Our Story
At Strange Inc., we live and breathe our mission to empower the voices of Muslim women. We were born out of a burning passion to uplift and celebrate the creativity and diversity of our community, especially our youth and their poetic talents.
Our journey began with spoken word performances, but as we delved deeper, we realized that our community needed much more. Muslim women’s voices were being silenced, twisted, and misrepresented in media and politics. We knew we had to act.
For too long, our voices have been drowned out by biased and offensive narratives, and our stories have been hijacked and told for us. But at Strangers Inc., we refuse to be silenced any longer.
We are a faith-based organization guided by the Quran and the Sunnah of our final messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Our banner is truthfulness, and our blueprint is excellence in all we do.
At Strange Inc., we unite global Muslim creatives through art, using faith-based practice to heal and reclaim identities. Since our 2022 mission shift, we’ve published “Poetic Justice,” hosted writing shows, and formed a supportive writing group for Muslim women. Our mission: amplify authentic Muslim women’s voices, publishing books, supporting writers, and dispelling media stereotypes. We’re a potent force defending religious freedoms and sharing stories of faith, integrity, community, and culture, ensuring our voices resonate boldly worldwide.
Our vision
A world where the genuine and unique perspectives of Muslim women are valued and appreciated
Our Mission
Elevating the authentic voices of Muslim women
We help you share your voice
At our non-profit publishing house, we’re driven by a strong desire to empower Muslim women writers. We want to help you share your voice and tell your unique story. That’s why we offer a range of services, including editing, digital art, and illustrations, as well as one-on-one and group coaching sessions to support you every step of the way.
But we’re more than just a publisher. We’re a community of writers who understand the importance of supporting each other on this journey. Become a member of The Writers Block, our exclusive space where we meet for silent writing sessions and live writing workshops. This is where we come together, share our experiences, and find strength in each other. We believe that writing can be a powerful tool for healing and growth, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.
OUR CAUSES
Our values
Faith based
Our direction as an entity is deeply rooted in faith, guided by the teachings of the Quran and the noble example of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him).
Integrity
We seek not perfection, but rather a standard of excellence that is guided by authenticity and the manifestation of the best versions of ourselves.
Community
Our community is one of support and encouragement, fostering growth and instilling confidence in self-expression in line with our values.
Remedy
We believe that our art serves as a wholesome remedy, offering solace and renewal to those who engage with it.
Authenticity
And, above all, we embrace authenticity, embracing unique voices that are guided by truth and inspired by life’s experiences.
Meet the team
Aishah Alam
Kashmir Maryam
Danielle Loduca
Danielle LoDuca is a Coach Trusted Advisor for Female Leaders. Through coaching, writing, teaching and speaking, Danielle empowers women to expand their impact while taking better care of themselves than ever before.
She believes that women are the most powerful force in the world and that when women are strong, everyone benefits.
After having 5 kids in 6 years, she found herself burnt out, frail and unfulfilled. Pursuing her dream to be a horseback archer started her on a journey to transform her weakness into strength and wellbeing – mind, body, heart and soul.
From her fearless writings about her experience as an American Muslim, to founding and advising multiple businesses and nonprofits including the largest Islamic center in NYC, she has a track record of vision and bold action balanced by strong faith and genuine love.
Hager Shaukat
Hager Shawkat is the Program Director of the Community Wellness department at Sauti Yetu Center for African Women in the Bronx, NY. She has been working in public health for over 10 years. Since beginning with Sauti Yetu in 2015, she established the Community Wellness department to provide tailored reproductive health education and expanded the scope of the Department’s work to include outreach and education for other health-related services to improve the health and well-being of our community members. She currently oversees five projects within the Department. Ms. Shawkat holds a Master’s in Public Health from the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College. She gained prior experience in research, program coordination, and program evaluation at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the New York State Health Foundation, and Public Health Solutions.
Stephanie Golden
Her first book, “The Women Outside: Meanings and Myths of Homelessness” (University of California Press, 1992), was a finalist for the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and received Honorable Mention, Emily Toth Award (Women’s Caucus, Popular Culture Association, American Culture Association). She’s also author of “Slaying the Mermaid: Women and the Culture of Sacrifice” (Harmony Books, 1998) and has written seven books with expert collaborators, most covering health, fitness, and medicine. She’s written websites, newsletters, training manuals, and reports for different clients.
Her essays and articles have appeared in The Startup, Aeon, Salon, Tricycle, Curator Magazine, The Manifest-Station, and Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, among other publications.
Imam John Starling
John Starling is an alumnus of NCSU’s Poole College of Management and the Islamic University of Madinah’s College of Mission and Doctrine. He holds a Master’s Degree in Islamic Studies from the Islamic University of Minnesota and a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy from Bay Path University. He has also been awarded numerous traditional ijazahs/licenses with permission to narrate and teach in the fields of Islamic Law, Doctrine, and the Prophet Muhammad’s Biography. In the past, he has worked at the C-level in both for-profit and nonprofit sectors here at home and abroad.
Rita Sherman
Rita Sherman, Owner of OE2 Consulting, with over 30 years of corporate experience, is an accomplished professional with demonstrated success delivering strong results in the communications, document management, and technology sectors for Fortune 500 companies. She is skilled in solving complex problems by applying Lean Six Sigma’s fact-based and data-driven methodologies. Her broad background includes a Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical & Systems Engineering, Non-Profit Certification and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training. For the past 20 years, Rita has been giving her time and talent to non-profit organizations around the US and the globe supporting initiatives such as fundraising development and event planning, strategic and business planning, process improvement, accreditation preparation and board development. Rita lives with her husband in upstate New York and enjoys singing, dancing and playing classical piano.
Ali Ahmed
Ali specializes in the Private Investment space with WahedX, a subsidiary of the world’s leading Islamic FinTech Wahed Inc. Ali’s focus is on building partnerships with investors and institutions globally. Prior to joining WahedX, Ali worked for both JP Morgan and EY in London for over 5 years. Ali holds a qualification in Investment Management and studied Management with a specialism in Accounting and Finance at the University of Manchester. His mission is to democratise access to investing so regardless of who you are, you have the same access to investment products as high net-worth individuals and institutions. Ali is also the founder of GradGurus, a social enterprise that helps students from low socio-economic backgrounds transition from education in to professional careers.
Laura El Alam
Aysenur Topal
Khadijah Stott-Andrew
Irada Ronalder
Illustravina
Renee Hunt
Waheduzzaman Manik
Alexandra Sieh
