The Women's Mosque of America

Adthan by Connie Highberg (2/16/18)

Returning mu'adhinah Connie Highberg calls the adthan for the 38th jumma'a at The Women's Mosque of America on February 16th, 2018.

"Codependency as a Form of Shirk (Associating Partners With God)" Pre-Khutbah Bayan by Rayesa Gheewala (2/16/18)

Khateebah Rayesa Gheewala delivers the pre-khutbah bayan (speech) at The Women's Mosque of America on February 16th, 2018. In light of Valentine's Day, Rayesa speaks about her past struggles with codependent relationships, about how codependency can be considered an act of shirk (associating partners with God), and about the importance of relying solely on God for all our needs.

Rayesa Gheewala is an American Muslim woman, born and raised in NY. She is a Certified High Performance Coach, Speaker, Trainer, Lover of Life, Mother of three, Pharmacist, and nature lover with a sweet tooth. As Rayesa has evolved, so has her purpose: Starting from being the best mother she can be to raise God-conscious, independent free-thinking people who contribute to society with their gifts — and now to inspire others to live out their purpose by becoming the most authentic, vibrant and highest version of themselves.

Having her identity tied to one person most of her life — and relying on someone else to define her and give her permission to be — was devastating, especially when going through an unexpected divorce after 17 years of marriage. It was also what transformed Rayesa by giving her the impetus for her spiritual and emotional rebirth, and what led to Rayesa creating her own identity based on self-discovery, self-love, acceptance, kindness, and compassion. This transformed her into an enlightened, independent free thinker with fearless confidence to live a peaceful, purposeful, and fulfilled life with excellence.

Rayesa’s dream was always to be a teacher. After practicing pharmacy for 20 years and raising three children, she now gets to live out her dream through coaching, offering workshops, and speaking. Rayesa believes that each person is here for a purpose and has the ability to reach their full potential through optimizing their mind, heart, soul, and body. Her mission is to help support high achieving professional working moms who are overworked, overcommitted, and overwhelmed — and guide them to having serenity, balance, and a life of abundance.

"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.

Q&A with Rayesa Gheewala and Gail Kennard (2/16/18)

Q&A Discussion Circle w/the Imams -- Khateebahs Rayesa Gheewala and Gail Kennard answer questions from the congregation, including the topics of divorce and codependency as shirk (associating partners with God).

Adthan by Jessika Kenney (1/26/18)

Returning mu'adhinah Jessika Kenney calls the adthan for the 37th jumma'a at The Women's Mosque of America on January 26th, 2018.

"We All Deserve to Be Here, No Matter What the World Says" Pre-Khutbah Bayan by Laila Alawa (1/26/18)

Khateebah Laila Alawa delivers the pre-khutbah bayan (speech) at The Women's Mosque of America's 3rd Year Anniversary jumma'a on January 26th, 2018. Laila shares stories from her life about times of struggle and how she gained inner strength from looking at role models in Islamic history to help her persevere and thrive.

Laila Alawa started her career at the White House and Congress and is the CEO and Founder of The Tempest, the leading tech and media company changing the global narrative of diverse millennial women. She was named to the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 list. In 2017, she gave a TED Talk on her work with The Tempest. Since founding The Tempest, Laila has been quoted in nationwide outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, and CNN Money as a disruptive force in media. She's also the host of The Expose, a weekly podcast tackling tough topics with snark and wit. In 2016, she got her own Snopes page and was a Nominated Changemaker for the United State of Women White House Summit.

Prior to founding The Tempest, Laila was a research specialist at Princeton University, studying socio-cognitive processing under the framework of community identity and belonging. During her time in college, she spent time dissecting stereotype threat for women in the sciences, consumer behaviorism, minority stereotyping and judgment. She is currently working on her first book.

Q&A with Laila Alawa and Samia Bano (1/26/18)

Q&A Discussion Circle w/the Imams -- Khateebahs Laila Alawa and Samia Bano take questions from the congregation and give advice about how to believe in yourself and overcome challenges. In honor of The Women's Mosque of America's 3rd Year Anniversary, the discussion circle ends with the mosque's beloved annual Rose Ceremony to celebrate all the amazing Muslim women congregants and leaders who have stepped up and been a part of our mosque and movement!

Adthan by Sarah Dar (12/22/17)

Returning mu'adhinah Sarah Dar calls the adthan for the 36th jumma'a at The Women's Mosque of America on December 22nd, 2017.

"Navigating Challenges As A New Muslim" Khutbah by Connie Highberg (12/22/17)

Khateebah Connie Highberg delivers the 36th khutbah for The Women's Mosque of America on December 22nd, 2017. Connie shares the story of her recent conversion to Islam, as well as some of the challenges she has faced upon entering her new community of Muslims.

Connie Highberg is a lifelong Southern Californian and recently retired high school AP Economics teacher. She has been attending The Women’s Mosque of America since the first Jumma’a service in January of 2015 and proudly recited shahada at the WMA that summer during Ramadan. As a lifelong feminist and veteran in the fight for women’s rights, her unexpected conversion to Islam at the age of 60 has presented a challenging reconciliation of two conflicting cultural experiences. She credits The Women’s Mosque of America and the brave women who are carving out a space of scholarship and leadership in the Muslim Ummah for empowering her in this beautiful journey.

Q&A with Connie Highberg (12/22/17)

Q&A Discussion Circle w/the Imam -- Khateebah Connie Highberg takes questions from the congregation about some of the unique issues new converts to Islam face, and she offers solutions and advice with great wisdom and humor..