Born With Wings: The Spiritual Journey of a Modern Muslim Woman

Description

The dramatic, spiritual memoir of a prominent Muslim woman working to empower women and girls across the world—for readers of Malala Yousafzai and Azar Nafisi.

Raised in a progressive Muslim family in the shadows of the Himalayan mountains, where she attended a Catholic girls’ school, Daisy experienced culture shock when her family sent her to the States to attend high school in a mostly Jewish Long Island suburb. Ambitious and talented, she quickly climbed the corporate ladder after college as an architectural designer in New York City. Though she loved the freedom that came with being a career woman, she felt that something was missing from her life. One day a friend suggested that she visit a Sufi mosque in Tribeca. To her surprise, she discovered a home there, eventually marrying the mosque’s imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, and finding herself, as his wife, at the center of a community in which women turned to her for advice. Guided by her faith, she embraced her role as a women’s advocate and has devised innovative ways to help end child marriage, fight against genital mutilation, and, most recently, educate young Muslims to resist the false promises of ISIS recruiters.

Born with Wings is a powerful, moving, and eye-opening account of Daisy Khan’s inspiring journey—of her self-actualization and her success in opening doors for other Muslim women and building bridges between cultures. It powerfully demonstrates what one woman can do—with faith, love, and resilience.

Reviews

“A heartfelt, deeply personal, and touching account of a Muslim woman’s spiritual journey and her work to empower women and girls around the globe.”—Her Majesty Queen Noor

“Daisy Khan is one of the most prominent Muslim voices in America and an icon of female empowerment across the globe. This beautiful story of her spiritual journey is an inspiration to anyone who seeks to change the world.”—Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and Zealot

“At a time when news headlines cast Muslim societies as war-torn or rigidly traditional, Daisy Khan offers a subtler, and ultimately more optimistic, vision. Through her own story, and the stories of other change-makers, Khan reminds us how Muslim women are asserting their rights while holding fast to their faith.”—Carla Power, author of If the Oceans Were Ink

“A lyrical, poignant, emboldening, and, most of all, deeply important book.”—Bruce Feiler, author of Abraham and Walking the Bible

Author Biography

Daisy Khan is an award-winning speaker, author, activist, commentator, and the founder of Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE), the largest global network of Muslim women committed to peace-building, gender equality, and human dignity.

She has been involved in grassroots efforts combating anti-Muslim bias for over twenty years and is renowned as a thought leader on Muslim women’s rights, Islam in America. Khan believes that women’s leadership is essential to solving societal issues, and published the WISE Up Report in collaboration with 72 authors to create a counter-momentum to the rise in hateful rhetoric and violent extremism. Her memoir, Born with Wings, published in 2018 by Random House, depicts her spiritual journey as a modern Muslim woman and her circuitous path to leadership.

Khan was listed among TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential” People and The Huffington Post listed her among “Top Ten Women Faith leaders” and MORE Magazine described her as “a link between moderate Islam and the West.” She is the recipient of twenty awards and honors including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, Edinburgh Peace Award, Interfaith Center’s Award for Promoting Peace, Women’s E-News named her “21 women of the 21st century.” Glamour Magazine listed her among “7 Women You Must Follow on Twitter.”