Sisters in Solidarity

Scholarship: In an effort to highlight the academic and civic achievements of young Muslim women in the DC Metropolitan Area, S.I.S.T.E.R.S aims to recognize and assist deserving students to achieve their higher education goals. This year, three one thousand dollar scholarships will be awarded: One to a high school senior, one to a college student and one to a graduate student. The requirements are:

• Be a Muslim female between the ages of 17-24 years old (for high school and college only; no age limit for graduate student).
• Currently be enrolled in or accepted to a 2 or 4 year college.
• Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or better.
• Demonstrate an active participation in community service work.
• Submit a grade transcript.
• Complete a short essay component.
• Submit a letter of recommendation.

To download an application, click here.
Deadline for this year’s scholarship is March 15, 2012.

The first annual Support Our Sisters Expo took place at ADAMS Center in Sterling, VA this past Saturday. According to the event’s organizers, Sisters in Solidarity to Educate, Respond & Serve (SISTERS), the goal was to showcase the efforts of some of our local Muslim businesswomen. “We intentionally kept table rental price low [only $25] because this wasn’t about raising money as much as it was about promoting women-owned and operated businesses” Laurie Jaghlit, SISTERS’ Chairwoman explained. “Just within our small organization we have women doing remarkable things and we knew if we reached out to the local communities, we would find more of the same…and we did.”

Even though the temperatures outside reached over 100 degrees, a steady stream of shoppers filled the bazaar area. The vendors included those selling clothing, hijabs, jewelry, skin products, magazines, toys and an array of delicious delicacies at the SISTERS bake sale tables. Several businesses offering services were also represented including a real estate agent, a Quran school, and home health services. Two new area businesses were also in attendance; the Nur Café, a Center for Art, Fitness and Enrichment (CAFÉ) scheduled to open in September, 2010 in Falls Church, VA as well as a wellness studio and boutique located in the Tyson’s area. Hip Muslim Mommas, an organization for young mothers/families was another group present at the Expo. They have a network of young Muslim families in the Fairfax/Loudoun County areas who offer organized playgroups, mom’s night out and other events aimed at young families.

Along with the bazaar, the Expo offered several business-related workshops. Sr Inayat Sahin presented a workshop entitled, Turning your Passion into a Business. She shared with the attendees how she took her love for the environment and all that is green and turned it into her business, Beyond Green Living, a consulting company that teaches families how to “go green.” The room listened intently to Sr. Zainab Alwani expound on the lives and works of famous Muslim businesswomen throughout history. From some of the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) to various waqfs (endowments) set up and maintained by Muslim women, the audience learned how women run businesses were not only allowed, but also played a vital role in the development of the early Muslim communities. Finally, Sr Nadhira Al Khalili, staff attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) presented a “Know your Rights” workshop focusing on issues concerning women in the American workplace.

“The event was well received by the community and we look forward to doing it again in the future,” said Laurie Jaghlit. If you have a woman-owned business or organization and would like to be contacted about future SISTERS Expos, please email your contact information to sistersinformation@gmail.com. Please include the type of business/organization as well as a phone number.

S.I.S.T.E.R.S is pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 scholarships:

In an effort to highlight the academic and civic achievements of young Muslim women in the DC Metropolitan Area, S.I.S.T.E.R.S initiated this scholarship program in 2007. S.I.S.T.E.R.S aims to recognize and assist deserving students to achieve their higher education goals. This year, a one thousand dollar scholarship will be awarded to THREE of the most qualified applicants. One $1000.00 scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior, one to a current undergraduate college student (a student with 12+ credit hours), and one to a sister currently in graduate school (a student with 9+ credit hours). In order to be considered for this award, all applicants are required to meet the following eligibility guidelines:

• Be a Muslim female.
• Be a D.C. Metropolitan Resident (D.C., Maryland, Virginia)
• Currently be enrolled in or accepted to a 2 or 4 year community college, university or graduate school.
• For undergraduate category, must be between 17-25 years old.
• Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or better.
• Demonstrate an active participation in community service work.
• Submit a grade transcript.
• Complete a short essay component.
• Submit a letter of recommendation.

All applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2010. Click here for the application with instructions as to how to apply for this scholarship. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact us at sistersinformation@gmail.com. You will notified only if you are chosen to receive the scholarship. Winner will be announced at our S.I.S.T.E.R.S Tea in April 2010.

In an effort to highlight the academic and civic achievements of young Muslim women in the DC Metropolitan Area, S.I.S.T.E.R.S initiated this scholarship in 2007. S.I.S.T.E.R.S aims to recognize and assist deserving students to achieve their higher education goals. This year, a one thousand dollar scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior and one to a current college student. In order to be considered for this award, all applicants are required to meet the following eligibility guidelines:

• Be a Muslim female between the ages of 17-24 years old.
• Currently be enrolled in or accepted to a 2 or 4 year college/university.
• Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or better.
• Demonstrate an active participation in community service work.
• Submit a grade transcript.
• Complete a short essay component.
• Submit a letter of recommendation.

All applications must be postmarked by February 28, 2009. Click here for the application with instructions as to how to apply for this scholarship. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact us at sistersinformation@gmail.com. You will notified only if you are chosen to receive the scholarship. Winner will be announced by March 28, 2009.

Sanam is a high school senior attending Freedom High School. She has a GPA of over 4.0 and has maintained that standard all through high school, masha’Allah. She has a true activist spirit and has taken the initiative in organizing fundraisers for many worthy causes. She has received the Excellence in Academic and AP Scholar Awards. She plans to study biology. Read her essay here.

In an effort to highlight the academic and civic achievements of young Muslim women in the DC Metropolitan Area, S.I.S.T.E.R.S initiated this scholarship program in 2008. S.I.S.T.E.R.S aims to recognize and assist deserving students to achieve their higher education goals. This year, two one thousand dollar scholarships will be awarded to the most deserving applicants. In order to be considered for this award, all applicants are required to meet the following eligibility guidelines. You must:

• Be a Muslim female between the ages of 17-22 years old.
• Currently be enrolled in or accepted to a 2 or 4 year college/university program.
• Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or better.
• Demonstrate an active participation in community service work.
• Complete a short essay component.
• Submit a letter of recommendation.
• Submit a copy of grade transcript.

Click here for the application with the instructions as to how to apply for this scholarship. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact us at sistersinformation@gmail.com. You will be notified only if you are chosen to receive the scholarship. The winners will be announced by April 18, 2008.

In conjunction with CAIR, S.I.S.T.E.R.S participated in the Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure on June 2, 2007. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Race for the Cure, which promotes breast cancer awareness and raises millions to help find a cure.