Contemporary Authors

• Born with Wings: The Spiritual Journey of a Modern Muslim Woman Spiegel & Grau (New York, NY), 2018

• Publishers Weekly - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/religion/article/76569-a-cup-of-tea-with-daisy-khan-muslim-feminist.html

  QUOTED: "This book is meant for everyone: people of conscience and people who are really struggling with trying to understand what the issues are, people of faith and no faith. At one point I lost my faith, so I know what it is like to lose faith and then to have to crawl back to it and then find yourself manifesting it in such a big way. It’s for spiritual aspirants who might be seeking to get to know themselves."

  ‘A Cup of Tea’ with Daisy Khan, Muslim Feminist
  Memoirs of an activist for women in Islam
  By Christine Scheller | Apr 11, 2018

  Comments

  Photo by Victoria Fleitz

  Powerful feminist voices aren’t always recognized when they come from Muslims. But Daisy Khan, founder and executive director of the Women's Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality (WISE), and the author of a new memoir, Born with Wings: The Spiritual Journey of a Modern Muslim Woman, (Spiegel & Grau, April 24), attracts attention.
  RELATED STORIES:
  More in News -> Religion
  Want to reprint? Get permissions.
  FREE E-NEWSLETTERS

  PW Daily Tip Sheet

  More Newsletters

  In 2008, WISE launched the first Global Muslim Women’s Shura Council, an advisory group of experts in law, faith and culture issuing statements on political and domestic violence, female genital cutting, and other social issues. In 2009, she and her husband, imam Feisal Abdul Rauf were at the white-hot center of the national furor over his plans to open a Muslim community center two blocks from the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. In addition to WISE, she founded Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow – a global social network to promote young grassroots leaders.

  Cindy Spiegel, publisher at Spiegel & Grau, calls Khan’s memoir one of those important stories “that haven’t yet been heard by mainstream audiences. Daisy is doing such significant work to empower Muslim women and girls around the world as well as here at home, and she herself is an inspiring example of a feminist woman having an authoritative voice within Islam.”
  Khan, who came to the United States as a teenager from Kashmir, India, in 1974, discusses why she wanted to bring the “nuances of Islam” to a wider audience through her personal story.
  (The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.)
  Do you see a divine sense of timing in doing this book?
  I believe that when 9/11 happened, I felt that a mandate was being placed upon me. In my book, I talk about having lost several pregnancies and having to realize what was that all about. It was devastating. I would have been a great mother. (But) nothing in my life seems like it’s unplanned. Everything is planned by a bigger hand and a greater hand than myself. So, yes, the book did get delayed unnecessarily for many different reasons. It could have come out two years ago, and perhaps it wouldn’t have been so relevant. I do believe that there’s a divine hand in this. Maybe coming at a time when more people can benefit from it.I know that I am being used as an instrument right now, and I’m prepared for that role.
  How did the controversy over the community center change you?
  It was a moment that prepared me for a much bigger role. Clearly, I would still be an imam’s wife and I would still be doing the important [interfaith] work that I was already doing, but I probably would not have had the courage to step away and create my own path and do my own work without necessarily being under the shadow of my husband.
  It strengthened me. After the repeated threats, I came to the realization that the worst thing that would happen to me would be death, and so I no longer feared death after that. Movement leaders often wind up getting assassinated, but their message and their legacy goes on. I put myself in their shoes and said, “If this message is so important to me, I’m willing to pass on a decade earlier than I would, and it’s OK.” It was a moment that created a resilience that I can’t even explain. It’s very deep.
  Who is the intended audience for the book?
  This book is meant for everyone: people of conscience and people who are really struggling with trying to understand what the issues are, people of faith and no faith. At one point I lost my faith, so I know what it is like to lose faith and then to have to crawl back to it and then find yourself manifesting it in such a big way. It’s for spiritual aspirants who might be seeking to get to know themselves and their own spiritual paths, and community activists because the book addresses so much community activism.
  What’s next for you?
  A friend of mine who is a Christian feminist wrote a short review of the book and she said it was as if I had invited her into my kitchen and had a cup of tea with her and gave her a crash course on the nuances of my faith that she felt are completely misunderstood. I know there are people who really want to know a [Muslim] one on one, so I would like to get out into the country and meet people and share the story and create a deeper dialogue using my own personal story and the stories of others.

• Newsday - https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/books/daisy-khan-interview-born-wings-1.18236183

  QUOTED: "The Jericho team had been having a dismal performance that year, so when I started running around everyone and scoring goal after goal, I was quickly welcomed on the team. Later in the season, when we won a championship, the girls lifted me on their shoulders and carried me around the field."

  Talking with Daisy Khan: The author of ‘Born with Wings’ discusses Islam, feminism and her LI childhood
  The Jericho High alum explains that field hockey helped her assimilate.

  Daisy Khan is the author of "Born With Wings." Photo Credit: Victoria Fleitz
  By Marion Winik
  Special to Newsday
  Updated April 24, 2018 3:19 PM
  Print Share
  Daisy Khan, originally from Kashmir, India, is a Muslim peace activist who began her writing career at the age of 21 with an op-ed in this newspaper. A graduate of Jericho High School who went on to study at LIU Post and the New York School of Interior Design, Khan found herself appalled when, following the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis, an oversimplification — and sometimes outright vilification — of Islam began to take hold in the American media. In her Newsday piece, Khan asserted that “Islam teaches us Muslims to propagate freedom of thought, justice, forgiveness, honor and sublimity.”
  That sentence expresses the idea that has driven her career until the present day; it lies at the heart of her new memoir, “Born With Wings: The Spiritual Journey of a Modern Muslim Woman” (Spiegel and Grau, 351 pp., $28). Kahn is married to well-known Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who had to spend several months in hiding in 2010 due to threats on his life arising from the controversial plan to build a community center near Ground Zero. Khan spoke to Newsday by phone; the interview has been edited for length and clarity.

  When you arrived on Long Island in 1974, you were treated as an outsider. How did field hockey help turn that around?

  As a new student at Jericho High School, I knew I had to find some way to get involved with the culture. I looked out the window one day and saw the field hockey team practicing. Having played both forward and goalie back home in Kashmir, I spoke to Mrs. Schwartz, the phys ed teacher, about joining the team. “Do you know how to play?” she asked. When I assured her I did, she said, “Grab a stick.” The Jericho team had been having a dismal performance that year, so when I started running around everyone and scoring goal after goal, I was quickly welcomed on the team. Later in the season, when we won a championship, the girls lifted me on their shoulders and carried me around the field. But that night at the celebration dinner at an Italian restaurant, I stared at my bowl of spaghetti, mortified. I had no idea how to eat it. Then Mrs. Schwartz leaned over and showed me how to twirl it up with a fork and spoon. Every time I’ve eaten spaghetti for the rest of my life, I think of her.
  As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 looms, how do you see the situation of Muslims in the United States unfolding?
  We seem to be at a crossroads right now, with bleak news from the current leadership, divisiveness and polarization. Some of the bridges that were built after 9/11 are at risk. Yet there’s a glimmer of hope: the media portrayal of Muslims and of Islam is much more nuanced that it once was. Part of that is because domestic terrorism has taught people that not all attacks should be instantly blamed on international groups. At the same time, many Muslims have stepped up to help change the stereotypes. Despite the burnings and attacks, 80 percent of mosques now have outreach programs and open houses.
  And on the culinary front, things are really going well! Falafel and hummus and kebabs have become the new comfort food. Not so long ago, my husband and I were on a plane, and we heard one of the attendants call to the other, “Where’s the hummus?” We looked at each other. “Islam has arrived,” my husband said.
  Sign up for Newsday's Entertainment newsletter
  Get the latest on celebs, TV and more.

  Sign up
  By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy.
  Islamic feminism may sound to some like an oxymoron, but you point out that the Quran itself can be used to defend progressive views on subjects like domestic abuse and arranged marriages. Yet the same scripture is used to justify honor killings. How does that work?
  As I explain in the book, the translation and interpretation of the Quran has always been affected by the political motives of the culture around it. There will always be people who weaponize religion to justify violence and oppression. That’s why we have created our own council to interpret the original text and no longer allow people with outdated attitudes to take the Quran away from us. Even in Saudi Arabia — where women were forbidden to drive or have businesses or go out in public alone — King Salman issued a decree recognizing their rights. Why? Because they needed women in the workforce.

  By Marion Winik
  Special to Newsday

• Penguin Random House Speaker - https://www.prhspeakers.com/speaker/daisy-khan

  Daisy Khan
  Women's advocate, media commentator, and Executive Director of the Women's Islamic Initiative

  Photo credit: WISE
  Daisy Khan is one of the most prominent female Muslim leaders in the United States. As the Executive Director of the Women's Islamic Initiative, Khan not only empowers Muslim women around the globe, but also tirelessly works to help non-Muslims better understand the true teachings of Islam and to build bridges of acceptance between faiths. She is a seasoned lecturer with a timely and inspirational message of peace and tolerance.
  About

  Topics
  Video
  Praise
  Books
  Media
  About Daisy Khan
  Daisy Khan is Executive Director of the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE), a New York based non-profit organization dedicated to building a unified, compassionate change movement of Muslim women committed to creating a peaceful and equitable environment. Formerly, Khan served as Executive Director of American Society for Muslim Advancement, where she spent the last eighteen years creating groundbreaking intra- and inter-faith programs based on cultural and religious harmony through interfaith collaboration.
  Since 2014, the world has witnessed an unprecedented rise in violent extremism causing intense scrutiny and distrust of Muslims. Khan, heartbroken that so many people continue to misunderstand her faith, she has devoted her life to confronting these challenges by promoting interfaith collaboration and amplifying the ethical and egalitarian values of Islam. In addition to her forthcoming memoir (Fall 2017), Khan is spearheading the publication of a WISE Up Report, a collaborative project aimed to empower Muslims with the knowledge and resources to discredit extremist ideology and develop narratives of peace. The 400-page research and evidence-based report is led by American Muslims, such as Reza Aslan, Eboo Patel, and Congressman Keith Ellison, and Americans of all faiths.
  Khan lectures in the US and internationally on numerous topics; Muslim women, Islam in America, Islamophobia, and violent extremism. Her audiences are varied: prestigious think tanks like CFR, universities, congregations and women’s and youth groups. No matter whom she addresses she always blends wit with passion to unequivocally confirm that gender equality is an intrinsic part of the Islamic faith and Islamic values promote freedom of religion and expression.
  Khan appears regularly on media outlets like CNN, Al Jazeera, BBC and is frequently quoted in print publications like The New York Times and Time. She has appeared in numerous documentaries including PBS’s Three Faiths, One God, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, and National Geographic’s Inside Mecca. Khan contributed to The Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog.
  She is a recipient of more than a dozen awards hailing her as a bridge builder and advocate for women and social justice. More Magazine described her as “a Link between Moderate Islam and the West.” Women’s E-News included her in their “21 women of the 21st century.” The Huffington Post listed her as one of their “Top Ten Women Faith leaders.” Time magazine mentioned her in their 100 Most Influential People of 2011.
  Khan works and resides in the New York tri-state with her husband.

• Amazon -

  Daisy Khan is the founder and executive director of the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE), a global organization that works on behalf of women’s rights in Islam and initiated the creation of the first global women’s shura (advisory) council, which advances women’s rights through scriptural interpretation. After finding herself at the center of a national debate surrounding the Ground Zero controversy, Khan emerged as a leader in the public eye. She served as executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, where she spent eighteen years creating groundbreaking intra- and interfaith programs based on cultural and religious harmony and interfaith collaboration. She has won numerous awards for her work as an advocate for Muslim women’s rights around the world and is a frequent media commentator. She lives with her husband in the New York City tri-state area.

• Wikipedia -

  Daisy Khan
  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  Jump to navigation
  Jump to search
  Daisy Khan
  Born
  Jammu and Kashmir, India
  Nationality
  American
  Known for
  Executive Director of Women's Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality (WISE)
  Daisy Khan is a Muslim campaigner and reformer[1] who is the Executive Director of the Women's Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality (WISE),[2] a women-led organization committed to peacebuilding, equality, and justice for Muslims around the world. Khan is a frequent media commentator on topics such as Muslim women's rights, Islam in America, Islamophobia, and violent extremism. Khan's memoir Born With Wings will be published in April 2018 by Random House.

  Contents [hide]
  1
  Early life
  1.1
  Transition to America
  2
  Career
  2.1
  Career Beginnings
  2.2
  Community Service
  2.3
  Flagship Programs Founded
  2.4
  Activism for Religious Freedom and Pluralism
  3
  Media
  4
  Awards and recognition
  5
  See also
  6
  References
  7
  External links

  Early life[edit]
  Daisy Khan was born in the foothills of the Himalayas in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Khan was raised in a Muslim household that was both traditional and forward-looking, where education was highly valued.
  Khan attended a Christian missionary school, St. Patrick’s Presentation Convent School.[3] In an environment with an amalgam of Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims – harmony, tolerance and unity of religious believers was the primary mantra of her Kashmiri childhood.
  Khan’s grandfather, Ghulam Hassan Khan, was a powerful influence in her life. The chief engineer for the state of Kashmir, he studied civil engineering at Harvard in the 1920s and he encouraged his children and grandchildren to pursue the best education available regardless of locale.
  Transition to America[edit]
  At the age of 16 with the support of her parents, Khan left for the United States to pursue an education in art and design. She arrived on Long Island, and lived in Jericho with an aunt and uncle.
  After high school, she earned a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. In her early 20s, she decamped to Manhattan and embraced the professional life, pulling 80-hour weeks as an architectural designer.
  Through this period, Khan continued wrestling with Islam: she was forced to juxtapose the peaceful Islam of her childhood memories with the violent struggles portrayed by the media during the rise of the Iranian Revolution of 1979. She found solace in Sufism.[4][5]
  Career[edit]
  Career Beginnings[edit]
  In what Khan recalls as an odd coincidence, her first large projects involved religious architecture. Khan’s first big project was helping design the Islamic Center of Long Island, now one of the New York area’s most prominent mosques and cofounded by her uncle. For her next project, Khan reached across religious lines and worked on designing a Hindu temple. Through her work with religious architecture and local devotees, Khan recognized how immigrants yearned to recreate their homelands in America.
  Khan went on to work as project manager for what was then Shearson Lehman Brothers on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center. She remembers the lasting effect of the first foiled bombing in 1993. After Shearson she worked for the publishing company Primedia, where she oversaw the design of Seventeen magazine’s offices, and then later joined a telecommunications firm. She also volunteered with her husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, in community development.
  Community Service[edit]
  In order to promote their vision of a harmonious and forward thinking Islam, in 1997 the couple established the non-profit group that is now called the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) where Khan served as an Executive Director for 17 years. At ASMA, Khan dedicated herself to strengthening an expression of Islam based on cultural and religious harmony through interfaith collaboration, cultivating the next generation of leaders, promoting women's rights and building bridges through culture and arts.[6]
  Flagship Programs Founded[edit]
  In an effort to emphasize commonalities among the Abrahamic faith traditions, Khan created groundbreaking interfaith theatrical productions "Same Difference" and "Cordoba Bread Fest."
  To prioritize the advancement of Muslim women and the empowerment of youth globally, Khan launched two cutting edge programs to create a platform which maximized the collective impact of these social change agents.
  In 2004, Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT) was founded in order to cultivate and empower a global network of young Muslim leaders. It is the largest network of young Muslim leaders around the globe.
  In 2006, Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE) was founded to build a cohesive, global movement of Muslim women in order to promote women's rights and enable women to make dignified choices and fully participate in creating just and flourishing societies.
  Khan grew increasingly disturbed by the mistreatment (stonings, honor killings, forced marriages) of Muslim women around the world. In 2008, WISE launched the first global Muslim women’s Shura Council to provide religiously-grounded opinions on controversial issues of particular relevance to Muslim women. Drawing upon its members' expertise in both Islamic jurisprudence and fields such as History, Political Science, Theology and Sociology, the Shura Council issued its first statement in 2009 "Jihad Against Violence," a condemnation of Violent Extremism.
  The Global Muslim Women's Shura Council makes statements on domestic violence, violent extremism, female genital cutting, and adoption. The Council's statements were used to train Imams in Afghanistan to champion women's rights and combat Violent Extremism.
  In 2009, Khan launched the first educational website dedicated to profiling the contributions of exemplary Muslim women as well as the challenges they face around the globe.
  In 2015, Khan established WISE as an organization with the aim to bolster faith-based leadership of women and youth in order to foster a more peaceful and equitable Islam.
  Activism for Religious Freedom and Pluralism[edit]
  Amidst growing Islamophobia in the United States, Khan published an article in the Guardian, “Islamophobia is America’s Greatest Enemy.”[7]
  Khan also sat down for a Council on Foreign Relations Panel Discussion in June 2011 to discuss "Islam in America." [8]
  In March 2011, Daisy Khan spoke against Peter King’s hearings on the “radicalization” of American Muslims. Khan further organized a Rally against Peter King’s hearings titled “I am a Muslim, Too” on March 6, 2011 in Times Square, NYC.[9]
  In the realm of civil liberties, Daisy Khan addressed the question of, “Is the NYPD Really Against Muslims?” in the Huffington Post.[10]
  In 2011, Khan brought together 300 people of all religions for a night of remembrance. The event, entitled In Good Faith: Stories of Hope and Resilience,[11] highlighted hundreds of bridgebuilding projects undertaken since September 11, while also paying tribute to the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim families of 9/11 victims.
  In 2009, Khan and her husband proposed building a community center, the Cordoba House at Park51, two blocks from the World Trade Center,[12] which precipitated a national dialogue in the US media about the right to worship and religious freedom.
  Media[edit]
  Khan regularly lectures in the United States and internationally. She has appeared on numerous media outlets, such as CNN, Al Jazeera, and BBC World's Doha Debates. She has served as an advisor and contributor to a variety of documentaries, including PBS's Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, National Geographic's Inside Mecca, and the Hallmark Channel's Listening to Islam. Khan is a contributor to the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog and is frequently quoted in print publications, such as Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Saudi Gazette, and the Khaleej Times.
  In 2006, Khan participated in a debate hosted by NPR's Intelligence Squared U.S. on "Weighing the Limits of Freedom of Expression", where her team argued against the notion that the "proposition of the freedom of expression includes the right to offend", and eventually lost by audience vote, to the opposition team led by the late Christopher Hitchens.[13]
  Awards and recognition[edit]
  Community Service Award, Bronx Community Council, 2017
  Service to Humanity Award, One Spirit Learning Alliance 2016
  Honoring Muslim Women in Our Community, Islamic Center of Long Island, 2015
  Faith in Action Award, International Center for Religion & Diplomacy, 2014
  Voices That Challenge Award, The Interfaith Alliance of NYS, 2013
  @DaisyKhan named one of the 140 Best Twitter Feeds of 2012 [14]
  First recipient of the Charles Ansbacher Award, Hunt Alternatives Fund, 2012
  Named one of the "10 Muslim Women Every Person Should Know," Huffington Post Religion Blog, 2012 [15]
  @DaisyKhan named in "7 Women You Must Follow on Twitter," Glamour Magazine, 2012 [16]
  Inspiring commitment to Inter-faith work. Common Ground, 2012
  Building Bridges Through Interfaith Dialogue, IQRA International Educational Foundation, 2011 [17]
  Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, Unitarian Service Committee, 2011[18]
  The Edinburgh Peace Award - City of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Interfaith Association, Festival of Spirituality and Peace, and Conference of Edinburgh's Religious Leaders, 2011 [19]
  Prophetic Voice Award, The Shalom Center, 2011 [20]
  Commitment to Action, Clinton Global Initiative, 2010 [21]
  Women Who Empower and Inspire Award, The Arab American Family Support Center, 2010 [22]
  Daisy Khan named in 21 Leaders for the 21st Century: Seven Who Topple Tyrannies, Women's E-News, 2008 [23]
  Daisy Khan named a “Prime Mover”, Hunt Alternatives Fund, 2007
  James Parks Morton Interfaith Award, The Interfaith Center of New York, 2006 [24]
  Lives of Commitment Award, Auburn Theological Seminary, 2005 [25]

QUOTED: "The author's account is informative and appealing."
"a thorough memoir that would have benefited from deeper insights into how the author's faith carried her through crises."

Khan, Daisy: BORN WITH WINGS

Kirkus Reviews. (Mar. 1, 2018):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Khan, Daisy BORN WITH WINGS Spiegel & Grau (Adult Nonfiction) $28.00 5, 1 ISBN: 978-0-8129-9526-8
The autobiography of a tireless advocate for women in Islam.
Women's rights activist Khan grew up as a Sunni Muslim in Kashmir, where adherents of several religions rub together and Islam takes a very tolerant form. Her family encouraged the education of women; during a period of political tension, she came to America to finish high school and remained to become a citizen. In her debut, the author maintains that Islam has historically supported the equality of women and men in religious and civil affairs, but its teachings have been distorted over the centuries by radicals, misogynistic male leaders, and appeals to local customs to support the subjugation of women. Her distress at these distortions caused her to fall away from Islam, but she found that her "soul was starved." She returned to her faith through a Sufi mosque in New York, ultimately marrying its imam. This period of Khan's life most evokes a spiritual journey. Much of the remainder of the book recounts her global efforts to empower Muslim women through appeals to Islamic scripture and early practice and to increase understanding of Islam generally through interfaith encounters, particularly after 9/11. In the process, she gradually gained sufficient confidence in speaking about Islam to lead her own organizations. Running throughout the narrative is Khan's frustration that her vision of Islam as a religion of peace and gender equality is often challenged by well-publicized terrorist actions and state-sponsored barbarities in explicitly Muslim nations. The author's account is informative and appealing, and she is doing important work, but it lacks the introspective intensity and focus expected of a spiritual memoir. The loosely organized text is interspersed with illustrative vignettes out of chronological sequence that further disrupt the flow of the narrative.
A thorough memoir that would have benefited from deeper insights into how the author's faith carried her through crises and how she resolves conflicts between its requirements and those of secular Indian and American cultures.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Khan, Daisy: BORN WITH WINGS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A528959973/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=64c38e7b. Accessed 6 June 2018.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A528959973

QUOTED: "It is refreshing to hear from a woman whose thoughtful, deeply felt conviction has prompted so much work."

Born with Wings: The Spiritual Journey of a Modern Muslim Woman

Christine Engel
Booklist. 114.16 (Apr. 15, 2018): p3+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Born with Wings: The Spiritual Journey of a Modern Muslim Woman.
By Daisy Khan.
Apr. 2018. 368p. Spiegel & Grau, $28 (9780812995268). 305.48697092.
Fundamentalists of any religion tend to receive the lion's share of media attention, so it is refreshing to hear from a woman whose thoughtful, deeply felt conviction has prompted so much work on behalf of her Islamic religion. Khan details her faith journey, beginning with the strong guidance of her supportive family in her native Kashmir, where religious practices were deeply felt. But after she moves to the U.S. to pursue an education and career, questions and doubts began to surface for Khan, especially her discomfort at how the role of women was often disparaged. Finding Sufism renewed her and served as a starting point for her activism. Khan's extensive research on her faith led to one of her core beliefs: that, despite perceptions to the contrary, Islam elevates the status of women. Today, she is the executive director of the Women's Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality. Throughout this book, Khan dedicates space to others who have done important work, exemplifying the idea that promoting peace and gender equality involves giving people a platform. A thought-provoking read.--Christine Engel
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Engel, Christine. "Born with Wings: The Spiritual Journey of a Modern Muslim Woman." Booklist, 15 Apr. 2018, p. 3+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A537267971/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=76594cf3. Accessed 6 June 2018.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A537267971

• Muslim Reads
  https://muslimreads.com/2018/04/24/review-born-with-wings-by-daisy-khan/
  Word count: 1123

  QUOTED: "While’s Daisy Khan’s life is fascinating and her work is admirable, her memoir is alienating and reads more like a résumé than a biography."
  "Khan’s story is engaging and her perspective is unique."

  Review—Born with Wings by Daisy Khan
  April 24, 2018 / Jessica

  While’s Daisy Khan’s life is fascinating and her work is admirable, her memoir is alienating and reads more like a résumé than a biography.
  Born in Kashmir, Daisy Khan moved to the US in high school to study design. She went on to found WISE, the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality, an organization that works for women’s rights. Born with Wings is her memoir and first book.
  The book tells Khan’s life story chronologically, with each chapter focusing on one event in her life: a specific problem she overcame or an issue she explored. Interspersed between the chapters are snippets that highlight specific initiatives of her own or of other women. For example, one snippet tells the story of Misbah, a Pakistani beautician who helps the survivors of acid attacks receive medical and cosmetic treatment and regain their confidence.
  This repetitive format didn’t work for me. While the early part of the book is a fascinating look into her childhood, as soon as she arrives in the US, the narrative reads like a curated list of her accomplishments, with each chapter representing another challenge, idea, or initiative in her life. Her beautiful story is reduced to a 350-page résumé.
  Despite my dislike of the structure in general, Khan’s story is engaging and her perspective is unique. Here are some quotes that showcase her writing and ideas:
  My identity was still in formation. I was no longer just a Kashmiri. I was also an Indian and an American, a New Yorker and a Muslim. As a designer, I understood that colors individually are crystalline and clear, but when you mix the, their essence can be enhanced, diluted, or lost, depending on the proportions. Mix yellow and blue together, and you can have a myriad of greens. Red and yellow can produce a sherbet orange or a fiery coral. But if you blend shade upon shade upon shade, the color wheel fails you, and you end up with shades of gray or black.
  I am a living example of how Muslim women can balance faith with modernity.
  The more we share our stories, the more we open ourselves to one another, the more respect and even love can flow between us. Once we see ourselves in the faces of others, we can stand side by side on the basis of our human identity, as Westerners or Easterners, as religious or not, as black, white, yellow, or brown. With layers of our identity nested within a larger sense of identity—”out of many, one,” in a single space.
  Khan’s thoughtful and nuanced understanding of the way many of us manage our myriad identities was a definite strong point in this book for me. Another strong point was her struggle with her spirituality. While I was able to relate to those parts of the book, I found other parts alienating.
  Women
  One unfortunate motif in this book is the woman-starstruck-by-knowledgeable-and-prestigious-Muslim-man-leader motif. For example, Khan talks about being a modern woman, but she repeats (at least 6 times) the fact that she is an imam’s wife. Here is an especially worrying passage (not counted in the six times): “Here I was, living in the most powerful country in the world; I was empowered by all the men in my family; I was married to an imam of global influence. That made me, by association, an influential woman. And what was I doing in the fight for women’s rights? If not me, then who?” I understand that she references the men in her life as a way of acknowledging her privilege. But I find it problematic that she sees their support of her as the most empowering thing in her life, instead of the God-given talent and personal ambition that she so obviously has.
  Later, she says, “I was increasingly feeling the responsibility of what it meant to be a Muslim woman—an educated Muslim woman who had been empowered by all the men in her family and was heavily involved in the work of her husband, a religious leader.” In terms of responsibility, the fact that she’s “a Muslim woman” is enough. Why the focus on the men in her life?
  Yet another example of this is when Khan is interested in the idea of women calling the adhan. She gives her father-in-law, who is a scholar, a demonstration. Afterwards, “[he] stood, kissed my forehead, and proclaimed it one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard. His approbation was both a spiritual and cultural milestone for me.” While I understand that she wants her father-in-law’s “approbation” because she respects his status as a religious scholar, these kinds of scenes irritate me because Khan never shows similar scenes with women that she respects and admires.
  Us and Them
  In 2014, Khan and a group of women planned an Eid celebration. About the green lights lighting up the top of the Empire State Building in commemoration of Eid, “one mother told her son, ‘See how much they love us? They lit up the Empire State Building just for us!’ ” Khan includes this anecdote as proof that the Muslims at the event enjoyed themselves, and I believe she wants to show that Muslims want to love and be loved by everyone. But this specific quote veers too close to an open-armed embrace of white savior complex for my personal taste.
  Bias
  And finally, here’s one last thing that really bothered me. When she discovers that Egypt has women mazoonas (marriage registry officials), she says, “The thought that Egypt was ahead of the United States in advancing women’s roles in Islam was disconcerting.” Why is that disconcerting? Because Egypt is backward and the US is so good at women’s rights? Khan insists in this book that Islam gave women human rights 1400 years ago. So I’m not sure why it’s surprising for her to see a Muslim-majority country upholding some of those rights.
  While I deeply admire Khan and the work that she’s doing for women’s rights and for peace, this memoir missed the mark for me.
  Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

• The Hindu
  http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/daisy-khan-born-with-wings-penguin-india-2018/article24010766.ece
  Word count: 947

  QUOTED: "This book enabled me to stand up for myself, to define myself in my own terms and to give voice to other Muslim women."

  Daisy Khan’s ‘Born With Wings’: a duality of adversity and success

  Divya Kala Bhavani
  May 28, 2018 10:35 IST
  Updated: May 28, 2018 10:35 IST
  Share Article

  0
  PRINT
  A A A

  more-in

  The WISE activist takes to the pages to unravel her story in an eye-opening memoir
  This summer has seen some fantastic releases in the book realm but one you really have to, excuse the pun, bookmark is Daisy Khan’s memoir Born With Wings. As the Executive Director of the Women’s Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality (WISE), there is plenty of responsibility weighing upon the campaigner’s shoulders, but what of the story beyond what we know and see in the headlines?
  On writing

  Writing Born With Wings sent Daisy on a journey of triumph and difficulty as her past self is caught in the tidal forces of self and society. “This book enabled me to stand up for myself, to define myself in my own terms and to give voice to other Muslim women around the world,” says the 60-year-old trailblazer, “The greatest challenge was posed when my two cultures clashed. In my Kashmiri upbringing, personal and family matters were never discussed in the public, whereas in the US, memoir readers expect the authors to be an open book, expose your inner thoughts, describe your wide-ranging emotions and the vulnerabilities you feel. There were so many rewrites that the manuscript took four years to complete.”
  The personal
  Consistent throughout the start of the book, is a respectful and loving relationship with her Moji. “We are all made up of many stories: our own and those of our ancestors, but also the stories and cultures of people whose lives intersect with ours. Although I was inspired by men in my family, there were always women present, their side inevitably received far less focus, women like Moji were taking concrete steps singularly and established a legacy of peace for all her progeny. Its enthralling for me to relive details of her past and enliven this righteous devoted and a head of the household, who infused me spiritually, taught me that Islam can uplift and dispelled the notion that women can’t thrive in an Islamic system.”
  Revisiting some of the memories was not easy. One such flashback is the conflict surrounding the Park51 development in Manhattan.
  ‘Muslim girls must recognise that gender equality is an intrinsic part of their faith and the most effective way to promote women’s rights is to use arguments based in sacred text,’ says Daisy Khan
  In 2015, two Muslim men proposed to build a 15-storey Islamic cultural center near the ruins of the World Trade Centre, but many saw intentions to construct a Ground Zero Victory Terror Mosque instead. Though the plans for the cultural centre were approved by vote, politicians vetoed the project. “It was surreal, to revisit those moments during the Ground Zero Mosque controversy in which I had to switch to survival mode and go on autopilot,” she says, bemused, “The vitriol we experienced has since mushroomed and grown by 1000% and the nation is more polarized and deeply divided. I realised that in those moments of crisis and in times of upheaval, I turned to the one group that I knew I could depend on — my family, who were both supportive and frantic.They were convinced that my life was in danger and begged me to leave the house and come stay with them.”
  The book itself features deeply personal chapters as well as sections about other women and their stories; Daisy has machinated this carefully, explaining, “I want people to know that this is the future of faith — for so long, women who were not permitted at the table; are now, creating their own. I hope they will not only be inspired by the passion and bravery of women on the front-lines but will consider acting upon their own convictions to bring peace and stability to this fractured world.”
  Reader takeaways
  What should the male reader take away from a female-oriented construct? Daisy recalls her father giving her boxing gloves to show his confidence in teaching her as well as her learning how to defend herself. “This deep symbolic gesture was so powerful, it led me to fight my own fight, discover my own power and find my purpose in life. Imagine what the world would be if men rushed out to buy ‘red boxing gloves?’ for their girls. Suddenly we would have empowered girls; a game changer for any society.”
  In the book, Daisy writes, “I am a living example of how Muslim women can balance faith with modernity.” Balancing such a duality can be difficult. “Many young Muslims remain bound by religious tradition and much of their pain seems related to issues of faith defined by outdated attitudes. Muslim girls must recognise that gender equality is an intrinsic part of their faith and the most effective way to promote women’s rights is to use arguments based in sacred text. Also, in this pivotal #MeToo moment, they need to join other movements, for peace is possible when unity is driven by women across all cultures,” she concludes.
  Whatever your beliefs or creed, Daisy’s Born With Wings is a must-have on your reading list this summer.
  ‘Born With Wings’ by Daisy Khan (Penguin India) is available at leading bookstores in India.