The Project Lina book and workshops are designed to bring converts to a place of joyful confidence in themselves, their faith, and their place in their families and communities.
Lina is the Arabic word for palm tree, and the three modules found in this book - Know Yourself, Declare your Independence, and Tend your Ties - provide a springboard from which converts can grow into community members who, like palm trees, have deep roots, strong but flexible trunks, and bear wonderful, life-sustaining fruit.
Whether you're new to Islam or a seasoned convert with tales and advice of her own to share, Project Lina will help us continue to bring our whole selves to Islam. It is the open arms, the spiritual guidance, and the balanced way forward that converts need for a healthy transition from newbies to vital members of their communities - and then to the leaders our communities need.
Author Biography:
Anse Dr. Tamara Gray is the founder of Rabata, an organization dedicated to promoting positive cultural change through creative educational experiences. She holds a doctorate in leadership from the University of St. Thomas, a master's degree in Curriculum Theory and Instruction from Temple University, and spent twenty years studying traditional and classical Islamic sciences, Quran, and Arabic in Damascus, Syria. Dr. Gray worked in the field of education for twenty-five years before moving into the non-profit world. She is now both the Executive Director of Rabata and its Chief Spirituality Officer. Her work includes the daily nitty gritty of project design as well as the support and mentorship of hundreds of women around the world. Anse Dr. Tamara is also an author, translator, and public speaker. Her publications range from several culturally appropriate English language curriculum programs to translations of sacred texts. Shaykha Dr. Tamara's most recent work is the translation of Mukhtasir al-Jami' fi al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya by Samīra Zayid [Compendium of the Collection of Sources on al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya] (Co-translator). Her book, Joy Jots: Exercises for a Happy Heart, is in its second print. Dr. Gray is often engaged to speak about issues of gender, leadership, Islam, and spirituality; locally, nationally and globally. Some of her platforms have included, the International Leadership Association, the World Parliament of Religions, the Islamic Society of North America and several universities, including Princeton, Virginia Tech and Oxford University. She sits on the board of the Collegeville Institute's Inter-religious Fellows Program, working to develop educational programming for faith leaders around social justice issues and on the academic council of The Islamic Seminary of America where she is also a faculty member. Najiyah Maxfield is the author of many articles, poems and short stories. Her young adult novel, Sophia's Journal, is an award-winning time travel adventure. Anse Najiyah has taught English and history in the US and the Middle East. She spent three years as the Managing Editor of Discover: The Magazine for Curious Muslim Kids, and is now head of publishing at Daybreak Press, Rabata's non-profit publishing company. She lives with her husband in Hutchinson, Kansas where she kayaks in the summer, crochets in the winter, and plays The Floor is Lava with her four granddaughters year-round. Najiyah teaches two courses with Ribaat: Public Speaking and Community Outreach and Creative Writing: Raising Muslim Women's Voices, in addition to leading Project Lina workshops and periodic webinars on the writing craft.
