Anse Tamara Gray

The Journey

Assalamu alaykum,

As I begin my own spiritual journey, I want to hear from those who have taken this path before me. This podcast focuses on them and listening to their stories — uninterrupted. My name is Hebah Masood and I invite you to reflect on the trajectories of their lives, and the guidance and blessings provided by Allah swt along that journey.

JazakAllah khayr and special thanks to Sister Mozynah Nofal and The Women's Circle at the University of Toronto for the opportunity to host this week’s event and interview Anse Dr. Tamara Gray where this episode was recorded!

As a college student, Anse Tamara Gray became intrigued by the idea of the hijab. She had grown up Lutheran, but liked the protective nature of the hijab and so began wearing it. Within a week she purchased an English translation of the Qur'an. She was stunned to read verse 35 in Surah Al-Ahzab that addresses both men and women as equal believers. As someone with a feminist background, it caught her attention and she decided to take the shahada. In those early years as a Muslim, she found herself frustrated with the often confusing answers she was receiving to religious questions, so she realized she had to study sacred knowledge. She had heard of female teachers in Syria, which appealed to her. Her plan: marry a Syrian and study in Syria. She would end up spending 20 years in Syria, moving back to the United States in 2012.

Today, most people know Anse Tamara Gray as the founder of Daybreak Press and Rabata, an organization dedicated to serving women's spiritual and educational growth. She talks about female scholarship, and the need for a women's organization by women, for women.

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