By Irina Missiuro
Thursday, 07 November 2013 15:25

Saliha Malik dispels myths and stereotypes

The Jewish Voice sat down for a conversation with Saliha (Carol) Malik, a British convert from Christianity to Islam. Malik will appear at Temple Emanu-El’s Fishbein Chapel on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 2:00 p.m. to discuss what it’s like to be a religious Islamic woman. In her talk, she will debunk some prevailing media-perpetuated myths and stereotypes about her faith.

I began the conversation by asking Malik to tell me about herself and the circumstances through which she arrived at the decision to convert. She divulged that, in England, she trained to be a teacher of the Alexander technique – the system of reeducating the postural mechanism. After she finished her studies, she came to the United States in 1984 to establish a drama school in Berkley, California.

While there, she met a young Islamic man whom she describes as “extremely gentle and kind.” Malik elaborated, “I had been acquainted with men in my own culture as being rather pushy and presumptuous in terms of interaction.” Referring to her contact with men in the Islamic community, she said, “I was struck by the difference in their respectful treatment of a woman.” Continuing, Malik shared that this man gave her the writings of the Promised Messiah, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community she currently belongs to, and she thought them to be compelling and moving: “I felt his teaching seemed to fit my direction entirely.”

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