Meet Taalibah
Interviewed by Johns Hopkins University students supervised by Dr. Homayra Ziad.
Interviewers: Ashraf, Lubna, Bonnie and Alexis
About the Interview
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.
The major themes discussed in this interview include the intersection between anti-Black racism and Islamophobia both pre- and post-9/11, broad trends and changes in organizing by Muslims in the face of the War on Terror, and Taalibah’s vision for the role of Muslim organizations in on-going and future community-based efforts.
Guiding Questions
How did the intersection of Blackness and Islam specifically impact Black Muslims after 9/11?
What role did interfaith work have in resistance against War on Terror rhetoric and policies?
““ So, my son was at the school at that time, he’s attending school. And I know that a lot of kids were teasing, well they were saying things, i’m going to say they were teasing. But they were saying things to the Muslim students anyone who had a name. That was an Islamic name was being their peers were saying things to them, and linking them as being associated with these folks who did what they did up in New York. And so, for some students that was kind of a hard thing and it was important. I told my son don’t get into any fights with anybody. I think it was important that I said if they start talking walk away, because it was like, don’t get in any fights because getting in a fight, just affirms people’s bad attitudes about thoughts about Muslims. ”
”
““So throughout Northern Virginia – it might be the DMV, but for sure Northern Virginia – it forced Muslims to realize you have to interact with your neighbors, you have to interact with agencies, and let them know who you are, what you’re about what your mission, and objectives are and that you’re here to be a good American and not to be a rabble rouser. So I think people being placed on the No-Fly List pushed Muslim organizations to start standing up for Muslim rights. I think CAIR, which is Counsel for American-Islam Relations became very prominent in helping Muslims who will be discriminated at work, or who were on the no fly zone for no reason. Then there’s the Muslim, there’s a Muslim Legal Aid service. Again, they deal with federal problems. If something you’re being discriminated against on the federal level. So there are lots of Muslim organizations who were probably very small, at the time, but grew up in numbers, but grew in purpose because of this, because people were being discriminated against.””
“I’d love to see a mosque in every town. And when we get there, then America will have really lived up to the Constitution. And that people can practice their faith, and that the government is not going to, the government doesn’t promote, but it doesn’t hinder, religion from flourishing in the United States.”