In this interview, Lebanese-American anti-war activist Ramzi (Alexandria, VA) discusses his involvement in anti-war organizing in the DC area, reactions to 9/11 within the national anti-war community, and lessons learned from transnational organizing in the United States and the Middle East. He underscores the importance of understanding different contexts and positionality as organizers, the idea of dehumanization as a key cause of Islamophobia and war, and how individuals -- even a small local grocer in Alexandria, VA -- can contribute to seemingly larger-than-life causes.

Karim Amin has lived and worked in West Baltimore his whole life. He is proud and grateful to be in service to his community through various roles and projects, including arts programming, youth education, multimedia storytelling, and mutual-aid service. Karim observes that his childhood masjid community was a place of safety and support for himself and others growing up. Karim learns that service is a practice of faith. His relief service across the US and in Haiti has helped him connect with God, others, and the overlapping intersections of systemic violence.

Tausi tells us about her experiences as both a healthcare provider and advocate for women’s and children’s health. She speaks about how Islamophobia can manifest interpersonally in the exam room, and the importance of education to combat violence against Muslims.

In this interview, Taalibah Hassan (Prince William County, VA) discusses her interfaith work in the broader Northern Virginia area, focusing on the importance of facilitating conversations in combating Islamophobia and her role in doing so both before and after 9/11.

This interview was about the experiences of Ali Faruk from before 9/11, around the time of 9/11, and afterward. Ali discusses his earliest memories with Islamophobia as well as how that played out in his college life. He then mentions his work in advocacy and community organizing in the Muslim communities of Prince William County. Many of the realities of the impact 9/11 had on that community were brought to light in this interview.

In this interview, David Mohamed recounts his life experiences from a young boy in the Muslim community in Chicago until his wrongful imprisonment in relation to September 11th. Early on, Mohammad establishes the idea of community: How being raised in a black Muslim Community under the leadership of Imam Warithuddeen David allowed him to become intimately aware of community in the development and betterment of self.

This interview discusses Islamophobia its impact on different Muslim communities (especially discussed is the different experiences of Black vs Immigrant communities). It also brings up various responses to 9/11 to highlight which strategies may work well when trying to heal or educate others as well as to call out harmful community responses that were conducted right after the event. For example, music was a great medium for Khalil to connect with both those in his community and outside of it.