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Some of the subjects of Heidi Naguib’s “Muslim American Faces” project. More of Naguib’s photos from the project can be found on her social media sites.
PROVIDED BY HEIDI NAGUIB
CAPTURING CULTURE OU alumna creates photography project using social media to address perception of Muslims in the United States
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n Oct. 1, 2005, while OU played a home football game against Kansas State, a bomb went off just outside George Lynn Cross Hall. Nobody died except the bomber, a student named Joel Henry Hinrichs. As the bombing was investigated, Muslim students and faculty at OU were repeatedly questioned by police. Several students also expressed concern about social stigmatization in the event’s aftermath, including then-OU student Heidi Naguib. “I remember that outrage toward the MuslimAmerican community at that time,” Naguib said. “That stuck with me. Before anyone had any information, it was assumed that (the bomber) must have been a Muslim.” It was this experience, along with others, that inspired Naguib — a now OU alumna with an international business degree — to create “Muslim American Faces.” Working as a photographer in Washington, D.C., Naguib created this photography and social media project seeking to address the cultural perception of Muslims in the United States in early 2017. “I’ve always been drawn to
TIM HATTON • @NOTTAHMIT a great story,” she said. “But then I never saw any of those types of stories about Muslim Americans in the media. The narrative of the terrorist tends to be the main story that we all hear.”
of the diversity that exists within these communities.” The project features several interviews showcasing that diversity. One of Naguib’s primary goals for “Muslim American Faces” is to create a space where Muslims can ... be honest about difficult or controversial subjects affectNaguib has interviewed ing them. m o re t ha n 1 2 0 Mu s l i m Americans for “Muslim “There is no such American Faces” so far, posting their stories and photos thing as one type of on Instagram and Facebook. Muslim. We are all Even when Muslims human beings, we are portrayed in a positive are all Americans, light, Naguib said, they are seen through their religious and our stories and identity. She hopes to show our narratives are Muslims’ human identity beall worth telling.” yond their religion. Waleed Mahdi, an OU HEIDI NAGUIB, professor in the College of OU ALUMNA International Studies, explores the cultural relationship Arabs and Muslims have with the United States. He “Racism, depression, dosays Naguib’s work is part of mestic violence, sexual vioa growing social movement. lence — these issues are very “Overall, I think what she rarely discussed from the does is brilliant in so many perspective of the Muslimways,” Mahdi said. “There’s a Amer ican community,” rising generation of Muslim Naguib said. “I think we’re so Americans who are sick and used to being demonized in tired of seeing their voices the media that we only want muffled, seeing their image to share the positive stories distorted, seeing their narra- that come out of our comtive hijacked by people who munity. It’s important to give may not necessarily be aware people the outlet to discuss
these stories, share their narratives and share what made them who they are today.” Mahdi shares Naguib’s concern about the complexity of Muslim-American culture being ignored by others. “When we talk about that complexity, we’re not only talking about it in terms of nationality, national background, or ethnicity, ethnic background,” Mahdi said. “We’re even talking about gender. We’re talking about sexuality, as well, and there are so many queer Muslims who feel lost along the way. ... It’s a community, basically, of communities that have so many narratives to tell.”
... Using social media instead of more traditional publications is an integral part of “Muslim American Faces.” The project has more than 4,000 followers on Facebook and almost 1,200 on Instagram. Todd Stewart, a professor of art, technology and culture at OU, studies how culture and photography intersect. He said social media platforms create an opportunity for Naguib’s audience to engage with the work that would not have been
otherwise possible. “When the photograph is embedded in social media, when it becomes shared that way, it can often be not just a photographic image but also a gesture,” Stewart said. “It’s not a static object. It’s an object that’s open for conversation, for the building of connections, community and relationships.” As part of the project, Naguib does not publish the names of the people she speaks to — she found anonymity allows them to speak more freely than they would on the record. She says she has been deeply affected by the vulnerability her subjects have shown. “I’ve heard stories from doctors about how they save lives, while others have spoken to me about times they’ve attempted to take their own,” she said. “People have shared terrifying stories about domestic abuse, and I interviewed one man as he questioned if he’s ever been abusive. Those are the stories I keep coming back to.” Stewart said Naguib’s photography helps her connect and empathize with her audience in ways that interviews on their own wouldn’t allow. “We learn things from
visual images and photographs that we don’t necessarily learn from the written word,” Stewart said. Naguib wants “Muslim American Faces” to represent perspectives from across the country. She mainly works around Washington, D.C., but has traveled across the country for her interviews. Most often, she visits cities where she already has contacts with the local MuslimAmerican community. She may visit Norman as part of those travels soon. “ I ’d l o v e t o c o m e t o Oklahoma,” she said. “I want to make sure that I’m sharing diverse Muslim-American stories, not just from one region. I think it’s critical to share stories from everywhere across the United States.” Naguib is determined to continue exploring the complexity of the MuslimAmerican community wherever she finds it. “There is no such thing as one type of Muslim,” she said. “We are all human beings, we are all Americans, and our stories and our narratives are all worth telling.” Tim Hatton
hamlin@ou.edu
Activist group asks for police resignation Locals react to death of man in detention center ANNA BAUMAN @annabauman2
A local activist group is demanding the resignation of two Norman Police officers involved in an altercation that ended in a man dying in his jail cell hours later. The Norman Citizens for Racial Justice, a local
activist organization, released a statement condemning Marconia Kessee’s “unjust death.” Kessee, 34, died Jan. 16 after being taunted and dragged along the ground outside Norman Regional Ho s p i t a l w h e re h e ha d sought medical attention. He was found unresponsive in a cell at the Cleveland County Detention Center two hours after the altercation ended in his arrest. Footage from body cameras worn by Master
Police Officer Kyle Canaan and Officer Daniel Brown shows the officers accusing him of “acting” after he falls to the ground shaking and yelling incomprehensibly. The Norman Citizens for Racial Justice’s press re l e a s e s t a t e d t h a t t h e group believes the Norman Regional Hospital was negl ig e nt a n d t h e No r ma n Police Department “treated Marconia with extreme cruelty, denying him basic human rights, and profiling him because he was black,
homeless and ill.” “We fear for the future of Norman if there is not a way to protect the community from a police force that is exhibiting aggression, militarization and a lack of ability to properly interact with homeless, mentally ill and people of color communities,” the press release said. The group said in the release that it holds Norman Regional Hospital, the Norman Police Department, Cleveland
County Jail and the city of Norman responsible for Kessee’s death. T h e g ro u p c a l l e d f o r both officers involved to be fired, a city inspection of the health conditions of the Cleveland County Detention Center, a city review of the discharge practices at Norman Regional Hospital, improved officer training for interactions with mentally ill and homeless persons and the creation of a civilian advisory board to allow for
independent investigations of deadly use of force by police and deaths in police custody. “The death of Marconia Kessee is unjustifiable and inexcusable,” the release said. “We call on the community of Norman to stand alongside Marconia’s family as they seek justice.” Anna Bauman
anna.m.bauman-1@ou.edu