al-bayan vol 18, issue 2
makyeoutrhicsover.
TA B L E O F CONTENTS Choosing Happiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 Veil or No Veil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6 Ummah FC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8 Zahra Billoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10 I Wear Size 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12 Endeavours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14 Citizens of the World . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16
BOARD:
Expression of the Heart. . . . . . . . 17-18
HANA GHANIM Editor-in-Chief
ALAA ELSHAHAWI Co-Layout Editor
ISMAT JUNAID Co-Photo Editor
SABA TAUQIR Copy Editor
SARAH ALSAMMAN Co-Layout Editor
BADR EDDINE Marketing Director
MURIAM CHOUDHERY External Affairs
IFFAT JUNAID Co-Photo Editor
AAMNA KHAN Finance Manager
SARAH BELLAL Web Manager NOTABLE MENTIONS Omar Othman, Haroon Samimi, and Mujahid Zaman
EDITOR’S LETTER W
e started a revolution. Not one with guns and wars, but a revolution of original thoughts and unmatched creativity. Every single person has a different perspective on what it means to be an American Muslim, and every new voice is just as important as the last. That experience is about more than personal identity; it’s about identifying the things that matter, and being able to analyze, discuss, and collaborate to improve upon them. We won’t define what those things are for you, but we can provide the proper outlet for you to do so yourself. In this way, Al-Bayan is much more than a magazine. As writers, designers, and photographers, Al-Bayan is our space—the only space of its kind—that allows us to share our voices as young American Muslims. This issue contains a total of eight individual articles, but within those articles, the writers discuss thousands of different ideas. As so, the cover is blank, representative of the fact that we won’t make sweeping generalizations or combine the entire concept of this experience into one symbol. Rather, the magazine represents you, as a reader, and at the same time, you represent the magazine. Use the cover as your canvas. Define your own American Muslim experience. Be unique, creative, and unapologetically yourself. And with that, I proudly present to you the new and improved Al-Bayan Magazine, Vol. 18 issue 2. Read, share and discuss—our voices are meant to be heard.
Hana Ghanim Editor-in-Chief 2016
"We are no longer happy so soon as we wish to be happier." Walter Savage Landor
Photo by Mujahid Zaman
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CHOOSING HAPPINESS I used to have this idea that happiness is something I can find and keep. I actively seek it, and once possessed, it is mine forever. If I go to this school, I’ll be happy. If I get this job, I’ll be happy. If I marry this person, I’ll be happy. Once I am happy, I can never be unhappy. The irony is that I know this isn’t true. Happiness is an emotion, like any other emotion–anger, sadness, jealousy, fear; it is not a static state of being I can reach. I am more dynamic, more complex than that. There will be days I am happy, and there will be days I am not. As I grow up and gain a better understanding of myself, I am realizing that happiness can be found in the small, day-to-day experiences I have. It can certainly be sought, but not in the grand, life-altering ways I thought before, and it certainly does not last forever. I can go to a coffee shop I like. I can read comic books before bed. I
can stress-bake. I can make decisions daily that bring me happiness. I can choose happiness. I was curious as to what others do to choose happiness. And so I conducted a series of informal interviews with people I interacted with in my daily life. I posed to them this question: “What do you do on a daily basis to make yourself happy?” People had a lot of interesting things to say. Some common responses were reading, praying, working out, enjoying nature, calling family, and watching mindless YouTube videos. I asked this question to people of various religious backgrounds, and some who did not identify with any religion at all. Many of those who did identify with a religion, however, mentioned how maintaining their prayers and performing them with sincerity and concentration brought them a lot of internal satisfaction. One response that I received fairly often that I found interesting was finding happiness in self-reflection. I often think of doing things like reading, watching a movie, or baking to make myself happy; the goal is always to escape my daily stresses. Some
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by UZMA AMIN
people, however, find joy in remembrance and reflection of what they experienced and accomplished that day. I found this self-awareness to be extremely inspiring. This means that while happiness may not be a state of being, it is certainly a state of mind: a conscious decision. Objectifying happiness as something that can be achieved and possessed is what ultimately leaves us dissatisfied. When we expect to feel happy every day, all the time, we are met with disappointment. Happiness is a process, a flux of emotion. But not a flux we are powerless over. While we cannot control the circumstances around us, we can certainly control how they affect us mentally and emotionally. It certainly isn’t easy to see everything in a positive light, but we all have it in us to have a certain degree of acceptance. Allowing ourselves to respond honestly to the world around us and not demanding constant happiness from our lives is the first step.
VEIL OR NO VEIL by FAARIA HUSSAIN
F
eminism, the notion that men and women should have equal social, political, personal, cultural, and economic rights and opportunities, is becoming an increasingly popular topic. Although some people find feminism an obvious idea to support, many do not see how Islam and feminism relate. The role of women in Islam often does not not instantly relate to ideas of feminism, empowerment, or privilege. Due to negative connotations and misconstructed beliefs, Muslims and non-Muslims alike often ignore the importance women hold in Islam. In reality, the Islam that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) introduced has been empowering women since the seventh century. Before Islam came about in Arabia, infanticide for females was very common, and many babies were buried as soon as they were born. The practice of burying infant females gradually became nonexistent as Islam spread throughout the area. Islam very specifically condemns such practices, and the Quran even states that those who kill their daughters simply because of their gender will be questioned when “the girl who was buried alive is asked for what sin she was killed” (81:8-9). In fact, Islam prohibits any form of infanticide, be it for males or females. It is written in the Quran to “kill not your children on a plea of want. We provide sustenance for you and for
them…Take not life which Allah has made sacred,” (6:151). ACKNOWLEDGING EQUALITY AND DIFFERENCES Islam greatly emphasizes the significance of equality for both men and women. The Quran explicitly states that “I [Allah] never fail to reward any worker among you for any work you do, be you male or female— you are equal to one another” (3:195). This is the ultimate testament to feminism: that is, equal treatment for both women and men. In terms of spirituality and conduct, the same is expected from both genders, and both are held responsible for their actions. Those who lead righteous lives are promised Paradise, and the reward for these deeds will be the same, regardless of their gender. People will be judged by their deeds and their devotion to Islam. It is promised that, “for those who lead a righteous life, male or female, which believing, they enter Paradise, without the slightest injustice” (4:124). In spite of the importance placed on equality, Islam recognizes the obvious physiological differences and the expectations placed on men and women. Women and men have equal status, yet they are not the same entity. Hijab for men entails covering naval to knee, while women must cover their
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bodies and dress modestly. Women and men have different bodies and needs; therefore, they are required to wear different variations of clothing. In addition to this, women are granted breaks from praying, fasting, and other religious obligations when needed. Even when it comes to inheritance, equity is involved rather than equality. Women are entitled to less property than men due to the fact that men have more financial responsibility upon them than women. Men are required to provide for their families, take care of their parents in old age, and provide for their siblings in the event of a tragedy, whereas women do not have such obligations. PARTICIPATION IN SOCIETY Even during the time of the Prophet Muhammad, women were active members of the community. They were able to participate in business, government, public affairs, politics, law, teaching, and even war. They were encouraged to be zealous leaders of their communities and to voice their opinions. The Prophet’s wife, Khadijah, was recognized for much more than simply being the Prophet’s wife due to the fact that she was a highly-regarded elite merchant in Mecca. Khadijah ran her own caravan business and was financially independent. Not only this, but Khadijah had been twice-widowed, had children from her previous marriages when she met Prophet Muhammad, and was considerably older than the Prophet. In spite of all of this, Khadijah was the one to offer herself in marriage to him.
Prophet Muhammad, of course, accepted her and remained supportive of Khadijah and her business during their marriage. She encouraged Muhammad’s prophetic mission, and she was the first person to become a Muslim. PRIVILEGES At the time period during which women were considered property, buried alive, and greatly disrespected, Islam provided women with progressive rights and respect. According to Islamic laws, a married woman is permitted to own property, receive marital gifts, keep her maiden name, and receive an
inheritance. Women can decide who they want to marry and are given the option of divorce. At the time of marriage, women generally receive a financial gift from their husband that they can keep to themselves, and this serves as another form of security. The gifts and property women own or receive can be kept just to themselves. Women are not required to utilize any of their income, property, or gifts on the household, and they have the right to be financially supported by their spouse during marriage, and even throughout the waiting period of divorce. Women, especially mothers, are given special recognition in Islam as well as the Quran. An entire chapter of the Quran is dedicated to women, whereas men do not have a chapter of their own. Although the Quran places great importance on respecting both of one’s parents, it emphasizes the highly esteemed status of mothers. The Quran also effectively communicates the impact and worth mothers should have in people’s lives. The Prophet Muhammad told his followers that “paradise is at the feet of the mother.” This statement alone can exemplify the position that mothers have been granted in Islam.
daughter of a wealthy merchant in Morocco. Al Qarawiyyin became a significant center of education and spiritual engagement in the Muslim world and still continues to be so today. WOMEN TODAY I find that as I conduct more research, Islam strengthens my support for feminism and encourages me to have a stronger presence in society. Islam solidifies me as an individual and as a woman. This religion has been empowering and promoting powerful women for centuries. The rights that women have been granted through Islam encourages them to strive to be strong, educated members of society. Women, like me, can look to Islam to find a purpose to educate themselves and become productive members of our community. For “Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women… the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so— for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward” (33:35).
THE NEED FOR KNOWLEDGE Islamic laws allow women to receive a proper education and even encourage them to do so. Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 74 states that “Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim.” Not only does this indicate the importance of education for Muslims, but it also exemplifies the right women have to receive an education. In fact, Al Qarawiyyin Mosque and University, which is considered by many historians to be the first continuously operating, degree-granting university in the world, was established by Fatima Al-Fihri, the educated
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Photo by Ismat Junaid
UMMAH FC by MOHAMED TALEB
I
walked onto Underhill Soccer Field feeling more nervous than I have for any midterm I’ve ever taken. I was wearing my green ‘Fremont High’ uniform, prepared to play with teammates whom I’ve never practiced with. Halfway through the game, we were still at 0-0. I remember walking off the field feeling a mixture of disappointment and anger at myself and my teammates. The countless mistakes we made kept replaying in my head. We huddled and our captain, Humza, gave us feedback: “Don’t get caught too far up the field,” he said. Even though Humza had hope, he was irritated: “Finish your chances or the other team will.” Before the referee blew the whistle and the second half started, I thought about all the goals I could have made. I evaluated my mistakes and doubts and decided that tonight was not a night to lose. The whistle blew, and I rushed in with overwhelming energy, stealing the ball before it was received by my opponent. By the end of the second half, we had won the game 6-0. My second year at Berkeley, Humza Rehmane asked me to join Ummah FC 3, the predominantly Muslim intramural soccer team, which—at the time—was in
its third term. When I joined the team, I saw incredible potential in my teammates; each member played a significant role in our success. Our goalkeeper, Raul, made amazing saves. Our defenders Humza, Imran, Mike, Jose, Omar, and Asad were stopping our opponent’s plays and countering them. Ismael controlled the middle and passed the ball down the field where I would outrun the defenders and go one-on-one with the goalie. Individually, we were nothing special. We were all average, semi-athletic guys with minor soccer experience. None of us were on any collegiate soccer teams or even practiced together most of the time. But together, we somehow worked. It was one thing to play soccer with our feet, but another to play with our hearts. And that’s what we did, every game. Our first 6-0 win gave us quite the reputation among the soccer teams in our league. I thought the victory was a mere stroke of luck, but we continued to defeat every team we played. It became almost customary for me to score the first goal of every game, which boosted our confidence. Our friends and members of the Muslim Student Association came out, cheered for us and then joined us for dinner. The sense of community was so strong, I could feel it on the field. I made a personal
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vow to score a goal for each person that came to support me; my team and I kept my implicit promise by winning the first few games by 6-0. Even though we were good, keeping that streak was not easy. Humza and I still remember the first team that scored against us that season, International House. I-house was a team of European players, each one over 6-feet tall and more intimidating than the last. They showed up with a coach fully-dressed in a suit and carrying a whiteboard for drawing plays. During the first half, one of their defenders ran after me, tackled me and yanked my arm on the way down. I got up with a gash on my forehead and intense pain in my left shoulder, like it was detaching itself from my body. I was furious at the defender, thinking he broke my shoulder. “If I’m going down, I’m going down fighting,” I thought. Against all odds, I continued on to score two goals in the first half. While leading with 2-0, we made a bad play and our opponents took advantage. It was the first goal we had conceded all season. Somehow, one of our own players scored against us, but instead of getting lost in our mistakes and folding under the pressure of a team that physically outmatched us, we rose to the occasion. We finished the game
Photo by Mujahid Zaman
winning 6-2, and that same defender who had injured me before apologized for his spiteful tackle, and congratulated us on the win. Before each game, we prayed Maghrib together and each of my sujud consisted of du’a. After the incident with the I-house player, I made du’a that every player would be safe and uninjured, Ummah FC would win, and I would maintain self-discipline on the field. The last game we played that season—the championship game—was against a team called Goal Diggers, composed of experienced graduate students. They had 10 players and we only had six: Humza, Ismael, Asad, Raul, Omar and myself, with no substitutes. Mike was out of town and Jose was injured. They dominated us the whole game, making runs, cuts, and shots. By the end of the first half, we were completely exhausted, but the score was still 0-0. I noticed our supporters stretched from one side of the
field to the other with signs that said “Moe make mo’ goals” and “Ummah FC.” They even began chanting, making sure people could hear them from three blocks away. Seeing a third of our MSA come to support us gave me the strength to continue fighting. In the second half, I had two defenders on my tail at all times. Their players were bigger, stronger, and faster than us, but we continued to defend as a team. I took one shot, and it was the first we had even attempted that whole game. As the game was nearing what seemed like overtime, Humza cleared the ball down the line. Normally, I would run to catch it, but my feet were cemented to the ground. Omar determinedly ran after the ball, crossed it in front of their goal, and Ismael was there to do what Goal Diggers, despite countless chances, had not been able to do: score. Our supporters exploded into cheers, and we ran back to continue the game, knowing that it wasn’t over. Less than a minute
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later, the referee blew the whistle, ending the game. We all jumped on Ismael and Omar and collapsed there, too exhausted to get back up. The other team was infuriated—they couldn’t believe what had just happened, and neither could we. Humza’s advice, “finish your chances or the other team will,” was never more relevant as it as in that exhilarating moment. Since then, we’ve played in every playoff game. Ummah FC is in its 6th season, and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it. Although winning is a great feeling, it isn’t the best part of this team. A brotherhood has grown from where I had just expected to play soccer with some acquaintances. When we make it to playoffs, we make it together, not as individuals. And most importantly, what strengthens the backbone of Ummah FC is the astonishing support from our community, and the sense of kinship within the team that drives us to succeed.
ZAHRA BILLOO
CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER, HUMANITARIAN, ACTIVIST & CAT LOVER.
by NUHA KHALAFY
I
n the Muslim community, often times our heroes are men. Don’t get me wrong—these men are (and have been throughout the history of Islam) incredible, brilliant, and deserving of every accolade they have ever received. It is important, nevertheless, that we acknowledge and appreciate emerging strong female role models for their work, their courage, and for giving young Muslim women (and men) a different type of hero to look up to. I was lucky enough to sit down one of the Bay Area’s very own superheroes: Zahra Billoo. Zahra Billoo is a civil rights lawyer based in the Bay Area. She is the Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) as well as an Executive Board Member of the National Lawyers Guild-SF Bay Area Chapter. “So much of what we’re taught in Islam is about bettering the world around us, and so the question for me was always how do I take what I’m good at and use it to benefit others?” Billoo says. She always knew she wanted to make an impact through advocating for justice. “I was 17 when 9/11 happened, and those first few years really shaped my desire to engage with the community—to give back and do social justice work,” she explains. “I think some of that was seeing injustice growing up— like seeing my teachers advocating for fair wages and more respect, but also a lot of it was informed by my religious identity.”
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Billoo didn’t actually see herself working at a Muslim organization partly because she felt that being an “American Muslim woman living out [her] values” would be a more effective way of changing the perception of Islam and Muslims than working within the Muslim community. “One of the things that my mentor always says is that you want to plan, but you also want to recognize opportunities,” she says. “When I graduated from law school in 2009, it was the worst time ever to graduate as a lawyer because there were no jobs. I got this opportunity [with CAIR] and I get to work enough with people of no faith or of other faiths that I don’t feel like I’m siloed in the Muslim community, but I also recognize the need for more services inside the Muslim community.” Billoo was Hani Khan’s lead counsel for her lawsuit against Abercrombie & Fitch. There were 3 cases: Samantha Elauf from Oklahoma & Halla Banafa from Milpitas were both not hired by the company because their hijab violated A&F’s “look policy.” Hani Khan was hired, worked for four months, and then was fired. “I am inspired by Hani, Samantha, and Halla because these were young women in their early twenties who took on a multi-national corporation and arguably benefited people of all faiths who want religious accommodation and work,” she muses. When asked about how the environment for Muslims has changed over the past few months since Saman-
tha’s Supreme Court victory in Jan. 2015, factoring in events such as Chapel Hill, San Bernadino, the Paris Attacks, and the ascension of certain presidential candidates, Billoo explains that the issue is not something that can be easily classified as better or worse. “It definitely feels more tense maybe in the past 4-5 months than it has in the last year and a half,” she says, after thinking for a moment. “[But] it is hard to put a gauge on it because I feel like sometimes it depends on who you ask and what they’re experiencing. The A&F case was decided in January. The Chapel Hill murders happened in February. Were things really even better then?” She posits that the concern in the past few months “is the very normalized practice of anti-Muslim rhetoric.” “Just a day or two ago, a presidential candidate said something like ‘Islam hates America’ and then when a governor was confronted about it on television, this governor didn’t feel the need to clarify that he doesn’t believe that statement. So, things that you could not say on television about other communities, I think today you still can say about Muslims.“ On the note of Islamophobia, I ask Billoo how the Muslim community at Berkeley should react to and work to combat Islamophobia in a peaceful, but still powerful way. “Get involved in social justice work at least one step outside the Muslim community. Do MSA and SJP, but also do Black Lives Matter, the Civil Liberties Organization, and the Environmental Organization,” she recommends. “Over 70% of Americans have never met a Muslim and one of the best ways to build relationships is to do work together; give back to the community because it is your community and it is the right thing to do.” When dealing with discrimination and Islamophobia, Billoo looks up to Islamic figures and tradition. She hopes students will do the same. “I’m always reminded that what
the Prophet (PBUH)—but also the other prophets—experienced is such great guidance for how we experience aggression or oppression,” she says. “They always handled it with grace; they handled it with love. They stayed true to their values and didn’t compromise, but they also didn’t shrink back or [get] paralyzed.”
the people who we are giving the sandwiches to and we try to approach those interactions reminding ourselves that we need them more than they need us,” she explains. “They are our opportunity to be humanized, for salvation, and to be humble, rather than [feeling] like ‘look at me, I’m feeding someone.’”
We currently are in the midst of the presidential election primaries. I ask Billoo, given the current political climate and the direction the election seems to be going in, what she would say is the most important factor we, as voters, should keep in mind when we cast our ballots in both the California primaries this summer and in the general election in November.
On what being a Muslim woman of color means to her, Billoo acknowledges that there are struggles; however, she also recognizes the ways in which she feels privileged.
“Civic engagement cannot start and end with voting,” she said. “It has to be something that we do on a consistent and regular basis. That means volunteering, attending city council meetings, writing letters…There are so many things that we can do that have an impact, and because so few people do them, we are even louder and more noticeable—in a good way—when we do decide to engage.” Besides being a civil rights lawyer and advocate of justice, Billoo is also a humanitarian. She is the co-founder of Project Feed. Project Feed is an endeavor carried out by a collection of Bay Area residents who come together once a month to prepare meals for the San Francisco Bay Area homeless population. “I think some of what makes it unique is that it is entirely volunteer-led and run,” she says. “It’s not even an organization—it’s an effort of sorts, so there’s no overhead, and we are entirely made possible by people who donate, a dollar here, a dollar there.” Billoo and friends started Project Feed during Ramadan of 2008 in San Francisco. It started with just a few people in an apartment, but the project has grown to the point where they have dozens of volunteers every month and package 300-500+ meals every time they gather. “We are interacting directly with
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“I sit at a number of intersections. I experience Islamophobia, but I am really privileged as an American with a graduate degree. I experience racism, but I am also really privileged as someone who has citizenship,” she reflects. “There are so many different things, and I think that we face aggression from so many different places. But we also are blessed with so many different things, and I think that we face aggression from so many different places. But we also are blessed with so many different opportunities which can be responsibilities or burdens.” Billoo believes that different parts of her identity are not in conflict; rather, they compliment and even supplement each other. “I am incredibly conscious of the fact that everything I do represents someone whether or not I want it to,” she adds. “I appreciate that, but it’s also challenging.” Billoo considers her feminist identity to be part of her Muslim identity. She explains that, for her, feminism is about ensuring women reclaim the rights “we believe God gave us that have been taken away not just by men but also at times by other women, by institutions of power, and by imperialism.” A final piece of advice from Billoo: “You may not feel like it, but you have more free time now then you ever will for the rest of your life. Cherish it, cherish it, and enjoy it. And ideally, cherishing and enjoying includes community service.”
I WEAR SIZE 11
W
e all have our struggles. We all face demons. As much as you may want to, you can never really shoulder the burdens of another. You can sympathize with and try to understand the world they live in, but at the end of the day, you will not be able to fathom the weight that constantly pulls on their heart. As Muslims today, we are faced with injustice after injustice, and we are being attacked at almost every angle, whether it is in the media, through the trials of peer pressure, or being coerced into conforming to the social norm. This social norm is beautified, making it seem attractive to the naked eye. On another spectrum, as young Black males, we face daily struggles by being portrayed inaccurately—and most times, negatively—but these depictions seem to “define” who we are. I wake up every morning knowing that I have to put up a front while attending a UC, just to fit in. Sometimes I feel as if I am living two separate lives. I came to UC Irvine straight out of high school. Growing up, I was shaped by the struggles around me and the concept that I would never amounting to anything. Now when I wake up, it is as if I am not me anymore. The way I grew up and how I used to act would be considered “ghetto” or “hood.” These factors force us to conform and forget about who we really are. We forget what we had to go through to fit in at these prestigious colleges. Sometimes it is as if I am
WOULD THEY FIT YOU? watching this new me, a hollow me. When you look into the demographics of a state school or a community college, the ethnic scale is typically diverse. On the other hand, when you look into the history and demographics of a UCs, you see a similar trend. The UC system needs diversity within their universities for many reasons, but mainly, they seek diversity for favorable appearances. If a UC school is accused of being “racist” when it comes to admissions, that campus would suffer financially. Therefore, the UCs need to incorporate ethnic minorities into their campuses. This is where the conflict arises. The UCs choose the “best” students out of Black and Hispanic ethnic groups. The problem is, who are these students being compared to? They are being compared to students just like themselves, students who do not have the resources that non-inner city schools have. They do not have access to SAT prep courses, personal statement advising, most advanced placement classes, and college readiness programs such as AVID. These students are thrown into the shark tank and have to fend for themselves, with no tools or support. Entering college, I met White and Asian people who told me they had 4.3 GPAs and took an insane amount of AP classes in high school. As an inner city school attendee, it’s not that I couldn’t achieve what they had achieved, but the opportunity and resources they had were never provided for me. Then we hear the common phrase, “We all had equal opportunity.” Take it from someone who has
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lived through this first-hand—it’s not true. My high school had a 33 percent graduation rate. Out of the 900 freshman who started off, only 300 were expected to stay the full four years and graduate. 5 of those 600 students that did not graduate are men I consider my brothers, my flesh and blood. They had to drop out and provide for their families. Food needs to be brought to the table and the roof over your head is not free. This “hustler” mentality did not just appear out of nowhere— it was poured into the ghettos and the projects during the Reagan Era. Rappers kept the legacy alive. Although big name rappers amount to less than 1 percent of the population, but yet, you can name at least five brothers from your hometown wanting you to listen to their mixtape. Growing up as Black men, we are taught that the only way to make it out the hood is to be ball players or rappers. This is real life. We are taught nothing of the systematic placement of people of color. We are given little to no resources to change our realities. I, personally, learned this when I came to college and started doing research on my own. So please, before you make a judgement on people of color pushing for equality, put yourself in their shoes.
by NIIJAN AL-AMIN 12
Photo by Shoeb Ikram
E N D E AV O R S by ZUHAYEER MUSA As students, our time in college is a great resource, a fact that is commonly overlooked and realized too late. Because we are students, we don’t have many needs or people depending on us, meaning we quite literally don’t need any capital to start anything we want. College, in general, is a time to build, experiment, and fail at things in our own avenues on someone else’s penny. COUNTDOWN Your time is limited. In order to maximize efficiency as an innovator, you need to be able to prioritize mercilessly. Whether that means compromising on academics or other pieces of your life, it is important not to engulf yourself in just one thing. You need to be multifaceted in order to find different avenues where opportunity is ripe only at certain times. A concept of “little bets” keeps me engaged on the dayto-day, where I iterate on something new everyday. Try different things and see what sticks — you don’t really know until you attempt it. Equipping yourself to be versatile is what will gear you to be an expert in a dynamic world. “How can you achieve your 10 year plan in the next 6 months?” - Peter Thiel, Founder of PayPal BE RECKLESS College is also a time to take risks— what do you have to lose? Lowrisk mentality is all around us. We are expected to study and get good grades to line up a great internship or job while conforming to a cultural standard set by society. Although you cannot completely neglect some of your larger priorities, by opening up room for different activities and plans, you create your own unique narrative which can
lead you down interesting paths that may be your life’s work or passion. Instead of being entirely focused on your classes, you can start a company or work on the side. It could easily expose you to a completely different network and uncover valuable opportunities. COLLECTIVE INFLUENCE Success is never individualistic; that’s a common misconception. People often strive for individual stardom, assuming an elevated status amongst their peers, when really you need others around you to succeed. Ideas are to be shared, collaborated on, and built together. Success is always collective. How could Google or Facebook have grown such a service without their workforce or the billions of users that power their utility? Success is not a zero sum game — we can all succeed and support each other in our own ways and influence each other in efforts to enhance our own livelihoods and careers. Different people will specialize in different aspects of life — it ultimately comes down to how we combine our skills and innovate. Taking Paypal’s example, some of the most prominent figures in the Silicon Valley were part of the “Paypal Mafia,” a group of people who helped build Paypal and eventually went on to build even greater companies. These individuals built a community around PayPal, allowing them to build influence off of each other. With their expertise and diverse interests, these folks went on to build companies such as LinkedIn, YouTube, Tesla, Yelp, Affirm, and Sequoia Capital. The network effect is also a great resource in college. We may not realize it, but our immediate network in college is tremendously widespread,
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since we can meet people in completely different lines of work, and even live with them. We also have the ability to join groups, connect with our peers, and meet potential collaborators. After meeting just 100 students on campus from various concentrations, it’s fair to say that you are only one or two mutual connections away from most other students attending UC Berkeley. This is pretty incredible — if you find anyone at this school remotely interesting, it’s relatively easy to get in touch with them. By meeting and working with people who specialize in different facets, we expand our perspectives and gear ourselves to think differently. These valuable skills transcend our time in college and are translated to our future careers. BUILD COMMUNITY Good networkers tend to be those who consistently find time to get coffee or just speak with others. The greatest networkers organize events to bring people together and build community. It’s imperative that innovators foster networks of ideation and creativity together. Through collaborations that begin in college, we can extend our impact on our surroundings. Ultimately, it’s we who excel the world forward and ignite progress. By supporting each other, we collectively help build the future by connecting different visions. College comes once in our lives — we can either follow the path that was destined for us, or we can use our limited days to be different, foster community, and build a support system that’ll be there for us in our future endeavors.
Photo by Mujahid Zaman
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Photo by Nour Coudsi
CITIZENS OF THE WORLD by OMAR OTHMAN
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967 marked the year of the second Palestinian exodus, in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to migrate to neighboring countries. It also marked the year in which my grandparents migrated from a refugee camp in the West Bank to the Wihdat refugee camp in Amman, Jordan. For 49 years, my grandmother lived in Wihdat, and whenever the idea of moving is brought up, her response is, “I was driven out of Palestine into this house, and the only place I’ll leave
to is back to my home in Palestine.” I was always curious to hear about her immigrant experience, but she could never tell me without getting very emotional. I remember her voice cracking and tears rolling down her cheeks as she recalled how her three children were taken away from her as masses of refugees were crossing the Jordan River. “I thought I would never see them again. I didn’t know if they were alive or dead,” my grandmother recalled. Another refugee family was tak-
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ing care of my mother and her two siblings. After eight months of separation, my grandmother was reunited with her children; however, her two year old daughter, Abeer, passed away in Wihdat a few weeks later as a result of a disease she developed during the journey. Wihdat is the second largest and most densely populated Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan. It’s where I was born and where my grandmother continues to live until this day. Growing up in a refugee camp was tough;
poor quality of education, limited health care services, and limited access to clean water are standard problems. Education in the Wihdat camp is quite different from the traditional style of education. The idea of a public education system is nonexistent in Jordan as a whole, and the only free form of education is in schools established by the United Nations for registered refugees. There is one K-12 school in Wihdat, funded by the UNRWA; however, one school cannot accommodate such a large number of students. The lack of adequate premises and funds to build more schools forces them to operate on a double shift basis, meaning that some kids attend school during the day while others attend during the afternoon. Either way, the classrooms remained crowded. The schools also have underqualified teachers who are never audited or assessed, insufficient resources, and limited supplies to accommodate every student. In addition, the physical condition of these schools is atrocious. Buildings are old and rarely serviced, many classrooms have broken windows, the heaters and air conditioners don’t work, and the bathrooms are unsanitary due to the old plumbing. Given such educational circumstances along with the extreme poverty in the area, many students skip school and work with their parents, doing manual labor jobs or selling in the markets. This was the case for most of my cousins, and could have been the case for me as well, had we not had the opportunity to come to the United States in 1999. This reality led to a continuing cycle of low education and high poverty rates generation after generation. The problems with education in the refugee camps seem trivial when considering that clean water is not always accessible. Sharing a border with Occupied Palestine drained much of Jordan’s water supply, but this was particularly a problem for people living in refugee camps. In the majority of areas, in order to conserve water, the government would distribute a certain amount
to each neighborhood, and people would fill up a tank of water located on the roof of their homes. The water in these tanks is usually enough to last until it is distributed again the following week. However, in refugee camps such as Wihdat, water is distributed every other week, and occasionally it would be cut off completely, leaving families with a limited amount of water for an entire month. This was a major struggle for me when I moved from California to Wihdat for an entire year in 2004 and again in 2007 because it meant that I could only shower once or twice a week, my showers had to be very short, and under no circumstances was I to leave the water running while shampooing my hair or brushing my teeth. On multiple occasions, we had to borrow water from the neighbors. On top of all that, the water in Wihdat was not always clean. Sometimes I would turn on the faucet and brown water, not suitable for drinking or washing, would flow out. This caused many people, especially children, to develop illnesses; in fact, when we moved back to Jordan, my two younger siblings who were born in the states were sick for the first two weeks as a result of the poor water quality. As well as the unsanitary water, large garbage dumps in residential areas and several other factors led to many diseases that would, in most cases, go untreated. Just like the UNRWA school, there is only one UNRWA medical clinic in Wihdat. With high demand and very limited supply, most patients are not seen by a doctor or nurse. The UNRWA clinics open at 8 am and people crowd the entrance as early as 6 am. Many of them end up going home in the afternoon without being seen and have to come back the next day just as early. However, many families aren’t able to return the following day because every minute counts when trying to earn a living in Wihdat; as a result, many medical cases, especially for children, end up being neglected. Unfortunately, high demand is not the only issue with these clinics. Even when patients are able to see a nurse or doc-
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tor, it’s for a very brief amount of time. Often they do not receive adequate care due to the lack of staff and resources in the clinic and the large number of people expecting to be attended to. The struggles and challenges of living in the refugee camps do not end here, and my grandmother’s experience is only 1 of 750,000 accounts of displaced Palestinians; each refugee has his own account of the strenuous journey and most have had families since, many of which are still living in the camps. Unfortunately, there is very little improvement, and the cycle of poverty, low employment rates, and low education quality is prevalent to this day. Many families depend on a few family members who immigrate to other countries to assist in the financial needs of the whole extended family. It is also crucial to draw parallels between all refugee crises. Currently 11 million Syrians have been cruelly displaced; this painful expulsion exacerbates the already dire refugee situation, especially in neighboring countries like Jordan and Lebanon. Syrian refugees today are beginning the same, if not worse, tragic cyclical refugee experience that Palestinian refugees know all too well. As long as the stories of these refugees are untold, and until there are local, national and international campaigns to raise awareness for change, improving the living conditions of refugees will remain a neglected issue. Although the struggles of living in a refugee camp are devastating, I left Wihdat in a positive light. Regardless of who I spoke to, whether it was family, friends, or strangers, they all had a sense of hope and certainty that they will overcome these struggles and Palestine will be free. My grandmother always told me that what she had to go through is trivial when considering the big picture—Palestine is still occupied. She told me something that is engrained in my heart forever; “One day, we will return and Palestine will be ours.”
EXPRESSION OF THE HEART A Need for Greater Understanding of the Deaf
by AIA HAWARI
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ASL for expression
Photo by Mujahid Zaman
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breeze slipping through the trees, crickets chirping outside our windows on cool summer evenings, the hustle and bustle of the city, and the different dings and rings of this digitized world—this is the soundtrack of life that we often forget to appreciate. Without a doubt, this soundtrack is both privilege and blessing. We who can hear cannot begin to follow and understand a film without sound, we cannot comprehend a life without it. We are unable to understand the complexity of the struggle in a world that is so audiological because accommodation of the hearing is priority. After a year and a half of studying American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture in college, the most enlightening realizations in contemporary times that have been brought to my attention are that the pity, the lack of accommodation, and the uneasiness, all due to lack of compassion, oppress the Deaf community in this hearing world. The lengthy tragedy a history in terms of how hearing individuals treated and viewed the Deaf goes unnoticed. When my favorite ASL professor who happens to be Deaf, Adam Frost, emphasized that the reason he teaches ASL is not because he wants us to learn the language for the sake of learning it. Rather, because he wants his students to “never, never, forget that the Deaf are not broken.” When someone makes an emphasis on such an obvious, yet unrecognized point, there can be an understandable sense of defense. A resistance to an oppression that I, as a hearing person, will never fully understand. Being a hearing person my entire life, aside from learning about Helen Keller and attempting to learn fingerspelling and a few signs in ASL—which I ended up forgetting most, if not all, of—I never once had the opportunity to consider what it meant to be Deaf in a hearing world. I have come to realize that hearing individuals, including myself, cannot begin to fathom life without a soundtrack. Therefore the lack of respect to those who live a lifestyle without sound is evident, which results in a stark lack of representation and effort to understand it.
MSA West Conference at UC Santa Barbara was the first time that I was able to communicate, through the help of an interpreter, with my Deaf Muslim brothers and sisters . Our Deaf brothers and sisters had the opportunity to represent themselves, tell us their stories, experiences, and struggles as members of the Muslim American community— struggles while being Deaf in a hearing world. Having the chance to communicate with these Deaf brothers and sisters through an interpreter, their response to me sharing my intention of learning ASL was a clear elaboration that it would be more important and beneficial to the Deaf Muslim community if the general Muslim Ummah made Islam more accessible to them. What I have come to understand is that a single person learning ASL is not going to make a difference in terms of fulfilling their needs of accessibility and accommodation as a marginalized group in the Muslim Ummah. There needs to be a collective effort to reform, represent, and accommodate --in addition to financially supporting--the needs of the Deaf Muslim community. We need to consider their needs as second nature and evident as having accessible water at our next event. The following year’s MSA West Conference at UC Davis, through the Global Deaf Muslims’ workshop, I better understood the privilege of the ability to hear the Quran, that my only struggle with access to Islam was that the only translated Qurans I had were in Old English. Learning about the resilient history and culture of the Deaf has been incredibly inspiring. Most importantly, however, it pointed to me how the misconceptions about and the delegitimization of sign language are active barriers to the hearing world in respecting sign languages as natural an expression as the way we communicate. The inability of the hearing to understand is in the way some hearing individuals mock this brilliant visual form of communication. The hearing mainstream must correct its astounding impertinence toward the Deaf, their culture, and their language. It is then we are able to attempt to grasp an understanding of the diverse narratives of the Deaf—
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ones that are diverse as the narratives of every other human being on this planet. We have the knowledge and outstanding ability to make the effort to include and understand the marginalized identities within our Ummah. There are so many Deaf narratives that are limited by the lack of understanding by the hearing of what it means to be Deaf. The prevailing understanding being: a pitied, less-capable person; this is a construct that comes from laziness in compassion and empathy. This understanding at once exists and is fueled by our dear Deaf brothers and sisters not having the same access as hearing people in a hearing world. Shall we not remember the rebuke of Allah after the Blind man was turned away? How can we prevent access to Islamic education when we do have the means to provide access? This is why it breaks my heart when the organization, Global Deaf Muslim (GDM), has to put out fundraisers with videos explaining that GDM is unable to fund organized Islamic classes for Deaf Muslims, due to lack of financial support to afford interpreters. Let us, as an Ummah, fund these classes. Let us have interpreters at Jummah. Let us support and fund the interpretation of Quran in ASL. Let us reach out to, and serve, our Deaf Muslim brothers and sisters. It is our duty as Muslims and our duty as world citizens to make an effort to accommodate and represent our fellow siblings of faith and humanity with greater understanding and compassion. The Deaf are not broken, and they are not dumb, and they certainly are not any less worthy of knowledge or self-expression. I want you to never forget this. We, as human beings, need to collectively understand and respect each other regardless of lifestyle and identification, because we just happen to be created in our own beautiful and individual ways. We genuinely need to take action as active and courteous members of society and our Ummah, because compassion is expression of the heart in the same way that, as Jean Massieu, the first Deaf teacher, once explained, “Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”
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