Community

Tackling Anti-Muslim, Anti-Immigrant Bias

By Vanessa Handy

Spectrum staff

The sound of feet shuffling toward seats subsides. The lights dim. The chit-chat of a waiting audience goes silent. The piercing screech of the sole microphone on stage fills the room. The first performer, a woman wearing a hijab, steps to the mic, sighs and opens her mouth.

I am the jihadi this country created

She is belting the words.

I am the struggle I never intended. America, I am your Muslim. And sometimes I don’t want to be…

Poet Sana Mayat titled that poem “I Am Your Muslim,” and it summed up many of the messages by the 13 spoken word and comedic performers of “Muslims Unscripted,” a July event benefitting #EndFamilySeparation. The joint campaign of NYU’s Islamic Center and Housing Works aims to raise awareness about and money for the hundreds of immigrant children detained in New York because of President Trump’s “zero tolerance policy.”

“It goes without saying that since the Trump Administration implemented policies around immigration, Muslims around the world have been affected,” said Natasha Mir, a member of the NYU Islamic Center professional leadership team.

The “Muslims Unscripted” event at Housing Works was the first joint fundraiser between the Islamic Center and that private charity, mainly serving people with HIV and AIDS. The proceeds from the event­—comers could donate money if they wanted—would go to the New York City Immigration Coalition, organizers said. So far, the two organizations have raised $44,104 of their $50,000 goal.

That night’s proceeds came from sales at the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe. Also, organizers passed around a metal cash box into which audience members could drop donations at the start and finish of the event.

In between the donating, the audience’s eyes and ears were on the performers.

So I write. And I try to make it right. Praying for the end to be in sight. Hoping to change destiny…

That was Tazmin Uddin, a spoken word performer and youth coordinator at Turning Point, a Muslim not-for-profit organization in New York City. More than anything, she said, she was hoping for a better future and that her art is directed toward that effort.

Uddin is not the only one who demands a change. Housing Works and NYU’s Islamic Center share a passion for advocacy, as shown through their partnership on this event.

The partnership “just made perfect sense to me,” said Rosie Clarke, Housing Works director of public programming. “What they wanted and how it fit into the Housing Works mission. We all just wanted the event to be a platform for under represented voices and to reach new people.”

The two organizations are proud of the event, and hope that it “helps people to reexamine their misconceptions or limited understanding of what it means to be Muslim,” Clarke said.

“Being Muslim means resistance,” said Monna Sabouri, the event’s emcee. “It means following your path in a society that tells you that being Muslim is forbidden. It means being true to yourself.”