Muna Hussaini
This interview is with Muna Hussaini, an Indian-American Muslim and tech professional in Austin, TX. Muna describes her childhood in an expat community in Saudi Arabia and the transition to moving back to the US. She discusses the impact of gender roles on her and how her relationship with hijab changed over time. Muna shares her experiences of hate crimes and harassment as a hijabi woman post-9/11. She talks about how the kindness of others helped her through those times, and how she strives for kindness in her daily life and work with Muslim Space.
Suleiman "Sal" Masoud
This interview is with Suleiman Masoud, an engineer and Palestinian immigrant living in El Paso, TX. Suleiman describes growing up in Palestine and Kuwait with details about his early education and village life. He talks about his decision to come to the States for college and his experience of embracing American culture. He shares details about his family growing up and compares his life as a child to what his children have been able to experience. Suleiman also talks about the power of names when it comes to assimilation and othering.
Jessica Pires-Jancose
This interview is with Jessica Pires-Jancose, an abortion rights organizer working for Avow Texas in Dallas, TX. Jessica talks about moving around a lot in their childhood and their impressions of the different places they have lived. She describes relationships with her family and her heritage, including exploring gender with her sibling and getting in touch with her Goan roots. Jessica reflects on the lessons they have learned from working in the reproductive healthcare field, such as the importance of intersectional knowledge and care. She also shares the challenges of the field, both combating anti-abortion legislation and getting democratic lawmakers to be bold in their support of abortion access.
Victoria Ferrell-Ortiz
This interview is with Victoria Ferrell-Ortiz, an education and urban planning organizer in Dallas. Victoria describes the disconnect she saw at a young age between the resources available to the Mexican-American side of her family and to the White side. She talks about other organizers she has worked with and been inspired by in Dallas, including her co-founders of the Rayo Planning nonprofit. Victoria shares her experiences of religion throughout her life, and how her relationship to Christianity has changed over the years. She also details her work, such as with educational and urban planning nonprofits and with oral history.
Obaid Zia
This interview is with Obaid Zia, a pharmacist living in New York City. Obaid compares the Muslim communities and diversity present in the different communities in which he has lived, including Houston, TX. He describes the profiling and prejudice he experienced after 9/11, especially when traveling. He discusses his personal experiences of religion and the role Islam plays in his life today. Obaid also shares his experiences of being active in his high school’s Muslim Students Association and of participating in protesting following the 2017 Muslim ban.
Khadeeja Moosa
This interview is with Khadeeja Moosa, a young Pakistani-American Muslim woman. Khadeeja describes growing up as a hijabi in North Texas and her experiences of othering and prejudice. She talks about how 9/11 was memorialized and taught in her public school and the ways in which this presentation impacted her. She discusses the misrepresentation of Islam in media and public education as a legacy that remains alive long after the events of 9/11.