parents taught at home. She remembers being “thrown out” of Sunday school at age eleven, because she announced that Jesus (pbuh) was not the “son of God”, but a great prophet like all the other great prophets. She was exposed to many religious/spiritual traditions growing up and continues to honor the beauty in all of them.

Abrafi euphemistically describes her professional career as “eclectic”. She reflects that she is from that generation of women who chose either nursing, teaching, or secretarial work, because other professions were generally foreclosed to women. Originally an anthropology major, she redirected when she got a divorce and had to consider raising two small boys as a single parent. Instead, she obtained a B.A. and M.A. in education. Her M.A. thesis was a study of the cocoa industry of Ghana, West Africa. She first taught at the University of Chicago Lab School, then directed Ujima Family Center, an alternative school in Chicago. Moving to California, she attended UCLA Law School, worked for several attorneys, became a realtor, and eventually returned to professional education.

She is now retired and has published several position papers, including “An Open Letter to the Immigrant Muslim Community.” She co-wrote The Eternal Genetic Presence, an anthology of visual artist Nathaniel Bustion’s incredible talent; and is the author of Makeda, Queen of Sheba, a children’s book written in honor of her daughter, Makeda. She is the founder and director of The Egyptian Repertoire Company, a nonprofit educational foundation that researches, writes, and presents seminars and rituals based on African history and culture, and is currently writing two other books for publication.

Adthan by Jessika Kenney (11/30/18)

Returning mu'adthinah Jessika Kenney calls the adthan in her beautiful Javanese recitation style for the 47th jumma'a at The Women's Mosque of America on November 30, 2018.

"Returning to Faith After Trauma" Khutbah by Nurjahan Boulden (11/30/18)

Khateebah Nurjahan Boulden delivers the khutbah for The Women's Mosque of America on November 30, 2018. She moves the congregation with her courageous sharing of the struggles she faced as a shooting survivor. She vividly describes the symptoms and impact of the trauma, along with concrete action steps she took to help her heal 10 years later - when her symptoms took a turn for the worst. Nurjahan shares how we can achieve inner peace and healing by submitting fully to God, how to distinguish between blind vs. true faith, and how we can use true faith to transfrom our fear into action that will help us achieve our dreams. // In the Q&A discussion that follows (see next recording), she explains the two year process of how she went from realizing she needed a different way of dealing with her trauma to mastering her new way of living with peace and freedom.
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Nurjahan Boulden was 21 years old when she was shot with an assault rifle in an attack that killed the man next to her. That one night changed the trajectory of her life. Even as she moved on to become a teacher and mother of three, she continued to suffer in silence with depression, anxiety, and physical complications from the bullet wound. It wasn’t until ten years later that she shared her story publicly for the first time. It was there that she found the community and support she needed in order to finally recover. Having worked in education and in the non-profit sector for most of her career, she is now the world’s leading coach and healer for shooting survivors who are ready to feel safe again. In addition to individual and group coaching, she is a public speaker, hosts support groups and community resilience workshops, and has been featured in a number of publications, including Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health Magazines. Her most recent project is a collaboration of mental health professionals bringing gun violence prevention and recovery programs to schools and organizations across the country.

Nurjahan was born and raised in rural Massachusetts before moving to the West Coast in 2003 to attend Pitzer College in Claremont. With a Tanzanian mother and a White American father, her family was one of only two Muslim families where she grew up. She now enjoys living in a diverse area of Rancho Cucamonga, CA with her husband and three young children.

Q&A with Nurjahan Boulden (11/30/18)

Q&A Discussion Circle w/the Imam -- We dig even deeper into the topic of "Returning to Faith After Trauma" as Khateebah Nurjahan Boulden answers questions on how to deal with regret for lost time and opportunity, and what it means to say that God will never burden us with more than we can bear. She also shares some great insights on how Islam is a constant state of surrender. One of our Jewish allies present shares her appreciation of the khutbah and the struggle and fear she is working through in the aftermath of the Tree of Life shooting.

Q&A with Tasneem F. Noor (10/28/16)

Adthan by Sarah Dar (3/30/18)

Returning mu'adthinah Sarah Dar calls the adthan for the 39th jumma'a at The Women's Mosque of America on March 30th, 2018.

Q&A with Sr. Maria Khani (10/26/18)

Q&A Discussion Circle w/the Imam -- Sr. Maria Khani shares important advice about how to keep prayer an act of "ibadah" (worship) rather than an act of "adah" (habit) as she answers questions about how to perform tahajjud (the midnight prayer) and doha (the after-sunrise prayer). When congregants share their struggles with performing prayer and ablution, she imparts several helpful gems of wisdom in a lively discussion.

"The Five Daily Prayers: Moving from Obligation into Joy" Khutbah by Maria Khani (10/26/18)

Returning khateebah Maria Khani delivers the 46th khutbah for The Women's Mosque of America on October 26, 2018. In this motivational khutbah, Sr. Maria discusses the multiple meanings of the word "salat" in the Qur'an and how it means more than just the five daily prayers. She also gives a reflection on the words of the adthan (the call to prayer) and on wudu (ritual wash before prayer), and she shares her personal journey of viewing prayer as an act of fear and duty to viewing it as an act of joy, rest, and contentment.

Sr. Maria Khani is a Syrian American who was born in England and lived in France, India, Syria and Holland. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in French Literature from the Damascus University in Syria.

Khani has been a board member at Access California Services since 1998, a nonprofit family resources center in Anaheim, serving Muslims, Arabs and various other ethnic groups.

Maria taught at the Islamic Institute of Orange County for 20 years and served as the chair of the women committee.
Interfaith has always been a key component in Khani’s life. She is a board member of the Orange County Interfaith Network, OCIN–the umbrella of thirteen interfaith councils in Orange County. Maria is also an active member in three interfaith cities’ councils.

In 2008 she joined the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department as a chaplain, and in 2015 Maria serves as the Senior Muslim Chaplain. In 2014, Khani became the Muslim chaplain for the Orange County Sheriff’s jail.

In 2012, Khani and her daughter together founded “A Country Called Syria”, an exhibit dedicated to educating the American public on Syria’s rich history and culture, as well as its valuable contributions to the world. The exhibition has toured across Southern California and in 2016 A Country Called Syria became a (501) (c3) non-profit organization.

Adthan by Samia Bano (10/26/18)

Past khateebah Samia Bano calls the adthan for the 46th jumma'a at The Women's Mosque of America on October 26, 2018.