Saudi Gazette contacted Sara Bokker by email and had the following interview with her: In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Who said: “On the Day you shall see the believing men and the believing women: their light running forward before them and by their right hands: Glad tidings for you this Day! Gardens beneath which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever! Truly, this is the great success!” (Qur'an 57:12) Dear sister Sara Bokker, you're one example of the chosen men and women whom Almighty Allah, through His mercy and blessings, has guided to the Truth, and to be Insha' Allah among the believers whom Allah has promised Paradise. We find your story truly inspiring, and would like to ask you a few questions about yourself and the active life you now lead as a member of the Muslim community, as a defender of justice for humanity, and of women's rights. Let's first begin by asking who Sara Bokker of today is? Today, Sara Bokker is one of the Muslims who is eternally grateful for Allah's greatest bounty of Islam, someone who is most pleased and eager to submit to the Almighty, one who struggles day in and day out to please her Creator, doing her best to enjoin good and to forbid evil, and praying for all Muslims and humanity that Allah may bring His mercy and guidance to all. As an American woman who has accepted Islam and is now living the life of a true Muslim woman, what are the most challenging aspects of your life, should there be any? We can only strive to please Allah by growing stronger in our faith and struggling to be more of what Allah asks of us and to obey the Almighty the way that pleases Him. Of course life is challenging, especially that things just aren't as they should be in today's world. Sometimes I am frustrated and want to change things right here, right now, but I know that Allah is the One Who decides when and how we can be agents for change and we must work hard to be ready and patient for that time. Are you aware of people who have accepted Islam because they read your conversion story? Have they contacted you to show their appreciation? I am aware of many sisters who were strengthened, inspired and motivated to wear hijab and niqab, but I am not particularly aware of anyone who reverted on account of my story, per se. How do you envision the future of Islam in America, and in the West in general? We envision that Islam is the only solution to man's suffering. I did experience enacting Muslim solutions to contemporary problems as superior through the organization I started working for right before my Islam although I did not fully understand at the time that such widely-recognized success was in fact due to Muslim prescription for success. America is not different than any other place where people suffer from the absence of Allah in the heart. A wise approach to introducing and integrating Islam in daily life of Americans and others, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, will definitely go a long way toward a better life and better future for all. Do you think the more Islam is negatively depicted, and Muslims provoked by people like Terry Jones the more it will trigger non-Muslims' interest to learn more about it, as a result of which perhaps many people may convert to Islam? Every time Islam is smeared and attacked, it presents a golden opportunity to capitalize on the generated controversy and interest. Unfortunately, time and time again, we see such opportunities often missed for a host of reasons, mostly due to hasty and uncalculated reactions by Muslims. You regard yourself a Muslim woman feminist now, what do you mean by that and what kind of reactions are you getting from American feminists who may view the hijab differently than you do? I have experienced a long time enslavement to materialistic society and expectations of others who do not even see women as valuable human beings or even human beings at all – nothing more than objects to be used and abused. Women in the West suffer greatly from both social and society-dictated self-perception. I try to use my personal experience to guide women out of such vicious cycles, empowering them to respect themselves and rise up out of their current reality to eventually act as pillars in building a strong society, Insha' Allah. Could you please tell us about your role as “Communications Director” at The March for Justice project? What is it exactly? Frankly, my boss at The March for Justice is not quite happy with me currently being more focused on Muslims rather than the “more universal” approach we always followed at The March. However, I get all the support I need and pray that one day I will be able to resume higher engagement as my duties as “Communications Director” involve a great deal of dealings outside Muslim community. As co-founder of “The Global Sisters Network”, please comment on the nature of your work. The network was initiated the day I took my Shahadah initially as a woman's group within The March. As the time went by, it turned into a support network for Muslims, new Muslims, and for bringing more sisters into the fold of Islam. Due to the women-exclusive nature of the network, we observe some different guidelines than those of The March. But as the whole March network is evolving soon into a new expanded phase, we expect to have more effective impact worldwide Insha' Allah, including women. Essentially, the Global Sisters Network's objectives are to support sisters throughout the world, by assisting those moving to new areas, connecting sisters in the same area, encouraging sisters to do business with each other, in general, doing our best to help sisters with anything they need help with. We send a monthly email announcement introducing new sisters and sharing any help requests as well as a directory of contacts, which is updated monthly. As producer of the “Shock & Awe Gallery”, how do you think this initiative has helped to promote the Palestinian cause? Shock and Awe was my first media project within The March as a key part of The March anti-war campaign. First edition was for the breakout of the war until the fall of Baghdad. The second edition was on Fallujah, then another on Gaza. As you can see “The March Shock and Awe Gallery” was key in raising worldwide awareness against war and massive violations it represented which also helped in turning anti-war into a political agenda as well. At The March we aspire to follow a wisely calculated address to contemporary problems on various levels, of which our media work is only a part of the work that reflects our philosophy.
