Rabata

Rabata uplifts Muslim women in the areas of creative educational experiences, spiritual development, and community care.

The Rabata Cultural Center has been hosting regular programs that uplift Muslim women and provide a warm space for them to connect with one another, evolve as individuals, and feel accepted. Women and girls who visit the Rabata Cultural Center consider Minnesota home and come from diverse backgrounds. Regularly, Muslim women at Rabata come together in community programs where children as young as two weeks old and two years old are able to engage with elderly Muslim women. Young Muslim girls, teens, young adult women professionals, mothers, middle-aged women, and elderly Muslim women from different cultures find representation, inclusivity, and connection that fosters their sense of belonging.

At the Rabata Cultural Center, we have been able to create, plan, and provide quarterly educational opportunities that bring women and girls together. Some examples that have been beneficial and received with positive feedback included a nasheed (choir / oral tradition) evening, a children's play, and adult play. We hope to continue to nurture these creative and cultural inclinations amongst Muslim women so women of varying ages can come together and explore their interests. 

In the Minnesota arts communities, Muslim women may not often find themselves represented or feel comfortable approaching a larger, more formal institution, but at the Rabata Cultural Center, their identities are nurtured and centered in programs that allow for creative women’s arts to shine and be shared with others in the community. 

We at Rabata value our elders and individuals who have become seasoned at life through their age and life experiences. Women who came to Minnesota as refugees find a safe space at the Rabata Cultural Center and are able to share their stories that shaped their lives. Similarly, Muslim women who grew up in a different faith background now have a community that speaks to their own American culture in programs that build connections between faith and wider commemorations such as Mother’s Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Earth Day and so  on. 

Young girls and teens are able to see first hand what healthy community building looks like at the Rabata Cultural Center where compassion, respect, and understanding is at the forefront of interactions.

Rabata finds great purpose in organizing and executing special workshops. Some workshop topics that were provided in the past were based on Rabata Cultural Center attendee requests or volunteer recommendations. These subjects are highly relevant to present day Muslim women needs and while resources may be available in mainstream spaces, the Rabata Cultural Center is able to provide these programs with nuance and respect to the values that Muslim women care to uphold.

Community building happens effectively through learning, especially if the subjects are presented with relevance to their identities as minorities within a minority. Topics such as intergenerational harmony, emotional intelligence, spiritual wellness, mental health, financial literacy, and professional development were provided for the diverse Muslim demographic that comprise Rabata's beneficiaries.

Rabata's greatest asset is its people. Since its founding days Rabata has been supported by a dedicated group of volunteers who believe in the mission and vision behind this work and have put in extra time and monetary resources to support it. Partnerships are also critical to this program’s success. Rabata has already built an extensive network of partners and has a lineup of programs intended for its expanded space to serve Muslim women. Rabata’s community partners include the Islamic Resource Group, Otto Bremer Trust, Reviving Sisterhood, Embrace, Masjid an Nur in Minneapolis, Hikmah Academy, Minnesota Muslim Coalition, and more.

Rabata's programs include (and not limited to): 

• Weekly parenthood support group  
• Weekly Muslim toddler music time
• Weekly teen social and development series
• Monthly book club
• Monthly children’s story time 
• Monthly women’s socials with diverse activities 
• Monthly community newsletter with features about community members
• Quarterly mental health seminars
• Quarterly health and nutrition seminars 
• Quarterly nasheed (choir / oral tradition) programs
• Quarterly cultural workshops that honor women’s intellectual and creative arts 
• Annual summer programs for community children and teens 
• Annual children's play (auditions, rehearsals, and production)
• Annual women’s play (auditions, rehearsals, and production)
• Semester length courses on subjects relevant to Muslim women and their identities as women of faith 

Welcome to Rabata where we create positive cultural changes within the Minnesota community and globally through creative educational experiences, spiritual development and community care.

In 2022, before the finalization of the expansion, Rabata Cultural Center's impact included:

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