Author: Fatemeh Fakhraie

Founder of Muslimah Media Watch. Content marketing nerd who likes figuring out how stuff works and writing about it. I learned everything about being an adult from The Golden Girls.

I’m in the Corvallis Gazette-Times!

I speak with the Corvallis Gazette-Times about I Speak for Myself, Obama Bin Laden’s death, and being Muslim in America. Check it out!

There is nothing too provocative in her essay, nothing that furrows the brow and causes one to say, “Gee, that’s odd.” That’s the objective, Fakhraie said — giving readers an opportunity to become better acquainted with a culture commonly mischaracterized.

“Somewhere I read that 60 percent of Americans said they’ve never interacted with a Muslim. That’s really hard to believe because there’s kind of a lot of us,” she said with a laugh.

More great reviews for ISFM!

Last week, I met with Steve Scholl, one of the publishers of I Speak for Myself: American Women on Being Muslim. He gave me my first copy of the book: it felt wonderful to hold it in my hands, smell the paper, and see all the work come together into a perfectly binded book!

Since the book will be in stores next week, I looked it over carefully and was delighted to see that my picture was included on the back cover, along with several other of the contributors. I’m tickled to think that my face will be in bookstores next week!

Steve mentioned that we’d gotten a review in Publisher’s Weekly, and today a colleague mentioned that ISFM was on the front page of Deepak Chopra’s website! The historian in me had to take a screenshot for the record:

ISFM will be in bookstores next week, but you can order it from the publisher now at a pretty sweet discount. Make sure to check it out!

Re-scripting Islam in Indiana

Friends, my brief trip to Indiana for Indiana University’s Re-scripting Islam conference was packed with good times!

I was on a panel about Muslim women and the media with Mona Eltahawy and my MMW Associate Editor Krista Riley. Funny enough, I’d met Mona in 2009, but had never met Krista, with whom I’ve been working for three years! It was wonderful to finally meet her in person, and an honor to be on a panel with them both.

Krista (right) and I (the tired one on the left) at the conference. Photo taken by Amina Waheed.

Muslim Voices live blogged the panel, and I’ve been told there is video forthcoming. I’ll post it as soon as it’s available.

The final panel included Nabil Echchaibi discussing alternative modernities–you can check out the Muslim Voices liveblog here. He  name-dropped MMW as a great example of “bottom-up” online Muslim grassroots activism! Quite a wonderful compliment!

Unfortunately, I missed the first day of the conference, which sounds like it was wonderful. Once video is available, I’ll be sure to post it.

Though my trip was short, it was most definitely sweet!

Heal Japan!

Everyone’s heard about the Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and resulting devastation.

I got together with a bunch of amazing Asian-American activists to participate in a PSA for a Steez360, a clothing company that’s found its own special way to help those in Japan. The “Heal JPN” shirt is now available for sale for $20.

All proceeds from the shirt will be donated to Give2Asia’s Japan earthquake and tsunami relief fund.

Here’s the PSA:

Check it out! And pick up a Heal JPN shirt.

Re-scripting Islam: Muslims and the Media

This time next week, I’ll be in Indiana!

I’ll be speaking at Indiana University’s Re-scripting Islam: Muslims and the Media conference.

I’m on a panel with Mona Eltahawy and Krista Riley, my associate editor at Muslimah Media Watch. We’ll be on a panel about Muslim women in the media–my favorite subject!

You can find out more about the conference here, including how to register.

Update: Here’s a full conference agenda.