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Tuesday, November 5, 2002 - 7:00 PM

SALAAM
presents a staged reading of

Sharbari Z. Ahmed's
Raisins not Virgins

with contributions by Monique Bingham and Lana Lapadura in association with No Business Productions.
featuring Sunita S. Mukhi, Rizwan Mirza, Geeta Citygirl, Swati Khurana and Sharbari Z. Ahmed.

A fresh and often hilarious take on how passionate idealism can wreak havoc on one's love life, this social comedy tells the story of a 29-year-old Muslim-American woman in New York City. Despite being smart, apolitical, acerbic, well-heeled and lonely, she keeps losing boyfriends to causes and destinies beyond what she can offer. The title "Raisins Not Virgins" refers to a sermon in the Holy Q'uran that states anyone wishing to martyr themselves in the name of Allah will be rewarded in paradise with countless virgins. In a re-translation of specific passages, it has been suggested that the word "virgins" really means "raisins", giving rise to various hilarious possibilities.

traditional Q&A and reception w/light snacks and wine/soda to follow

SALAAM at AAWW
16 West 32nd Street - 10th floor
Between Fifth Avenue and Broadway
Manhattan, NYC

Admission: $10
Reservations RECOMMENDED:
Phone: 212.330.8097
Email: rsvp@SALAAMtheatre.org

About the Playwright:
Sharbari Z. Ahmed received her MA in creative writing from NYU in 1997. She has published several short stories and articles, and was feverishly working on a novel that was almost complete when the events of September 11th occurred, compelling her to put it aside and deal with the issue at hand-at least for her. What did it mean to be a Muslim woman in America? Especially if you're not sure you want be a Muslim and especially if you are looking for love.

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SALAAM is a not-for-profit professional theatre company celebrating South Asian American artistic excellence through creative risk-taking and experimentation that challenges all boundaries, connects all peoples and links all the arts.

Geeta Citygirl, Artistic Director
SALAAM  (South Asian League of Artists in AMerica)
http://www.SALAAMtheatre.org