Ms Asra Q. Nomani is a rare being, almost an endangered species: an Islamic feminist who takes recourse to the scriptures of the religion, the traditions of Prophet Mohammed and the Holy Quran to vindicate her stand, reports The Hindu.
“A single, unwed mother, she has organised the first woman-led mixed gender prayers in Islamic history since the 7th Century. Against tremendous odds, Asra Q. Nomani, born in Mumbai (Bombay, India) and settled in the U.S., continues to plough a lone furrow.
“Some have hailed her as a woman who has recaptured the ground lost to patriarchal forces. Others have accused her of heresy. But she remains an independent woman who does things her own way.
“A seasoned journalist and an intrepid author, she makes no secret of her marital status in her books. Her latest literary exercise, Standing Alone in Mecca, which recounts her struggle to perform Hajj, has just hit the stands.
“Asra talks about the winds of change blowing across the Muslim world, and the relentless struggle she has had to wage to get where she has…”
To read her interview please click here…
Reviewing her book Standing Alone in Mecca, the Publishers Weekly writes: “A former Wall Street Journal reporter, Nomani has invented her own nonfiction genre: gender-sensitive Muslim travel writing.
“An excellent companion to Nomani’s first book, Tantrika: Traveling the Road of Divine Love, this memoir treads similar ground, chronicling her pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, in 2003. Throughout the book, Nomani is filled with self-doubt and healthy frustration with her Islamic faith.
“The portions describing Hajj, particularly the other pilgrims’ warmth to her infant son, are original and enjoyable.” For more here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.