Wings Of A Changing Dove

Born with an in-built resistance towards motivational books, I embark upon reading Born With Wings with some scepticism. Queen Noor바카라�s lavish praise on the book jacket doesn바카라�t help. Nor does the somewhat cheesy cover image of white feathered wings. However, the book바카라�s subtitle바카라�The Spiritual Journey of a Modern Muslim Woman바카라�catches my eye because it draws my attention to what has for so long been the elephant in the room: namely being a Muslim, being modern and being a woman. Seldom are these three states of being put tog­ether and talked about with any degree of serious introspection and candour. Seldom still are these three states of being coupled with a journey, that too a spiritual one.

Born into a well-to-do Kashmiri family, conscious of being born to a mother who had produced three daughters before the much-awaited son made his app­e­arance, Daisy Khan travels to the United States in pursuit of an education following both her family바카라�s guiding principle and the Quranic injunction: Rabbi ziddi ilma, meaning 바카라�O Lord, inc­rease me in knowledge바카라�. For years, she lives there the 바카라�secular life of a modern American woman바카라� till 9/11 happens and her world changes.

Raised on somewhat conflicting values바카라�to be self-sufficient as girls but also groomed to be good wives, to be well-educated but also eventually take on the role of good mothers바카라�the idea of modernity, of being a woman in a developed society, is slow to form and take shape. But growing alongside an urge to tackle stereotypes about Muslim women is Khan바카라�s own struggle to retain the faith and tradition she was born in.

With the  narrative constantly flitting between the past and present, it bec­omes occasionally difficult to follow Khan바카라�s journey chronologically. Sib­lings grow up, get married and produce offspring who in turn get married very swiftly, making for a bewildering breakneck speed.

Events on the personal and professional front gather momentum. Inter­spersing inspiring incidents from the present (in long stretches of italics) with the rites of passage of a young professional woman coming of age in the America of the 1980s and 1990s (in non-italics) makes for a somewhat muddled narrative. However, matter of chronology aside, the milestones Khan lists for her readers make interesting and, yes, inspiring reading.

Creating a uniquely American Eid experience by drawing in Muslim women from across the globe, bringing ethnic cultural experiences from their respective countries and blending them with quintessentially American activities resulted in early experiments in community celebrations. Driving on the streets of Manhattan with Eid Mubarak-inscribed helium balloons streaming out of car sunroofs, face painting, henna designs, poetry readings, star-and-crescent shaped Eid cookies lead to more innovative but much-needed events for a fledgling American Muslim community, such as singles바카라� events on Valentine바카라�s Day when young and single Muslim men and women meet in a 바카라�religiously appropriate context바카라�, raising funds for Bosnian victims of war through Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan바카라�s sellout concerts, and so on.  

Despite the many extraneous details, Khan바카라�s journey of self-discovery lies at the heart of this book when, in the manner of a true Sufi, she feels prepared to 바카라�make God my destination and the Prophet my compass바카라� and in marrying Rauf Feisal, the Egyptian Imam of her local mosque, she finds her soulmate.

Marriage opens other, hitherto unexplored avenues: of greater community outreach, of organising dhikr (meditation and chanting) sessions, creating awareness about the perils of terrorism and especially the ISIS and, finally, the setting up of the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE), a global organisation she serves as founder and executive director.

An interior designer by training, Khan and her husband came to be seen as 바카라�a modern Muslim couple who were integrated into American culture... We were living proof that no one had to make the impossible choice of dispensing with their faith to be a true American, an equal partner, an engaged citizen바카라�.