Asra Nomani
Asra Q. Nomani is a professor in the practice of journalism at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies. Nomani along with Barbara Feinman Todd, associate dean of journalism, is leading the Pearl Project, a faculty-student investigation into the 2002 kidnapping murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi, Pakistan.
Nomani was previously a visiting scholar at the Center for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University and a Poynter Fellow at Yale University, and is co-founder of Muslims for Peace, a group dedicated to creating a unified voice of Muslims for peace and tolerance. The American Association of University Women named her a Women of Distinction in 2007.
A former Wall Street Journal reporter, Nomani has written on issues related to Islam for a number of publications, including the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine, American Prospect, Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated for Women, Runner’s World and People magazine. The New York Times cited her “Rosa Parks-style activism” for her advocacy of women’s rights in mosques. The American Academy of Religion recognized her writings on Islam for distinguished opinion writing in 2007. She has provided commentary on Islam on CNN, NPR, BBC, Nightline and Al-Jazeera, among others.
Nomani authored Standing Alone: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam about her pilgrimage to Mecca and efforts to reclaim Muslim women’s rights in the 21st century. She also authored Tantrika: Traveling the Road of Divine Love, a journey into the corners of her identity as a Muslim born in India and raised in America.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Sciences from West Virginia University, and a master’s degree in International Communications for American University. Nomani has a son, Shibli.