Noted Muslim author and journalist Asra Q. Nomani will be the featured speaker at West Virginia Universitys annual Women of Color Day Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, in the Mountainlair Gold and Blue Ballrooms.
Nomani, a WVU graduate, is an author and former staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal who has written about politics, business, popular culture, sexuality, the war in Afghanistan, terrorism and Islam.
We cant think of a more wonderful speaker for WVU s Women of Color Day Luncheon,said Karen Bird with the Council for Womens Concerns, Presidents Office for Social Justice.Asra is going to speak about her journey as a Muslim woman , and we welcome her as part of Diversity Week (Oct. 18-22), a week of activities that promote understanding and appreciation for the ethnic and cultural differences among us.
Born in Bombay, India, Nomani grew up in Morgantown and started her career as a journalist at The Daily Athenaeum, WVU s campus newspaper. After graduating from American University in Washington, D.C., Nomani joined The Wall Street Journal, covering the airline industry, air safety, international trade and travel, among other beats, during her 15-year tenure.
What began as an assignment from her editor at The Wall Street Journal to investigate Tantra,America’s hottest new fad,became a story that led Nomani half way around the world and change forever her life, faith and self-identity. She researched her first book,Tantrika: Traveling the Road of Divine Love,by traveling throughout south Asia, at one point riding a motorcycle alone through the Himalayas.
Nomanis journey took an unexpected turn after Sept. 11, 2001, in Pakistan, where she covered the war in Afghanistan for Salon magazine. She risked great danger in joining the hunt for kidnapped fellow reporter Daniel Pearl.
Beliefnet magazine selectedTantrikaas one of its top spiritual books in 2003. HarperSanFrancisco will release her second book,Standing Alone in Mecca: A Muslim Womans Pilgrimage to the Heart of Islam,in January 2005.
Standing Alonechronicles how the Muslim pilgrimage of the hajj served as a catalyst for Nomanis empowerment as a woman in Islam. She has become an international advocate for reclaiming womens rights in Islam, speaking in venues from the BBC to Australian Broadcasting Corp., Sweden Radio and Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
Invoking Islamic principles of tolerance, compassion, inclusion and critical thinking, she has spoken out in support of womens rights in mosques and against the criminalization of women for sexual crimes. She has broadcast a commentary on National Public Radio and written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Cosmopolitan and Sports Illustrated for Women.
Nomani lives in Morgantown with her family and son Shibli.
Tickets for the Women of Color Day Luncheon, sponsored by the Presidents Office for Social Justice, are now on sale at $15 per person ($8 for WVU students) and will be issued upon receipt of payment. After Oct. 1, the cost is $20 ($10 for students).
To order tickets, download the registration form from the Council for Womens Concerns Web site (http://www.as.wvu.edu/cwc/) . Ticket sales will be handled through the Office of International Students and Scholars.
For more information, call 304-293-8626 ext. 2593.