About Blogger

Assalaam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu [May the Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon You]

Jazaakom Allah Khayr (a.k.a “Thank You”) for visiting my blog.

A little bit about me:

• I am a Yemeniya [a woman from Yemen] specifically from Aden. Originally my father’s family came to Aden from Kawkaban, and settled there.
• I was born in China (Peking), when my father was South Yemen’s ambassador to Yemen.
• Eldest of four siblings: Arwa (born in India), Mueen (born in Yemen), and Liza (born in England).
• Lived in Yemen, China, India, England, Germany, Ethiopia, Tanzania,  Djibouti and the USA. My father was an ambassador to Yemen from the years 1970-2001, before Ali Abdullah Saleh forcibly retired all Yemeni diplomats from the southern part of Yemen.
• Fluent in Arabic and English with reading ability in German–without much practice my oral abilities in German, which were excellent, have dwindled.
• Married to Khaled, also from Yemen, specifically from Yaf’e I must say, the best career of all is being a wife.
• Inherited my mother’s passion for cooking–she is still, to me, the most wonderful cook in the world. All of my dishes are either hers or inspired by her. I share my recipes on my cooking blog “A Yemeniyah’s Recipes.“
• Ph.D. holder of English Literature from the University of Minnesota. The title of my dissertation was: “The Women of the Turk and Moor Plays” in which I discussed early modern (16th and 17th century) English representations of Muslim women on the English stage.
• M.A. in English Language and Literature from Iowa State University. The title of my thesis was: “Early Modern English Understanding of Islam trough the 1649 Alcoran of Mahomet.” I attempted, through close study of the very first translation of the Qur’an into the English language, to speculate on some of the reasons that may have led to the anonymous writer’s misinterpretation and mistranslation of Muslim Doctrine, which in turn shaped early modern English minds about Islam.
• B.A. in English Language and Literature with a minor in Education from Aden University/ Faculty of Arts, Science and Education in my home city Aden/Republic of Yemen.
• Recipient of Fulbright Scholarship in 1997.
• Recipient of Myron Allen Fellowship from the University of Minnesota in 1999.
• Taught English Language, Writing, and Literature at: Faculty of Arts Science and Education/University Of Aden (Aden/Yemen), Institute of Languages (Aden/Yemen), Iowa State University/English Department (Ames/USA), University Of Minnesota/English Department (Minneapolis/USA), Minneapolis Community And Technical College(Minneapolis/USA).

All discussions and dialogs are open. Feel free to correct me, advise me, and offer constructive comments.

Jazaakom Allah Khayr [Thank you].

Dr. Almas

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