Kids' magazine promotes a kinder Islam - Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg mom created the glossy publication

While Canadians ponder the arrest of so-called homegrown terror suspects, a mom in Linden Woods is publishing a kids' magazine promoting a kinder, gentler version of Islam.

'It's a labour of love,' says Rawia Azzahrawi, who has a master's degree in Arabic language and literature and three children aged 14, seven and five. 'We needed it... I scanned the Internet to subscribe to a magazine for my kids.'

Traditionally, print materials for kids about Islamic history and Arabic language instruction have been dry and 'boring,' she says. There was nothing appealing, or presented in a 'fun and attractive' format, so she decided to create something that was.

Her glossy, 16-page magazine, Sindibad, has puzzles and games, interviews with kids, features on Islamic history, nature and science and explores different cultures around the world. It costs $4 and is written in English. In the first edition, there is a primer on Welsh words and Arabic phrases, and a poem called Peace Begins with You. Her goal was to allow the new Muslim generation to be 'a positive part of this world and serve their community and other communities in a positive way by building the bridges between each other.'

Sindibad is the only English print magazine of its kind being distributed across North America, she said. Azzahrawi named and modelled the magazine after a cartoon character called Sindibad from her childhood in Kuwait. Sindibad was an adventurer who travelled the world, meeting people and learning things.

The magazine has a Jordanian designer, an Egyptian illustrator, Canadian contributors and is printed in Winnipeg.

'Muslim kids need to be a part of North America,' said the editor-in-chief, who's lived in North America for 15 years. The Arabic language instructor who has taught in Buffalo, N.Y. and Regina before coming to Winnipeg said she's worked with school kids on newspapers, who enjoyed seeing their writing in print. They need to see themselves reflected back in the media, she said.

In the first copy of Sindibad that came out this summer, her son, Bara, 14, interviewed a young provincial chess master about his sport.

'We're starting to get into the media more,' said Bara. 'It's nice.'

There is still a place for print publications because a magazine is easier to carry around than a laptop, said Bara who is starting at St. Paul's High School this fall.

His mom is hoping the quarterly publication will attract more readers and eventually advertisers so it can expand to 24 pages as well as the Internet.

'I believe it's worth the money, time and effort.' Azzahrawi said her husband, a pathologist at the Health Sciences Centre, backed the start-up of the magazine. Copies have been sent to Islamic schools across North America and Indigo bookstores are carrying it as well.

'It's open for everybody,' she said.

'My goal is to introduce Islamic knowledge in a fun way.'

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca