Saturday 5 December 2015

The Malaysian Cultural Group Talk




































































I had a good travel writing sharing session with the lively members of the Malaysian Cultural Group (MCG) this morning. MCG has been in Malaysia since the 80s and its members are mostly expatriates. They asked many interesting, and some unexpected, questions. We chatted on travel experiences, perceptions, insights and challenges. They were very interested in Islam and Muslims which created an opportunity for dakwah. Thank you so much for inviting me, MCG!


Some of the questions from the session :
1) Do Malaysian Muslims follow Saudi Arabia practices?
2) Why does a woman need a muhrim to accompany her on her Hajj/umrah?
3) Does Islam allow solo travel for women?
4) How did you go through Hajj (since you weren't wearing hijab yet at that time)?
5) What are the differences between Malaysian Muslims and Indonesian Muslims?
6) Do you like Turkey's secular concept & practice of Islam?
7) Which of the 3 Muslim countries you wrote about (Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia) did you feel least safe in? Why?
8) Are Malaysian Muslims strict? Is Saudi Arabia more strict?
9) When you go to non-Muslim majority countries, were you ever treated differently because you are a Muslim?
10) Did you travel to unwind or to learn about Islam and Muslims abroad?

‪#‎acalltotravel‬ ‪#‎rumaizahabubakar‬ ‪#‎thefemalecell‬ ‪#‎mcg‬ ‪#‎travelwriting‬ ‪#‎travelbooks‬ ‪#‎muslims‬ ‪#‎islam‬ ‪#‎malaysia‬ ‪#‎malaysianwriter‬

Interview on Virtues of Wanderlust




















My email interview with Goltune  magazine on 'the Virtues of Wanderlust ; A Female Muslim Traveler of Malaysia' has just been published. I shared my travel writing journey, inspirations and unforgettable sights, among others.

Thank you, Sara :)

http://goltune.com/article/virtues-wanderlust-female-muslim-traveler-malaysia

Frankfurt Book Fair 2015



A Call to Travel: Muslim Odysseys article in Malaysia @Frankfurt 2015 tabloid, published by the Majlis Buku Kebangsaan Malaysia (MBKM) - National Book Council of Malaysia as part of their initiative to promote Malaysian companies, authors and books at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2015.

http://www.peopleinpublishing.com/blog/a-call-to-travel-muslim-odysseys

#acalltotravel #rumaizahabubakar


Reader's Review



An encouraging reader's review on goodread.com. Thank you!

Wanderlust: Road to Travel Writing

























I would like to thank those who came to my Wanderlust: Road to Travel Writing session on Saturday, 12 September from 5.00 to 7.00pm. It was fun interacting with a discerning and active audience.
I shared my nine-year writing journey from News From Home (short fictions) to The Female Cell (short fictions and travel tales) to A Call to Travel:Muslim Odysseys (travel stories). I also relayed my experience on finding a writer's own voice, identifying approaches to travel writing, adopting honesty in travel writing, and managing travel inspirations for future works.
The event was part of the Silverfish Festival of Cabbages 2015.

‪#‎acalltotravel‬
‪#‎solotravel‬
‪#‎travelwriting‬
‪#‎travelwriter‬
‪#‎Turkey‬
‪#‎Saudiarabia‬
‪#‎Indonesia‬
‪#‎Muslim‬
‪#‎travel‬
‪#‎travelogues‬
‪#‎malaysian‬

Friday 4 December 2015

Interview with Penang Monthly Magazine






















I love this article by Carolyn Hong in Penang Monthly magazine (June Edition) ! It captures the travel writer in me well. And I find it refreshing and satisfying when a non-Muslim reader gets and appreciates the subtle Islamic ingredients portrayed in my stories. To me, too literal a narration spoils the joy of reading and undermines readers. I hope to reach out to and touch a universal audience.
I collected two copies of the magazine at the Penang Institute, housed in a beautiful blue and yellow heritage building at Jalan Brown.

Penang Monthly Magazine

A Call to Travel: Muslim Odysseys is available at Kinokuniya, MPH, Borders, Times, Gerakbudaya, Silverfish and other bookstores.

‪#‎acalltotravel‬
‪#‎solotravel‬
‪#‎travelwriting‬
‪#‎travelwriter‬
‪#‎Turkey‬
‪#‎Saudiarabia‬
‪#‎Indonesia‬
‪#‎Muslim‬

Best Paper Award at APCAR-2015 in Adelaide
















A Malay Muslim Woman's Travel Narrative by Haslina binti Omar received the 'Best Paper Award' at the 1st Asia-Pacific Conference on Advanced Research (APCAR-2015) in Adelaide, South Australia. The speaker presented and discussed author Rumaizah Abu Bakar and A Call to Travel: Muslim Odysseys. Over 60 international speakers from various fields participated at the event from 23 to 24 July 2015. Congratulations to Haslina!

‪#‎acalltotravel‬
‪#‎solotravel‬
‪#‎travelwriting‬
‪#‎travelwriter‬
‪#‎Turkey‬
‪#‎Saudiarabia‬
‪#‎Indonesia‬
‪#‎Muslim‬