Muslim women from the Dallas area came to speak against the stereotypes of Muslim women. The panel discussed life as a Muslim woman in the United States, as professionals, mothers, spouses and single women.

The panel consisted of women from Lebanon, Pakistan, Libya, Syria and the United States. All the women now live in America, and some have families and husbands. Their jobs vary from real estate agent to pharmacist to pediatrician.

Deborah Sarles Zbeida, an educational consultant and teacher trainer, converted to Islam after nine years of marriage to her Muslim husband. She grew up in a Christian home with a preacher for a father. After asking her husband questions and learning more about the Muslim faith, she decided that Islam was for her. Zbeida says there are no inequalities in Islam.

“In Islam, we’re judged on piety and righteousness. On the day of judgment, gender makes no difference,” said Zbeida.

Dr. Hind Jarrah from the Arab Heritage Society agrees.

“The Quran says that mankind was established from both man and woman, not one or the other. It is based off of whatever is required to be a good human being,” said Jarrah.

Jarrah moved from Beirut, Lebanon, to the United States in 1975. Her husband had finished his studies at the American University of Beirut and decided to move to Dallas to do his fellowship in cardiology. Jarrah is a practicing pharmacist, but after Sept. 11, she decided to go back into presenting and teaching others about the Arab world.

“I never thought that I’d have to prove that I am a decent human being. Continuously we feel that we need to convince people that we’re not terrorists. … We are American just like everyone else,” said Jarrah.

Realtor Nishat Karimi said she has faced a similar challenge.

“I feel like I’ve had to educate more people about who I am and what my religion is,” said Karimi, a member of the Islamic Association of North Texas. “People would ask me where I was from, and I would say Rochester, New York. And they’d be like, no, originally, so I’d say Pakistan. I would tell them that Pakistan is an island off of New York, and people believed me.”

Islam has drawn more attention in the news in the last year. That has led to the children in Muslim families asking about their faith.

Yasmina Ben Halim, a member of the Islamic Association of Collin County and a mother of two girls, said she is continually teaching her children about Islam.

“My kids will always ask me, ‘Why can’t we do this and why can’t we do that?'” said Ben Halim. She tells them about the many rules Islam has about they way women may dress, date and act.

“They are starting to search for their roots. They want to learn about their American side, their Muslim side and their Arabic side,” said Ben Halim.

Zbeida and the panel emphasized how Muslim women are encouraged to study and learn just as the men do. They always have the final choice in whom they want to marry, what career they choose to pursue, and all other aspects of their lives.