title: Yasmin Essa of MBMuslima Magazine

Yasmin is an inspirational and inspired sister who has single handedly created a gorgeous monthly magazine for sisters. I had the pleasure of working with Yasmin when Muslimas Oasis was featured in the 3rd issue (October 1st) and couldn’t miss the chance to interview her about the magazine.

Tell us a bit about Modest Beautiful Muslima Magazine.

At it’s bare minimum, Modest Beautiful Muslima (MBM) Magazine is a contemporary magazine for Muslim women. However, when looked at from all different perspectives, it is also for the non-Muslim women, the Muslim man, and the non-Muslim man. There are WAY to many misconceptions associated with the Muslim woman, which is one of the reasons why I started the magazine. Therefore, this magazine celebrates the Muslim woman within herself as well as to others. The Muslim women community is arguably the most diverse community amongst women. We have such a diverse representation whether it is what country we are from, what accent we have, or the places we encounter. Although very diverse, we have one thing that unifies us in a very strong way: Islam.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to embark on a project like this!

My name is Yasmin Essa and I am the founder of the magazine, all praises due to Allah subhana wa ta’ala. I am currently 20 years old. Within the last year, I have reconnected to Islam in a way I can only thank my Creator for. Prior to this, I was straying from a gift I was given to at birth. Reconnecting to such a beautiful religion powered me with the motivation to do something beneficial for it. At first, I did not have a clue as to what I would do. This brain storming began this past April of 2009. I had some ideas that I never really ended up executing. I thought about starting a blog for Muslim teenagers called Bridging Islam, but I came to realize that was not what I was looking to do. On June 30th, 2009, I came to this idea of creating a magazine for Muslim women. Very anxious and excited, I spent the whole night thinking of its name. I finally came to link the words modest and beautiful together because I believe you can not have one without the other. That same night I registered the domain www.mbmuslima.com and with the guidance of Allah SWT, began my new venture. At first I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to construct a legit website, or how I would publish the magazine. Even with all of these barriers, with the guidance of Allah SWT, I was able to publish the first issue a month later on August 1st alhamdulilah. The rest was history. Even though it has only been 4 months, the magazine has grown so much. Alhamdulilah, there are over 700 readers so far. Four issues have been published thus far and with each one comes improvement. I pray that Allah SWT will bless all those who contribute as well as those who read and share the magazine.

Amin to your dua! MashaAllah that’s an amazing story! Do you have any plans for expanding the reach of the magazine or publishing a print version?

Yes! inshaAllah,(God-willing) I am in the process of figuring out the logistics for publishing the magazine in print. It will be a little hard to start up, as it is a non-Profit magazine, but that is exactly why I am working on it from now. I would like the magazine to be available in print within the next year, inshaAllah (God-willing). I am also currently expanding the reach of the magazine by including special features catered to non-Muslim readers. In the long term, I would like to start adding videos to the website.

What kinds of Articles can readers expect from MBMuslima?

The articles within the magazine range from many different topics: health, daily life, nutrition/food, fitness, family, Islam, leadership, etc.

How do you decide what will be in each issue? Do you have a plan or just look around for things that you think will work?

Certain things are in every issue, such as the Quran Challenge. As of the third issue, My Halal Kitchen (www.myhalalkitchen.com) recipes will have a column every issue, featuring three recipes from a specific cuisine. Also, Notes from Nazeeya is a new regular column written by Sister Nazeeya. She shares a short blog in each issue, starting from the third issue. The fourth issue just launched the pre-face and 1st chapter of a novel written by Sister Meena Ansari. Each following chapter will be released, chapter by chapter in the upcoming issues. As for the rest of the magazine, each issue has a specific core theme. From there, I have a general idea what I am looking for. However, at the same time, I never limit myself to a theme. If I receive a contribution article, I fit it in somehow, as long as it is appropriate, which has worked out great so far. The very first issue was featured with a Ramadan theme. The second issue followed with a continuation of Ramadan themes also with a spotlight on why Sister Brook Hymes converted to Islam. The third issue was a special feature issue, highlighting the accomplishments of Muslim women in their communities. The most recent issue, the fourth issue was themed as a Knowledge Issue. A large portion of this issue focuses on educating non-Muslims about what Islam really is.

How has the magazine and the stories you’ve published inspired you?

Each and every story inspires me as if it were the first story. They all inspire me for different reasons. Convert stories inspire me in the sense that they remind me how lucky I am to have been born a religion that is so dear to my heart, alhamdulilah (all thanks to God). They also touch me because they are so meaningful and pure. Every single article in Modest Beautiful Muslima has been nothing less than inspirational. Each article holds such a jewel-like takeaway message. These are the types of articles I wish will continue to be published in MBM, inshaAllah (God-willing)

Do you have a favorite story so far that’s been published?

First of all, I must say, I am absolutely terrible at picking favorites. The problem with picking a favorite story is that I enjoy each story for a different reason. No two stories are alike and therefore it is almost impossible to compare them to one another. I can say though that there has not been one story published yet that has not touched me.

I understand you do all the design work for the magazine and website, mashaAllah, as a web designer I know that’s a lot of work! How long does it take you to put together an issue once you have the material?

*Laughs* A long time! SubhanAllah, I am not too sure how each article gets pulled together so wonderfully. Alhamdulilah, I must thank Allah for making it possible as well as my contributors and readers. It is sometimes hectic juggling many things ( I am a full-time student and I also work a part-time job and involved in numerous campus organizations). However, Allah SWT has made it possible for me to somehow manage a good amount of time dedicated towards the magazine. Each month, I dedicate about 2 weekend days (about 10-12 hours / day) strictly working on editing/designing/publishing/updating website the 1st of the month. Besides that, I spend about 15-30 minutes a day maintaining social networks and answering E-mails. As far as writing articles, I do this during the first two weeks of every month and spread it out. I would say I spend about 10 hours total doing so in terms of writing.