ANONYMOUS, 21
I think due to the post 9/11 experience of people treating me like I was lost and inferior, I had to work harder to prove that I am a better activist, a better community member here. And I had to realize that if I wasn't kind to myself, I could not teach kindness to others and people will not recognize how important kindness is to activism.
This book is important to me because it has inspired my “education and compassion” approach to community organizing. This book debunks common misconceptions in Islamic Law. Through each chapter, it dawned on me that Asma Barlas is using education to battle patriarchy. By explaining the intent and historical developments of certain elements of Islamic Law, it taught me to think deeper about the society we live in. The lesson I took from this book is that it takes all of us in different spaces to fight oppressive systems.
In this photo I am the baby and my older sister is the toddler. My nani is holding me, she is the inspiration behind everything I do. From her I learned that being a kind human being is the most important. Without her, I would be nothing.
This book was also one I had read recently. Dr. Khabeer explains the elements of Black Muslim culture in the Hip Hop and Rap genre. It also explores relations between different racial/ethnic groups within the Muslim community. What I love about this book is that it gave me a deeper appreciation of the Black Muslim community and their impact on social change. However, it also opened my mind up about being a better ally to the Black community and by extension other marginalized communities.
This photo is a newer photo, I am on the right hand corner with the green orni. This was taken at Eid 2019, and I love this picture because my two sisters and my two guy cousins (my brothers really) have been with me through thick and thin. They are the people who I turn to the most during my highs and lows.
