Gala Highlights Women, Youth

Only Nov. 3 will tell whether 1992 proves to be the Year of the Woman, but the results were in early at the Beverly Wilshire on Saturday where it was decidedly the year of the American Muslim woman.

The Islamic Center of Southern California honored two local women--UCLA historian Afaf Marsot and USC virologist Suraiya Rasheed--at its second annual American Muslim Achievement Awards. The event stood in a class by itself for a hotel banquet gala, flowing chiffons and silks notwithstanding.

“We’re involving more young people this evening and more women,” said Aqueela Jaffer, chairwoman of the center’s development committee, which holds the event for its endowment fund. In fact, she added, Maher Hathout, the center’s chairman and an internist in Duarte, “comes only once to the podium--and he’s the only man.”

Caroline Youness, a former speech writer for President Richard Nixon, announced the year of the woman, and it began. Solemnly.

Laila Al-Marayati, an obstetrician and new mother, provided the opening remarks to the 250 guests. And then Eba Shahawi, a young surgeon, read from the Koran--as is traditional in such gatherings, although it is unusual to see a woman do it at such a public gathering.

Women so carried that evening that their presence reached comic extremes. State Sen. Newton Russell and his wife, Diane, found themselves seated among strangers, and the senator exchanged introductions with the man to their left, Dr. Hassan Hathout.

“A doctor!” Russell joked. “If anything goes wrong tonight, I’m in good hands.”

“I’m a gynecologist,” Hathout bowed, smiling. The awards were not a matter of handshakes, applause and thank-yous. The honorees described their work.

Marsot amazed everyone with the results of her research for an upcoming book on women in 18th-Century Cairo, concluding that with men diverted by war and women by Islamic law able to inherit and own their own property, “in effect, women ran the economy of the country.”

Rasheed has been involved in AIDS research since the disease became known. She had little good news for the guests; rather a warning:

“Everyone is susceptible.” Her own qualified hope is that a combination of therapies and possible vaccines might control it, she said: “I just pray to God I get the strength to be able to contribute to this.”

Men did make it up to that podium with Hathout, however. Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden accepted a certificate of appreciation from the center and Rep. Carlos Moorhead, state Sen. Newton Russell, Assemblyman Pat Nolan and L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonivich all presented plaques from their legislative bodies to the honorees.