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Social & Political justice. Too numerous to mention here. Cultural justice would be nice too, as well as Religious justice (ie equal rights of religious minorities in countries, including the USA that do not actually practice equality based on religious affiliation)

Fashion but within the Muslim world. There are amazing designs coming out & they are using textiles in ways that enhance the movement of the body rather than slip it down to nakedness.

Subjects relating to Muslims Women & our rights...whether we live in the "west" or the "east". It seems far too easy for bigots to attack Muslim women, including the so called "defenders" of women'ws rights...the feminists. I would like to see Muslim women (meaning women who aren't hostile to their own religion) being allowed to speak for themselves for a change. That would be a novel idea, especially in the "West"

Fine Art... especially contemporary Islamic art
Photography
Poetry
Gardening
Landscaping
Veil designs...I'm not talking about bridal veils, I'm talking about Islamic/Muslim veils
human rights
philosophy
Publishing
reading
horticulture
Women's Studies
Family Rights
Cultural awareness
Religious tolerance
interfaith dialogue
My webpage

HISTORY
History of Islam in South Dakota
History of Islam in Europe
History of Islam in the Americas
History of Islam in Africa
Historical clothing
Historical Re-enactments
cooking
Music, including Zydeco, Jazz, Middle Eastern, Country Western, Country Rock, Rock n Roll, Hip Hop, Blues, Hillbilly Rock, Rocky Mountain Bluegrass, Southern Bluegrass, and so much more.

OK, I love humor. Sometimes it may seem bizarre or somewhat weird, but heh we all have to laugh! Here is an example. I love this vid. Mind you I love the original song & the movie it comes from (Fiddler on the Roof), but to see this vid just made me laugh! The ironies here are fabulous. So hope you enjoy.

The more important book to me is Quran. I know it may sound like a cliche, but considering it has such a major impact on ALL our lives (whether Muslim or not) why aren't more people seeking to read for themselves & thus know for themselves what IT teaches?

I strongly urge non-Muslims, as well as Muslims to take the time to read the Quran. There are some good English Translations out there (ie The Holy Quran : text, translation & commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali ). I recommend ordering one from Alibris.com since that way you don't have to give out your name & address to any organization (on either side of the aisle). They have both new & used English translations for about $17.
I encourage you, if you hold the Holy Bible as the word of God, to take & study the two together. Read subject to subject, using the index in the Quran to help you in your studies. Understand the Quran is not a Narrative book, but rather narrative verses, compiled in order of length -- not chronological. So western readers who are used to reading "a book" tend to get a bit confused initially at the fractured format that they perceive. However, if you study based on subject matter (ie stereotypes you already believe; or subjects such as concept of angels, God, Jesus, etc -- you may find you are surprised at what you read.)

My view is simple...we can never come together as human beings, if we never accept diversity in humanity. Thus the true way to Peace is through understanding & the breaking down of the wall of fear that has been built between societies & ideologies.

Look at it this way.... if your faith is TRUE...what do have to fear from something that isnt? God is most Wise, most Great.

Most of my books I read relate in some way to my research interests. (ie Cross-gender, non-verbal communication & the effects veiling has on it). So I do a lot of research (for the sake of learning) on religion, gender studies, etc.

I also read some books that are being written & toted by feminists as "proofs" regarding Islamic oppression of women. I find the logic used by most authors to be biased & lacking scholarly proof that the "cause" is ISLAM (or religion). Most often it would be like going to a women's shelter in the US & interviewing abused women, then turning around and writing a book saying that AMERICAN CULTURE is the cause of the abuse. Yet for some bizarre reason this sort of psyco-babble is accepted within the feminist circles as scholarly work.

I believe strongly in women's RIGHTS, but not male oppression or degredation of either gender for the sake of the other.

Women are perhaps some of the worst examples of oppression of women, including Feminists.

Case in point, while western feminists scream equality, do you see them defending the rights of education for Muslim women who CHOOSE to wear a headscarf or veil?

Why not?

Do feminists only promote "equality" if the women are amongst their own ranks, or is the "equality" supposed to be for ALL women?

The same must be asked by Europeans and Americans. Do we, as Western citizens, believe that people should have equal access or "equal access" only if they look, dress & believe like "us"?

A book I should perhaps promote is the book my daughter & I are profiled in. Its The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America -- by Donna Gekrke-White.

Donna isn't Muslim. She's a journalist who writes for the Miami Herald, who profiled the lives a great many Muslim American women, allowing the readers to see a spectrum of Muslim women across the US. I recommend it to anyone really interested in the lives of Muslim Women. ..BOOKS I READ:..

Quran

Women Under the Shade of Islam: A Discourse on Women's Issues -- by Jamal Badawi

What is the Origin of Man: The Answers of Science and the Holy Scriptures -- by Maurice Bucaille

Approaching the Quran: the early Revelations -- introduced & translated by Michael Sells

God & Man in the Quran: Semantics of the Quranic Wetanschauung -- by Toshihiko Izutsu

The Cross & the Crescent -- by Jerald Dirks

Sruggling to Surrender: Some Impressions of an American Convert to Islam -- by Jeffrey Lang

Islam: the Alternative -- by Murad Hofman

Abraham: The Friend of God -- by Jerald Dirks
Understanding Islam: A Guide for the Judaeo-Christian Reader -- by Jerald Dirks

Essential Sufism -- by Fadiman & Frager

Eve & Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis & Gender -- by Kwam, Schearing & Ziegler

Nine Parts of Desire: the hidden World of Islamic Women -- by Geraldine Brooks

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus -- by John Gray

The Gospel according to Paul -- by Knofel Staton

Confessions of an Organized Housewife -- by Deniece Schofield
Effective Business Writing -- by Gerald Morton

Totally Organized: the Bonnie McCullough Way -- by By Bonnie McCullough

Price of Honor: Muslim Women Life the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World -- by Jan Goodwin

The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nuns -- by Elizabeth Kuhns

MY heroes are those people who sacrificed for the sake of others!

My heroes are everyday people working in lowly positions with little recognition & making our lives more comfortable in the process!

My personal hereo is my mother, who stood up to an abusive husband & often times stood in the path of his wrath, so that us kids didn't get the prunt of his rage & alcoholism.

I also see her as a hereo because she carried me for 9 months, cared for me when I was sickly & kept me alive when the doctors said I should have long ago died!

My heroes are the homeless men & women who despite their conditions maintain dignity in the way the live out their lives & the way they interact with others.

My Hero includes my step-father who I call Dad... I am the daughter of Juanita Mann (McCauley) & Steve (aka Rockie) David, who divorced when I was quite young. (which was a blessing for me, since he was an alcoholic), but DAD raised me & instilled a sense of responsiblity to one's community & family in me. I greatly respect what he gifted me with. He died in June 2007, while I & my younger brother were visiting the Crow Creek community so as to ask them how best we could help. We were where our Dad would have wanted us to be... with the living. I pray he is in heaven now. He was my role model on how one can make a difference one person at a time. Later my mother married a decent, down to earth, mature man. His name was Clarence (aka CW) McCauley. He raised me & my brothers, as if we were his own. May God bless him for that sacrifice. For it was a sacrifice, since we were four emotionally scarred kids, who for good reason didn't trust adult males. But CW became our Dad after years of caring for us & showing us he would protect us, not abuse us. So he earned the title DAD. You can be a father, and never be a Dad -- or in his case, be a Dad and yet never be a father. Fathers are sperm donors -- while Dad's are donors of LOVE. He passed away June 22, at the age of 91 in Wray, Colorado; after years of suffering from Alzchiemer's. We & all those other chosen "kids" he took under his wing will never forget the love he showed to us & others who just needed a REAL man in their life. May God bless him & allow him entrance into Paradise. Dad was a rancher & farmer the majority of his working life. He began farming after graduating 8th grade (since that was as far as the school went). He encouraged his parents to move from their homestead in eastern Colorado, so that his younger siblings could attend college. Instead they set up a farm for him closer to town, & gave him the responsibility to take care of his siblings as they attended high school! Later WWII broke out, and Dad enlisted in the military, but due to an injury during basic training, he wasn't allowed to go fight. Instead he was stationed in a hospital where, once again he took care of others, caring for injured soldiers. While enlisted, he also sent back most of his pay to support his younger brother who attended college. After getting out of the military, Dad married Peggie (his first wife). They moved to Yuma, Arizona where they homesteaded the desert & helped to bring the desert to the green productive area people see today. But back then it was far different. He worked long hours in the hot desert sun, nursing orange groves & cotton fields; while he & his wife lived in a converted chicken coop. Over the years, Dad not only improved his own economic standing, but also gave generously to charities. One of the most long standing being that of the New Mexico's Boys Ranch. Years later, they returned to Yuma, Colorado & took over the operation of the family farm ; while still owning their Yuma, Arizona farm. After some years of overseeing two farms, Peggie was killed in a one-car accident. A few years later, Dad ended up marrying my mother, Juanita & taking under his wing four children ranging in ages of 8 to 13.