TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP TO SEND WOMEN TO LESBIAN CONFERENCES
OIA Newswire PHILADELPHIA - Al-Fatiha Foundation, a U.S.-based organization dedicated to supporting and empowering Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning, announced Saturday the inauguration of a travel scholarship fund in the memory of Somayyah Siddiqi. Siddiqi, a graduate of Swarthmore College and a member of Al-Fatiha Philadelphia, died two years ago after sustaining serious injuries from a car accident. As an advocate for social justice and equal rights, Siddiqi was active in a number of different organizations including AIDS Fund Philadelphia and the Queer Union at Swarthmore College. She passed away on weekend before she was to take a position at the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania. The Somayyah Siddiqi travel scholarship fund will be used to subsidize travel costs for women and young people attending Al-Fatiha conferences and retreats. "Somayyah firmly believed in equality and justice, especially for marginalized communities," said Faisal Alam, founder of Al-Fatiha. "By dedicating this travel scholarship fund in Somayyah's name, Al-Fatiha will begin to create resources to bring women and young people to events that they otherwise may not be able to afford." Al-Fatiha plans to distribute the first round of travel scholarships to women and young people who want to attend a lesbian, bisexual and transgender Muslim women's retreat, to be held in July in Philadelphia. The retreat will be the first of its kind: a place where women will gather together and create community, while discussing topics of particular concern to lesbian, bisexual and transgender Muslim women. "Our goal is to have as many women as we can be present at this historic event," Alam said. "The women's retreat is something that Somayyah would have been proud to be a part of. It is our hope that Somayyah's vision for a retreat where women from all across the country can come to is fulfilled." [1/10/05] -- www.gaybombay.info ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Help save the life of a child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.' http://us.click.yahoo.com/mGEjbB/5WnJAA/E2hLAA/WfTolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Group Site: http://www.gaybombay.info ========================== NEW CLASSIFIEDS SECTION SEEKING FRIENDS? VISIT www.gaybombay.info click on classified section and type your message in the post section once the link opens This message was posted to the gay_bombay Yahoo! Group. Responses to messages (by clicking "Reply") will also be posted on the eGroup and sent to all members. If you'd like to respond privately to the author of any message then please compose and send a new email message to the author's email address. For Parties and events go to: http://calendar.yahoo.com/YYY,04497/srt,0/gaybombaygroup/?v=42&POS= Post:- gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com Subscribe:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Digest Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] No Mail Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Individual Mail Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contact Us:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives are at http://www.mail-archive.com/gay_bombay%40yahoogroups.com/maillist.html Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_bombay/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
