Tayyibah Felicity Taylor

The city of Atlanta, our nation, and the Muslim world experienced a huge loss this past week with the passing of Azizah Magazine Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-chief, Tayyibah Taylor. Azizah Magazine is published to showcase the extraordinary talents, accomplishments, resources, and diversity of Muslim American women. The format and quality rivals the top publications in the world. Under Tayyibah’s stewardship, Azizah garnered two Folio Eddie Awards, a New American Media Award, and a legion of grateful female subscribers throughout the world.

Tayyibah was a native of Trinidad, grew up in Toronto, Canada, lived in Saudia Arabia and later Seattle, before settling in Atlanta over a decade ago. She was a mainstay of the interfaith community here and throughout the nation, and a highly pursued speaker and opinion-shaper. The Obama State Department sent her to Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Belgium to speak on Muslim women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, and engagement in America. She presented lectures at Harvard Divinity School, the University of Malaysia, the International Islamic University of Islamabad in Pakistan, and the Fulbright Symposium in Perth, Australia, just to name a few. She visited 37 countries across six continents, and every Friday, when Tayyibah was in town, you would find her sitting on the floor inconspicuously among the many worshipers at the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam.

Tayyibah was a wonderful soul and spirit, with an acute intellect, scholarly persona, and the most welcoming aura. She traveled with us as a World Pilgrim to Spain, Morocco, Turkey, Jordan, Greece, Jerusalem, Niagara Falls, and the Grand Canyon, serving as the Islamic leader on several of the journeys. Everyone who met her loved, deeply respected and appreciated her, across all faith lines. Rabbis, ministers, swamis, and even the Dalai Lama, were enamored by her spirituality, intellect, and charm.

South African Ambassador to the U.S., the Hon. Ibrahim Rasool wrote on hearing of her passing:

“She was the prototype of a Muslim – let alone a Muslim who could navigate the treacherous, yet exciting waters of living in a rapidly changing world; being a minority – both in faith and race; and following a religion caught between its finest impulse for peace, co-existence and progress, and a devastating strain of extremism. In all of this, she responded with grace, dignity, and balance, and with her legacy of Azizah. We can only pray she enjoys the best of the next life, and for strength for her family and all who will miss her, and that her legacy remain powerful and inspirational.”

Tayyibah shared her joy, goodness, beauty, dignity, wisdom, insight, compassion, friendship,and her prayers with so many across faith lines, correcting misinformation, ignorances, and prejudices, and building bridges, collaborations, and sincere friendships. She once wrote in Azizah Magazine, “If we live our lives with faith, integrity and consciousness, we can hand down to our descendants a precious endowment, but in order to do so we must first inculcate these ourselves.”

This global citizen who made Atlanta her home will be truly missed and remembered by the many she touched. May Allah, the Most High, reward His devout and sincere servant, Tayyibah Felicity Taylor. Amin

submitted by Plemon T. El-Amin