Daughters of Another Path (experience of American Women Choosing Islam)

Meet the Author

Carol L. Anway, M.S. Ed. In Guidance and Counseling, has spent many years as school counselor. For eleven years she edited and wrote Christian education resources focusing on children, families, and women. She has traveled in the United States and Canada presenting workshops on intergenerational ministries, Christian education, and teacher training as well as giving ministerial leadership at camps and retreats. Her education, writing, and commitment to the spiritual life helped her in the struggle to reconcile with her daughter's choice to convert to Islam. In Daughters of Another Path, Mrs. Anway shares her experience plus the stories of her daughter and other American women who have chosen to become Muslim.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

My deep appreciation is extended first of all to my daughter, Jodi Anway Mobammadzadeh, who has caused me to stretch and view the world through another window. Our whole family has been enriched and enlarged by our venture with her to see life with new perspective and insights. Her contribution throughout the project and writing of the book has been so helpful-the editorial reviews, the rewriting, the title, the feedback. My initial encouragement and zeal for the project was sparked by Dr. Jamilah Kolocotronis Jitmoud and Susan Elsayyad, both American-born women who became Muslims and are currently teachers at the Kansas City Islamic School. They met with Jodi and me and helped us define the project, expressing a need in their lives for such a reconciling resource.

would love to personally meet each of the 53 women who shared their conversion stories by responding to the questionnaires. Each one was an inspiration and testimony to what she has chosen-to be a Muslim woman, submissive to the will of God. Working with my editor and long-time friend, Talitha PemUngton, has been a joy. She required so much of me as she helped me present this book to you in a concise, well-organized form. I needed her! And thanks to Joe, my husband and the love of my life, for support and encouragement through this and all our years together.

DEDICATION

The world is constantly growing and changing. All persons have a road to travel and a path to find to bring meaning to their lives. Even though in the United States and Canada we may be bombarded with information on how others in the world live their lives, we somehow don't catch on. We are prone to segregate ourselves in our own economic, religious, or ethnic groups and resist bumping into other cultures and ideas. We tend to be shaped by the headlines and daily news reporting, which can feed our fears and reinforce stereotypes that are often misleading. This book is written in dedication to you, the reader, because you have taken the time to look beyond what you know. You have sought to find out about American-born women who have chosen the path of Islam. One of these Muslim women may be your classmate, your co-worker, your grocer, your neighbor, your cousin, your niece, your grandchild, and yes, maybe even your daughter.