MWA Celebrates Ramadan 2012 Blog Project Resounding Success

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"MWA extends Eid greetings to one-and-all, and appreciation to the viewers who supported this year's campaign. May the peace and blessings of Ramadan remain within us until we meet again in 2013, insha'Allah" – MWA Director, Aishah Schwartz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 23, 2012 - Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) is thrilled to announce that its 2012 MWA Celebrates Ramadan blogging campaign was a resounding success!

MWA's Aishah Schwartz shares the Eid ul-Fitr Prayer from Egypt

Happy Eid from Muslimah Writers Alliance

MWA's Saba N Taylor shares an Eid Poem

It was the night before Eid and all was well, 

until there came a knock on the door and a ring of the bell.  

Who could it be at this time of night, but no one could tell. 

It was an old man with tattered clothes. 

A stranger, he had no food or family and no home to go.

"As Salaamu Alaikum, Can you help me?" he asked 

"Some food, a blanket or maybe an old coat?" 

Father opened the door wide, 

"Wa Alaikum As Salaam. Ahlan wa Sahlan. Please come inside."  

Mother entered the kitchen and it wasn't long, 

till she returned with some bread and hot soup to warm the bone. 

With a prayer of thanks on his lips and a fluffed pillow under his head, 

the stranger laid warm and cozy in a bed.

So always remember dear little Muslims (and big ones too)

Eid is not just about receiving money, gifts, candy or even new shoes. 

It is giving and sharing our hearts and homes with family,
friends and the stranger in need. 

The best Eid gift is the gift of compassion, kindness, and mercy indeed.

Eid Mubarik!!!!

Saba N. Taylor loves to travel, read, write and blog (and not particularly in that order.) She writes children's stories and book reviews of children's books. Check out her blog, The Family-Ship Experience, for picture and chapter books that engage, entertain and educate. You can also find more book reviews, author interviews, giveaways and updates of her own writing experience and works on her writing blog, Of Thoughts and Words. Saba's published works include three teacher study guides published by Muslim Writers Publishing, a fourth in the works. Saba's work has been published in three anthologies and an assortment of online magazines. She has been a member of Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA) since April 2010. On the web: Facebook, Twitter @worddiaries, The Family-Ship Experience (blog), Of Thoughts and Words

VOA Interviews Aishah Schwartz on MWA Ramadan Buddy Quit Smoking Campaign 2012

News / U.S. / Ramadan 1433 H
Women's groups new convert U.S. Anti-Smoking Campaign During Ramadan 
Muslimah Writers Alliance, an organization of women writers American converts, during Ramadan campaign to urge the Muslims to stop smoking. 
15.08.2012


Translated from Indonesian to English

MWA's Ramadan Buddy Quit Smoking Campaign published at Republika Online

READ IT ONLINE HERE

MWA's Isahah Janette Grant reminisces: my 14 Ramadans

By Isahah Janette Grant 

If someone had told me fifteen years ago that I would be celebrating my 14th Ramadan this year, I may not have believed them. I was a practicing Christian at the time, actively participating in my journey towards spiritual discovery and content in my religion. In retrospect, Islam was the natural next step for me, but at the time, I was so involved in reading the Bible and reforming my lifestyle to reflect the values and standards illustrated in the Old and New Testaments, that converting to another faith was the farthest thing from my mind.

MWA's Jennifer Kabir shares her thoughts on the last ten nights of Ramadan

I can't believe that Ramadan is nearly over subhanallah. Tonight during tarawee I could feel the wave of the words of Quran passing through me. I was overcome with a feeling of gratitude to Allah for the sweetness of his mercy. Evoking his names, side-by-side with other believers and just giving all up to Allah is feeding the soul and lifting burdens away. Mind, body and spirit are in the complete act of submission to Allah.

MWA's Asma Zaman shares her peanut butter and jam bars recipe

As a child I absolutely loved peanut butter and jam sandwiches.  Now here is a more 'grown-up' and sophisticated version of a childhood favourite recipe and trust me when I tell you... once these are made you will not want to share them with anyone!

PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM BARS

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 llb  butter
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar 
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 18 oz smooth peanut butter
• 3 cups of plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 18 oz raspberry jam
• Slightly chopped salted peanuts

METHOD

• Cream the butter and sugar with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs whilst the whisk is still running.
• Add the vanilla essence.
• Add the smooth peanut butter and continue to whisk.
• Now sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the wet ingredients.  Continue to whisk until you get a dough like mixture.
• Grease and flour a large tin approx 30cm long (width may vary).  If you have grease proof paper then just grease the tin and place the paper on top.
• Put and pat in 2/3 of the mixture into the tin.
• Then spread the raspberry jam over the mixture with a knife.
• Crumble the rest of the mixture all over the jam.
• Sprinkle over the chopped salted peanuts over the mixture and slightly pat them down.

Now put the tray in a pre-heated oven for 45mins at gas mark 4-5, until golden brown.

Once cooked leave to cool for about 10-15mins then cut in squares.

* This can be enjoyed with a glass of milk or a cup of tea and can even be eaten warm with a scoop of ice-cream.

* You can use other flavour jams but raspberry is by far the best.

Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Everyone!
___

MWA Member, Asma Zaman.

ABOUT ASMA ZAMAN
Ms. Zaman, an MWA member since March 2007, is a London based law graduate currently pursuing theoretical and practical qualifications as a psychological counsellor/psychotherapist also striving to bring awareness to the issues of mental health and disabilities in developing countries. She was invited to work as a project director and human rights campaign coordinator for the NGO 'Muslim Parliament of Great Britain' where she produced a national report on 'Child Abuse in Religious Environments'. 

Through rigourous campaigning Ms. Zaman played a pivotol role in the release of an innocent British citizen on death row in Pakistan in addition to supporting other high-impact projects.  

Her aspirations of becoming a writer began at a very young age, but it was only after being diagnosed with a long-term illness did they start to become reality. Asma now strives to raise awareness in support of not only others suffering from Myalgic-Encephalomilitis (M.E.) and Fibromyalgia, but for their caregivers as well.  

Ms. Zaman is currently busy finalising her first collection of Urdu poetry and working on a set of novellas for adults, in addition to continuing her story-writing for young children.

MWA's Eren Cervantes-Altamirano shares a Ramadan memory

Edmonton’s Al-Rashid Mosque. Image via Flickr.

The First Ramadan

By Eren Cervantes-Altamirano

Six years ago, I moved from Mexico City to Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada. Although I moved here to study, my trip to the north resulted to be a whole religious experience. Having grown up in a nuclear family that had left Catholicism and had sought dogmatic atheism, I was largely unfamiliar with religious diversity. Thus, coming to Canada quickly sparked my curiosity, and here I am six years later with a degree in Political Science and Religious Studies.

My first contact with Islam was when I was still learning English at the University of Alberta. Since Alberta is the centre of petroleum exploration and petroleum engineering education in Canada, I studied in classes where half my classmates were from Saudi Arabia and the other half from China. My first encounters with Saudi classmates, especially males, were quite frustrating. Many of them felt the need to show some kind of pious superiority, while others felt attacked in an environment where their religion was often being connected to 9/11. (Click here to read the rest at Muslim Media Watch)

ABOUT EREN CERVANTES-ALTAMIRANOV
Eren Arruna Cervantes is a University student in Canada. She specializes in gender politics and feminist religious movements, particularly Islamic Feminism. She is a convert to Islam since 2009 and hopes to become an Islamic scholar in the future. In addition to being a member of Muslimah Writers Alliance, Eren also writes for Muslmah Media Watch and hosts a travel blog.

MWA's Aishah Schwartz shares her August 6 suhoor

Eggs-over-easy with fried potatoes, apricot jam multi-grain toast, grapes, milk, ginger tea and water. 

MWA's Aishah Schwartz: This time I didn't crash it; iftar August 5th

Just me and Hayaire! Masha'Allah, it was so nice.

Our Ramadan So Far by MWA's Jennifer Kabir

A few days before Ramadan officially begins our family engages in arts and crafts together.  My husband and I began doing this five years ago and now that our children are a little older they sit with us and add their creativity.  This year it was my youngest son who played nasheeds from the pc while we all listened and enjoyed our activities.  Around mid-month the boys enjoyed decorating cupcakes and handing them out to friends.  I find it’s best to just cook and prepare everything ahead of time and just let them enjoy the fun part!

(More Here) 

MWA's Saba N Taylor shares her day 15 iftar: Tuna Egg Rolls

Masha Allah! My sister made the best tuna egg rolls EVER for iftar tonight! Tuna is a favorite in our house-hold! This is one of her specialty items that is always a big hit when she serves it to guest. They are a great side dish or if you eat them the way I do, are a meal in their little selves!

MWA's Saba N. Taylor asks: to Suhoor or Not?

On a regular day, I don't often take breakfast. I know, I know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but for some reason, I always feel iky if I have something on my stomach early in the morning. I usually don't take breakfast until around 8:30 or a little later when my stomach is actually awake! So Ramadan is especially hard on me when I have to get up before dawn to have suhoor. What makes it even harder is that now, suhoor comes in really early in the Northwest, like 4+ hours before I have to get up to go to work. After prayer, I usually have 3 hours and often go back to sleep. Not good on even on a remotely full stomach.

This Ramadan, I considered skipping suhoor so that I would not have to feel the iky effects of an early morning meal through out the day. But I was reminded of the importance of the suhoor meal by a few hadiths I read regarding fasting.

MWA's Aishah Schwartz shares her August 4 suhoor

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Poached eggs over multi-grain toast, banana, lemon-date cookies, milk and a cup of cinnamon-ginger tea. I read that ginger tea is supposed to be good for helping you digest food; which is great for late night/early morning meals like suhoor!

MWA's Khulood Arendse shares a favorite Ramadan recipe

Hot Chili Tuna and Cabbage

1 onion chopped
30ml cooking oil
1 quarter finely cut/shredded cabbage
2 tins (170g each) tuna in water
Spices of your choice, I used paprika, breyani masala and chili powder (the stronger, the better :D)

Saute onion in cooking oil, add cabbage, and cover pot till soft.
Add your spices and let them sing to the cabbage and onion on medium heat.
Now for the tuna, do not drain, add as is, stir through, and simmer on low heat.

For a sweet chili taste, add a tablespoon or 2 of smooth apricot jam, depending on you of coz.

A nice salad, like coleslaw and sliced cucumber, will go lovely with that, it takes some of the bite out of the chili.

MWA's Jennifer Infante shares a favorite Iftar recipe: Mediterranean rosemary herbed lemon chicken

Mediterrean rosemary herbed lemon chicken.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 whole chicken cut in quarters or 8 pieces
• 5 garlic cloves sliced
• 2 tsp of kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbs seven spices
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 small branches of fresh rosemary (remove leaves from branches and finely chop)
• 3 small branches of fresh oregano (remove leaves from branches and finely chop)
• 1 whole onion sliced
• 2 carrots cut in big chunks
• 3 potatoes thickly cut (quartered or halved)
• 3 lemons (juice 1 lemon) and quarter the other 2 lemons.

MWA's Aishah Schwartz shares her August 2 suhoor

PB&J, shortbread cookies, milk, mocha coffee topped with vanilla ice cream.

MWA'S Janette Grant offers insight on children's book 'Ramadan' by Farah Kinani

Farah Kinani.

When a friend of Farah Kinani's daughter, Leila, told her classmates that she would not be joining them during lunch one day, no one understood that Leila would not be eating with them because it was the beginning of Ramadan; the Muslim Holy month of fasting between sunrise and sunset, also known as one of the pillars of Islam. Leila's classmates, instead, implored her to hide and eat, or to at least drink. Some even thought she was being punished or given a time out.

Leila's mother, concerned about the confusing and stressful situation her daughter had fallen into – due to the lack of understanding among her peers – decided to prepare and deliver a small talk at the school on the subject of Ramadan.

During her presentation to the 4th graders at the middle school her daughter attended, Ms. Kinani answered basic questions about Islam, shared anecdotes about Ramadan's first-time fasters, and made a brief comparison between fasting traditions within various other religions.

The feedback Ms. Kinani received was both encouraging and inspiring.

Ever crash an iftar? Aishah did on August 2nd :-)

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I actually crashed this iftar! I swear! lol and let me tell you, that garlic butter sauce the veggies were marinated and steamed in made this medley an awesome combination! Loved, loved, loved it! *kisses* to Hayaire!