Of Strength And Nobility

Magazine editor discusses Muslim-American women, and the practice vs. theory of Islam.

by Christine Yee

Tayyibah Taylor is founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of Azizah Magazine, a quarterly magazine focusing on Muslim-American woman, their accomplishments, aspirations and issues in diverse community. Taylor is an Islamic activist passionately concerned with spirituality, women's issues and communication. She seeks to foster sisterhood between women of all backgrounds and perspectives. The magazine works to dispel myths and common negative stereotypes, and speaks to the joy of the Muslim woman's experience. Before starting Azizah early last year, Taylor worked as the administrator of the Islamic School of Seattle, which she helped found more than 20 years ago. For six years, Taylor had simultaneous legal claim to residency in five different countries. She considers herself a global citizen and ardently believes that the human experience is too rich and wondrous to be encapsulated in one culture or perspective. Born in Trinidad, Taylor grew up in Toronto, Canada and studied biology and philosophy at the University of Toronto. She lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for several years and attended school for Arabic and Islamic studies. She received the 2002 Hagar Achievement through Sacrifice Award from Sisters United in Human Service. Taylor can be reached at letters@azizahmagazine.com.

How can mainstream news media cover Islam and Muslim women more accurately?
One of the things that they definitely need to know is the practice and theory of Islam has been for centuries done by men. Sometimes these men have been misogynistic, but this not a function of Islam, but a function of the egocentric applications of Islam. Often times when the mainstream holds up Saudi Arabia or some other Muslim country and say look how they treat their Muslim women, it would be akin to someone who is not American holding up WorldCom or Enron as an example of American values. So seeing the discrepancies between the practice and the theory and understanding, you have to have knowledge of Islam: the base of it being that it is the formula for spirit's peace for all people, for all places, for all time. And this is something that is based upon your first principals that supersedes ethnicity and that century that we're looking at. What is a misperception of Islam and Muslim women that is continually shown in the news media?
I think one of the biggest misperceptions is that all Muslims are Arabs and all Arabs are Muslim. The largest ethnic group of Muslims is African American. But when you turn on the TV, how many times have you seen an Arab man speaking? Usually it's men speaking, not men and women. You get this idea that this (Islam) is a foreign thing. And we've all associated with this foreign country. And oftentimes Islam is looked at through the lens of politics. And so it is often associated with what is happening in the Middle East. You know you've got Indians, Asians, Chinese Muslims, Indonesian Muslims. We've got South Americans. Keeping Islam in the Middle East is to me disseminating misinformation. About Muslim women, I think again, you see a picture of a woman in a burka. Often times when you see a picture or an image of a Muslim woman, she is oppressed, depressed and suppressed. People get his idea that this is what the Muslim woman is about. She can't work. She can't speak. She can't do anything. Not understanding the distance between cultural interpretations or even egocentric misogynistic interpretations of Islam. When people pick up an Azizah Magazine and see a Muslim woman at an American court, filmmakers, or women running their own companies, it's saying that Muslim women can do this despite these obvious stereotypical images. I think one of the things that the mainstream media could do to kind of combat this is to look at someone (Muslims) as ordinary Americans. I remember twice I have seen members of a focus group calling the president for a debate. In that focus group there was a woman who had her head covered, who wasn't there as a Muslim woman. She was there as a part of the focus group. She was an integral part of the group. She spoke and she gave her opinion. And so it's being less viewed by people as, "this a Muslim woman" to saying, "Oh, there happens to be a Muslim there." It's incidental. Doing more of that will kind of help in turning around a lot of this misinformation. How did you overcome the backlash of Sept. 11?
I think my background has really helped me. There were six and half years that I lived that there were five different countries that couldn't turn me away. I was born in Trinidad. And so I had ties as a native. My parents are from Barbados and as a child of citizens, I had claims to Barbados. I was actually at that time a Canadian citizen. I had a Canadian passport. I was married to an American so I had a green card. We moved to Saudi Arabia and I had a visa to live there. So there were five countries in the world that couldn't turn me away legally. I had claims to these countries, but at the same time where ever I was I was never of the dominant culture. Ö Living my life never being able to be a part of the majority really opened the world and I'm able to look at events like of Sept. 11 and the backlash through a unique lens. I'm able to see people and their reactions quite differently than those who are ethnocentric. I knew there was going to be a backlash. And that's what happened. One of the things that astounded me and really helped me through it was the first arrest that was made right after Sept. 11. The FBI arrested an Indian Sikh. Television reports had announced that the FBI had arrested somebody at a Boston hotel. He (the suspect) was staying near the airport. When the FBI let him out of the car, I looked at him and my stomach just dropped. The media was saying that the hijackers were Arab Muslims and this man was neither. And that really indicated to me the level of understanding of Islam in this country. Here were the highest authorities who didn't know the differences between a Muslim and a Sikh and an Indian and an Arab. If the authorities didn't know, how was Joe Schmoe on the street supposed to know? And that kind of gave me an understanding of why people were so angry -- because of ignorance. So I can't be angry. I can only pity you. At the same time, I still had to keep that in the forefront of my mind that these people don't know about Islam and they are ready to learn. And so you have to be aware that there is a wave. It made me a bit more aware, but at the same time it made me understand about what was going to come and why. What type of advice did you give for others?
Be able to see another human being, and relate to that person, whoever you meet, no matter how different they look. If you're a person who has purple hair and 15 earrings in your ear and you meet someone in a gray suit and red tie, you should be able to relate to that person and vice versa. No matter what color they are, even if they don't speak the same language as you do, have a different religion than you. This is a muscle that people have to develop, but when you develop this muscle it's extremely powerful. You're able to understand another perspective, even if it's one that you don't agree with. It gives you the ability to transcend a lot of the trivial stuff. And it's like the ability to speak another language; you're propelled into another sphere. And what it does is that it allows you to rise above the petty differences. Ö Often times we want other people to be like us. You need to dress like me. You need to be just like me. You need to think like me. Agree with what I am saying. When you do that, you are limiting yourself; you're limiting everybody else. Ö By understanding that it is in our differences that we expand our horizons intellectually and spirituality. It's not in our similarities. Being able to allow those differences, being able to see how that perspective is an amenity, is very powerful. I was living in Seattle at the time when the Makah Indian decided to reclaim their ancestral hunting rights to the whale. And what ensued was critical social debate. And again because of my background I was able to view this debate through a very unique advantage point. And the words that came out from people who thought of themselves as liberals, "these beasts, these savages," they were calling Indians all these things because they could not for the life of them understand it as a valid cultural tradition. Even if you don't agree with the whales being hunted, the fact that this is power the people had practiced for centuries and centuries before Europe was interested. They couldn't come to the point that this was considered as another group as a valid tradition. Ö So I would say developing that muscle to where you can understand another perspective that you disagree with. What does Azizah mean?
It's an Arabic word. It means dear. It means strong. It means noble and there are kind of different stages. We defined Azizah as the Muslim woman who is true to herself and others with nobleness and dignity. Did something happen to make you first think about starting Azizah magazine?
I think subconsciously, yes. I've always written. I've always read. I've always been a big fan of magazines as far as I can remember. One of the biggest things that really affected me was growing up in Toronto and not seeing any images of people of color around. Or just seeing negative images. There were news flashes of civil rights or civil race riots or what was happening in Cleveland and in New York. Whenever you saw a person of color, it looked like something very negative was happening to them. Police dogs, police hosing people down, police beating people, and people protesting all of this. It left this negative feeling in my mind about all of the absence and negative images and about myself as apart of that ethnicity. The first time I found Ebony magazine and saw people of color in places of authority Ö there was a validation of self. That was very powerful. And I really believe looking back that this was the seed that was planted in my being about maybe publishing this magazine. I believe very strongly when people who are not of the dominant culture -- be that ethnic, ability, gender or whatever philosophy -- they don't see themselves affecting the mainstream media. There is a very powerful internalization of inferiority that occurs. This happens not only in the minds of the people portrayed but also in the minds of the people who are in the dominant culture. Of course these perceptions are formed, habits are formed based on those perceptions. This has happened with African Americans, and it's definitely happening with the Muslim and definitely with Muslim women. The images that we see of Muslim women are predominately very stereotypical -- that they are backwards and a non-entity. So being able to present a vehicle for a voice of Muslim women, being able to present Muslim women as she defines herself in her conscious, in her obedience, and spirituality, is something that I find very overwhelming. What responsibilities do you have now -- or did you feel you had -- starting the only Muslim women's magazine?
I think to remain authentic in the voice and from the outset I said I would include Muslim women who wouldn't put down my offer to look at this as a cultural experience, as a religious experience, as a spiritual experience because all three of those are different. In doing so, those people who relate to Islam as a cultural experience -- they don't necessarily pray, they don't cover their hair -- is like having an American Christian who doesn't go to church. It's a cultural account for them. But I don't feel it's my place to judge and say OK that means you can't be a part of this magazine. I would rather have a woman who identifies herself as Muslim and to me that is valid. I've gotten a little bit of negative feedback from people who say, "Oh, you shouldn't have these women in here who don't cover their hair." I'm also getting that people want to see one particular part of (Islam). This is a magazine that is not affiliated with a particular Sunnah group or specific school of thought. Or a particular ethnicity. And you're going to see everyone in there. And this to me is the true reflection of Islam because you have people from all different ethnicities and people of different cultures and spiritual development and that's a true reflection to me. I think it's my responsibility to be the authentic voice of the Muslim woman. Who was your role model? Did you have any who were journalists?
As far as role models, I had the great blessing of being raised by two people, my parents, who taught me that no one is better than you, but at the same time you are better than no one else. And teaching me to see people as a human spirit and not as a function of their ethnicity or their age or their abilities or their gender. I've developed this discipline where I can meet someone and immediately have a connection with them as a human being. And to me this is one of the most valuable things in my life. I met Gloria Steinem and that was a real thrill. I also spent a couple of hours with Suzie Love who was at the time the publisher of Atlanta Magazine. Between those two women I've really gotten a lot of encouragement and I really decided to do this. Describe the magazine pre-Sept. 11 and post-Sept.11.
Actually we haven't changed at all. We've done one editorial on surviving the backlash of Sept. 11. That's the one thing or the only thing that came out Sept. 11. Basically we haven't changed anything. It's still the authentic voice of the Muslim woman. Has readership increased or decreased since Sept. 11?
We have gotten a lot of media attention and readership has increased in that. I think that some Muslim women may have felt the sense of urgency saying now more that ever we need our own media. We need to be able to express ourselves. I think more and more Muslim women are coming around to feeling comfortable using their own voices and saying: let me decide myself. It's increasing because Islam is in the spotlight. Sometimes we cringe when we hear inaccuracies, and also constantly seeing men being the spokesperson for Islam. So yes, readership has increased because of that. It is an indirect result. Latino Muslims, disabled Muslims, intercultural marrying etc. -- why is it important to have these articles?
Some articles come out of a request, people ask for them. The intercultural marriages story was definitely requested. We go to different cities around the country and have a reception called "Celebrating the voice of the Muslim woman." We interface with the audience and ask them what do they want to see. The cultural connections came out of requests. The "How Inclusive is the Muslim Community of the Disabled?" I thought it was important because I myself was seeing the gap of Muslims and Islam making sure that when the mosques are built and the prayer areas are decided that there is a conscious effort to include those who can't walk up the stairs and need help up the ramp, and who can't hear. I thought that was important. I think there are a lot of issues that haven't even been discussed in the community out loud. It's either been deemed by someone as inappropriate or unnecessary. I think there are a lot of people who want to discuss things, especially women. I think the issues that women want to discuss have been for some reason pushed aside. I think this is the time and place to do it in Azizah Magazine. What is the reaction from Muslim men?
For the most part we have had very positive feedback from everyone and some men. But there is a small contingency who feel that the pious Muslim women is a silent, invisible one. And so for them to see a magazine that has her full front and center and you can hear her voice, can hear her issues and her concerns it leaves them in a state of discomfort. They all say I'm going to hell, all these kind of things. Some people call up and say, "Oh, this is nice, but why not put flowers on the cover, instead of women. Don't put women on the cover." Is this a magazine that Muslim men can read, too?
A lot of men pick up the magazine. A lot of people who are not Muslim pick up the magazine. It's a very pretty magazine and very colorful. And I think a lot of times the fact that the presentation is so glossy and colorful that it pulls people in. And once men start flipping through it, they themselves are converts. How do you balance your career with the traditional expectations of motherhood?
I guess by setting priorities. I think you have to see the times when the job is more important and times when the family is more important. I think we all kind of just prioritize things automatically in our minds. I remember giving a seminar on time. The things that people spend their time and their money on are things that are most important to them. And you can kind of figure out what is important to a person by where they spend their time and their money. I remember using the example: There is a couple. And they have two kids. They both work. In the morning, the mother drops the children to day care. They come home. The father was supposed to pick up them up. There is a moment when the wife says to the husband, `Well, where are the kids?' He says, `I didn't have time pick them up.' And of course we would laugh and say that is ridiculous, because of course we would make time because the kids are important. We really do carve out time for whatever we, even subconsciously, determine to be the priority at the time. Ö Basically, it's just keeping your priorities straight. Balance and see what is the critical issue at the time.