Hello There: An Introduction

Hello! I'm super excited to be here writing for this new site, and while I am getting myself all set up (and you'll have to bear with me on that!), I thought I would write a quick introduction post.

My name is Ashley, I am 23 years old and born and raised in a small town in the U.S.A., though I am currently staying in Algeria with my awesome husband of two years.

I have a BA from UC Santa Cruz in language studies, and an MA from London Metropolitan in translation. I am a translator and a blogger.

And I am a Muslim.

I wear a scarf on my head and pray five times a day. I don't drink alcohol or eat pork.

In light of the recent election in the United States and the resulting political climate across the globe I was, needless to say, rather enthusiastic to take up the offer to become a contributor for this new site.

In times like these it is even more important for me to use every platform available to me to get my voice and my story out into the world, and to provide a counter-narrative to all of the Donald Trumps, the ISISs, the burka bans, and all those in the mainstream media who seek to demonize the “others” of our societies.

 So to begin with I hope to be posting here once a week. I will be sharing my story and experiences as a Muslim living between the West and East, and I will hopefully also be sharing some of the many beautiful aspects of my religion that don't get represented by the media.

If you are interested in Islam or hearing my story please feel free to follow me on this site, and if you know of someone who could benefit from my story please do share!

If you are interested more in my main niche (writing about the experiences of a convert to Islam as well as sharing support and resources for other converts) please do head over and check out my main blog, which will be undergoing a bit of a makeover soon! It is called Muslimah According to Me and you can find it over at www.muslimahaccordingtome.wordpress.com.

I look forward to sharing with you all!

Image credit. ashleycreatesthings.com