Sharjeel Syed
This interview is with Sharjeel Syed, a first-generation undocumented Pakistani Muslim-American, who is currently in his first year of residency in Chicago, Illinois. Sharjeel’s experience of growing up in San Antonio, going to the local mosque, and feeling a close kinship with Islam, has shaped who he is today. He speaks to wanting to impart systemic changes in the healthcare system in America while also being involved in advocacy or social justice work.
Amanda Quraishi
This interview is with Amanda Quraishi, a Muslim convert and activist in Austin, Texas. Quraishi discusses her journey of converting to Islam and her story of becoming an activist within the community and beyond. She shares her perspective on the strength and challenges facing the Muslim community, including the power of masses and the importance of accepting pluralism.
Qusay Hussein
This interview is with Qusay Hussein, an Iraqi former refugee who fled his native country to Jordan after losing his vision after a bomb blast detonation in Baghdad. After working with Doctors Without Borders in Jordan, Hussein moved to Austin, Texas in 2012. Hussein credits groups like Interfaith Action of Central Texas for supporting him through his transition. He now studies at the University of Texas at Austin and hopes to uplift those in need of help as a psychologist and motivational speaker.
Roshnara Mustafa
This interview is with Roshnara Mustafa, an Indian Muslim who lives in Austin, Texas. Roshnara shares her story of growing up in Kerala, India and her exposure to different sects of Islam, including Sufism. Roshnara discusses her own path in strengthening her faith and religious identity and advocates for accepting pluralism within Islam.
Husaina Yusuf
This interview is with Husaina Yusuf, a young Muslim woman who was born in California and raised in Texas. In this interview, she discusses her upbringing in Houston, the cultural dynamics of her religious sect, and her life experiences. Yusuf was raised as a Bohri Muslim, a subsect of Shia Islam. She shares stories of her family dynamic, her community, and observations of Bohri culture. She also discusses her experiences as a woman navigating gender roles in her religion and personal life.
Shameem Azizad
This interview is with Shameem Azizad, a radiologist and a mother who lives in Austin, Texas. Shameem discusses navigating her faith from her childhood to adulthood and the potential challenges she sees her children face, her background as the child of refugee parents, and her relationship with the state of Texas. Shameem also defines the label “American-Muslim” as it pertains to her views of American culture. Finally, Shameem recounts her work with Muslim Community Support Services, an organization that strives to support indigent and abused in the Muslim community.
Usama Malik
This interview is with Usama Malik, a Muslim Chaplain at Muslim Space in Austin, Texas. Usama shares the story of his upbringing in Round Rock, Texas, a community with few Muslims. He discusses the discrimination he faced growing up, and the ways he now practices undoing the internalization he experienced. Usama connects his story to the larger Muslim narrative in the United States, and how the approach of teaching Islam in America has changed in the past decade.
Shadia Igram
This interview is with Shadia Igram, founding member and executive director of Muslim Space in Austin, TX. Shadia speaks about the challenges and blessings of leadership and community engagement during the pandemic. She relates the unique opportunities that online worship has raised for Muslim Space to connect with people around the world and push the boundaries of Muslim women’s religious leadership.
Shadia Igram
This interview is with Shadia Igram, founder and executive director of Muslim Space in Austin, TX. Shadia speaks about how her experience growing up in a close and vibrant American Muslim community inspired her to create Muslim Space. She talks about her desire to build such a welcoming community in Austin and to improve continuously on its diversity and inclusivity. Shadia also discusses her goal of dispelling the notion of American Muslims as others and outsiders within broader American culture.
Faegheh Shirazi
This interview is with Faegheh Shirazi, a professor in the Middle Eastern Studies Department at UT Austin. Faegheh talks about her family life and education in Iran before the Iranian Revolution, including her early exposure to education and religion prior to moving to the United States for college. She tells the story of her higher education and how she ultimately found her scholarly passions for textile history and Muslim women’s studies. Faegheh also discusses the areas in which she teaches and publishes, such as understanding the hijab in intersectional contexts and Muslim women’s lifestyles and leadership.