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Sample of Past Activities and Events
Sports
Camp - The Muslim Women's
League sponsored its sixth annual sports camp this past summer which
was featured in the August 13th issue of USA Today. The feedback from
the girls attending was very positive.
Afternoon Tea & Garden Party
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The MWL awarded its inaugural Activist Awards to
several community activists in an afternoon
tea and garden party.
Read more.
Honoring
Women in the Media -
The Muslim Women’s League held a luncheon entitled,
"Honoring Women in the Media," on Saturday, April 26,
2003 in San Pedro.
There were over 140 attendees from various parts of Southern
California. Organizations
such as the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Minaret, the Islamic
Board of Southern California and New Horizon of Pasadena were among
the attendees.
Read More about
the event or read the
keynote
speech from Tayyibah Taylor.
UN Conference on Women in Beijing, China
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The Muslim Women's League sent a delegation to the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women, held in September, 1995, in Beijing, China. Our President, Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, M.D., was a private sector advisor to the official United States delegation to this conference.
In October, 1992, the Muslim Women's League brought together Muslim lawyers and Islamic law scholars to speak about the implications of both Muslim and American family law for Muslims living in the United States. Read a transcript of this symposium, or view the related literature distributed at this session.
View photos and documents from the Beijing Conference here.
Women's Coalition Against Ethnic Cleansing
- In 1992, the Muslim Women's League spearheaded the Women's Coalition Against Ethnic Cleansing and actively spoke out against atrocities taking place in Bosnia-Herzegovina and other troubled areas. In March 1993, and again in a follow-up trip in January 1994, the Muslim Women's League sent a delegation with the Coalition on a fact-finding mission to Croatia. Read the official MWL Report on the visit, and view photographs of their experiences.
"Quran in the 21st Century"
- The MWL invited Dr. Azizah al-Hibri to speak on "Quran in the 21st Century" on November 23 at the Islamic Center of Southern California. Dr. al-Hibri has written and lectured extensively about personal status codes in Muslim countries, Islamic constitutionalism and ethical perspectives on population issues. She is a professor of law at the University of Richmond in Virginia and president of Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights.
Dr. al-Hibri spoke on the subject of practicing "ijtihad" in our ever-changing world. Emphasizing the importance of seeking knowledge, Dr. al-Hibri stated that it's imperative for everyone, man or woman, to use his/her intellect to apply Quranic principles to contemporary issues.
A thought-provoking question and answer session followed her presentation. Audiotapes of the event are available for $5. Please call our office for more information.
First Lady Attends MWL Luncheon in Her Honor
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Continuing her efforts to reach out to American Muslims, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton recently addressed the Los Angeles Muslim community at an event sponsored by the Muslim Women's League and the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Mrs. Clinton was the guest of honor at an unprecedented luncheon attended by about 400 Muslims at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles on May 30. The first lady was recognized for her efforts to acknowledge the important contributions made by Muslims to American society and for her interest in attaining a better understanding of Islam.
At the luncheon, Mrs. Clinton said that "Islam is the fastest growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people. That is why an understanding of Islam is long overdue." Mrs. Clinton's record reflects a willingness to allow for this understanding: she hosted the first Eid celebration at the White House this past Ramadan; she showed great respect for the values and traditions of Muslims in her travels abroad; she wrote in a Chicago Sun Times article, "Islam in America" (Feb. 25), that "the reality is that the vast majority of the estimated four million Muslims in the United States are loyal citizens whose daily lives revolve around work, family and community;" and she included Dr. Laila Al-Marayati on the U.S. delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing last year. ·
In an era where stereotyping of Muslims by media and other groups continues unabated, Mrs. Clinton's reception of Muslims paves the way to encourage others to see Muslims as who we are: neighbors, co-workers, friends and citizens who are invested in the well-being of our communities.
Luncheon Sound Bites
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"I want to thank you for being a part of building and improving America. I want to thank you for educating and making more aware your fellow citizens of your particular background and experiences and of the meaning of your faith. I want to challenge all of us to realize that in the next years ahead, much of the world will look to use to see if it is possible for Christians, Muslims and Jews to live in harmony; for black and white and brown to live together side by side; for men and women to support and love and respect each other; and for children, regardless of who their families might be, to be given the opportunities to become whatever God meant them to be in America. I thank you for helping us all continue to realize the promise that America represents."
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
May 30, 1996, Los Angeles
"In Search of a Woman's Voice"
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More than 90 people came to hear Dr. Amina Wadud Muhsin, author of Quran & Woman, at a MWL-sponsored lecture held at the Islamic Center of Southern California. Dr. Muhsin's May 25 lecture, "In Search of a Woman's Voice in Quranic Hermeneutics," focused on developing an appreciation of the "voice of the female in the text and the voices of the female about the text."
She stressed that understanding the female experience of the Quran enhances our ability to apply it as a source of guidance for all time, places and people. Mainstream interpretation has ignored this female voice because of the "patriarchal progression of civilization." But this imposed limitation can be corrected by listening to "women's experience with the text, a voice that has been missing for 14 centuries."
A stimulating question and answer session followed her presentation. Audiotapes of the event are available for $5. Please call our office for more information.
Family Law Symposium
-In October, 1992, the Muslim Women's League brought together Muslim lawyers and Islamic law scholars to speak about the implications of both Muslim and American family law for Muslims living in the United States.
Other Activities and Achievements
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Presented "Islam: Beyond the Stereotypes," a symposium for journalists and politicians (August 1993)
Participated in "For the Women and Children of Bosnia," a benefit sponsored by the President of the General Assembly of the UN (September 1993)
Recipient of Humanitarian Award from the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women (November 1993)
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