Meet Saba
Interviewed by: Johns Hopkins University students supervised by Dr. Homayra Ziad.
Interviewers: Sylvain Raj, Nafisa Haque, Marcos Hernandez, Sela Marin
About the Interview
Saba Ahmed is a Muslim woman who works in the financial industry. She reflects on her experience of 9/11 and what emotions that raised for her and for her community. Her memory of her workplace conflicts after 9/11 shapes how she identifies publicly and how much of her faith she chooses to share with others. Ultimately, Saba wants people to know and learn about Muslims beyond the media portrayal of Islam.
In this interview, Saba’s experiences illuminate what it was like for professional Muslim women after 9/11. Her job was affected by interpersonal and institutional Islamophobia, leading to a decision to limit how much she shares her religion with her coworkers. She also brings up how her community felt a lot of fear due to surveillance after 9/11 and the role that media plays in stoking the fear of Muslims.
Guiding Questions
How can interpersonal Islamophobia affect institutional decisions like hiring or firing Muslims?
What does the lack of transparency when it comes to institutional decisions say about how Muslims are treated after 9/11?
“My relationship changed with my colleagues, you know, my relationship did change with my colleagues after 9/11, you know. Yeah, because they knew I was Muslim and you know for them, you know, they were blaming all the Muslim for what happened, you know, some of them don’t understand they just put everybody in the same basket, so I was a victim. And because of that. A year later I end up losing my job because my relationship with my colleagues were not the same anymore, you know like, they didn’t trust me or they didn’t want me around them, you know, it’s just like, you know, I lost my job, you know.”
“Oh yeah, everything that is happening of just the way the media, always showing Muslim on the wrong, you know, about the war maybe in the Middle East and things like that so people always judge. It’s just too much prejudice, you know, so, you know, that’s why you know people that don’t understand they have these thinking that all Muslim is related to terrorism, which is not, you know, it’s just like the media. I wish the media can more educate population, you know, just to show them that you know the Muslim religion is more like a peaceful religion it’s, you know.”
“A lot of people think the Muslim is about terror is about war is about killing. But I think the Muslim, they they’re more peaceful people they forgive, you know they have a way of forgiving you know, think so, you know, it’s very pure. So that’s what I think mostly people should be remembered, you know.”