Nisaa Bismillah & Nisaa Karim

Nisaa Bismillah | Masjid Waritheen Community Member (Oakland, CA)

Nisaa Karim | Owner of Sancha Sushi Restaurant (SF Bay Area, CA)

بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ

Bi-smi llāh [with G-d’s name].

Nisaa K: My name is Nisaa Karim.

Nisaa B: And my name is Nisaa Bismillah.

Nisaa K: I'm carrying a legacy of two strong women. My first name, Nisaa, comes from my mother. My mother passed down to me, most importantly, to worship Allah. And attributes like kindness, compassion, honesty and commitment. My last name, Karim, comes from Karima Ali.

Nisaa B: Karima Ali was my best friend who passed. Karima was the captain of the M.G.T. [Muslim Girls Training] of Temple twenty-six in San Francisco. I was one of her lieutenants. Karima took her post very seriously and ruled by example. She was even chosen along with some other sisters and brothers to select the diamonds, emeralds and rubies for the most honorable Elijah Muhammad's black velvet fez, classically worn at Saviors’ Day in Chicago, 1974.

Nisaa Karim holding a large circular button with an image of her as a child with her mother, circa late 1980’s