OSU professor to explore struggles and triumphs of Muslim women in America

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

(September 16, 2008  TULSA, OK) – Current statistics estimate between five and eight million Muslims call America their home, making the U.S. the most ethnically diverse nation in the world.
 
Yet the American public knows little about how these immigrants live, think and view women’s rights. Oklahoma State University professor Dr. Najwa Raouda says this creates a situation that isolates Muslim women in their own communities.
 
Raouda will explore the struggles and triumphs of Muslim women in America and discuss the similarities between the two cultures during a presentation on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. in North Hall 140.
 
“The gulf between Muslim and American values is often exaggerated,” Raouda says. “Muslim and American women share the love of family, children, respect for the elderly, wisdom and education, as well as mutual support, lifelong ties between siblings, and the sanctity of marriage. All of these are traditional values.”
 
Raouda says American women might be surprised to know how many Muslim women draw on tradition, as well as their Western experience, to become even more assertive and engaged in wider social, political and intellectual activities.
 
“Already millions of Muslim women are doctors, teachers, deans of university departments, lawyers, writers, artists, journalists, and so forth. Millions of others continue to struggle for more rights and more visibility,” Raouda said. “They are helping to change and reinterpret some fundamental concepts and practices in their societies and the world at large. Women can be great agents for peace and compassion.”
 
Following the presentation, Raouda will sign copies of her book, “The Feminine Voice of Islam: Muslim Women in America.” Raouda spent three years researching Muslim women for her book and found there was a great interest in giving a voice to Muslim women in democratic America
 
Raouda teaches OSU courses on Arabic language and culture, the American experience in Iraq, global and cultural Islam, and immigration in the U.S.
 
The event is free and open to the public. OSU-Tulsa is located at 700 North Greenwood Avenue, near I-244 and Detroit Avenue. For more information about the presentation and book signing, call 918-594-8453.