Sharifa Alkhateeb

By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 27, 2004; Page B06

Sharifa Alkhateeb, 58, who founded advocacy groups for Muslim women and explained the ways of Islam to America and the world as a scholar, journalist and educator, died Oct. 21 of pancreatic cancer at her home in Ashburn.

Mrs. Alkhateeb embraced both American and Islamic ways in her lifelong effort to bridge gaps between the two cultures. Often quoted in news reports about Muslim matters, particularly pertaining to women, she also advised schools, police departments, corporate directors, governmental agencies and textbook publishers on the nature of Islamic life.

As founder of the North American Council for Muslim Women, she focused attention on domestic violence and other problems of women in the Islamic world. She edited an English translation of the Koran, chaired the Muslim caucus at the United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 and helped get Arabic introduced as a subject in Northern Virginia public schools.

In many ways, Mrs. Alkhateeb lived a conventional Muslim life. She was the mother of three daughters, faithfully prayed five times a day and observed her religion's dietary practices and other customs. Although she wore western dresses and slacks, she had covered her hair with a scarf since she was 16. (continued here)