"It seems like it’s hard to find an outlet these days. The world seems revolve around this 24-hour news cycle, but even in that reality there’s no room to say what you think matters; you get drowned out by what society tell you matters. It’s a harsh reality to stomach because our world impresses upon us this desire for individualism, and yet if we deviate from the accepted norm we suddenly cannot find the audience willing enough to hear our story.
And at the same time our world is riddled with the fear of unsheathing these stories; if you were to look into my grandfather’s eyes, you’d see what I mean. This man grew up in poverty and watched his father’s family strip his mother of everything she held dear. And then, on a stroke of pure luck, he hopped on a plane and ended up in Brooklyn. Somehow, he mustered up the courage to find a place in a society that treated him as second-class. Throughout all the ridicule, racism, and bigotry, he worked three jobs, bought four pharmacies, and became a self-made millionaire in a matter of years. The immigrant perspective here in America is such an interesting phenomenon, and it really never ceases to amaze and terrify me. Mostly because throughout all of this my grandfather never felt validated in the slightest. He never felt that sense of belonging or of entitlement that his American-born grandson innately feels. On the contrary, he made it his mantra to be a “good citizen” and keep his head down. Hell, the thought of me writing anything like this would probably have him looking over his shoulder.
So I guess when I first thought about it, that’s why I wanted to start Mus•Ilm magazine; because the Muslim experience is so fraught with uncertainty and fear. We want to yell our stories to the world, but we fear what they may eventually bring upon us; we want society to empathize with us, but we irrationally fear the possibility it responds with apathy. Being a Muslim-American is a struggle, and I think it always will be. But if nothing else, I just want to give my friends and community a chance to talk about the hardship and a chance to maybe shift the narrative of how society has classically perceived us. It’s a big task, but why not try?”
If you would like to check out this magazine, please visit this page:
https://www.facebook.com/muslimmag.uiuc/
And at the same time our world is riddled with the fear of unsheathing these stories; if you were to look into my grandfather’s eyes, you’d see what I mean. This man grew up in poverty and watched his father’s family strip his mother of everything she held dear. And then, on a stroke of pure luck, he hopped on a plane and ended up in Brooklyn. Somehow, he mustered up the courage to find a place in a society that treated him as second-class. Throughout all the ridicule, racism, and bigotry, he worked three jobs, bought four pharmacies, and became a self-made millionaire in a matter of years. The immigrant perspective here in America is such an interesting phenomenon, and it really never ceases to amaze and terrify me. Mostly because throughout all of this my grandfather never felt validated in the slightest. He never felt that sense of belonging or of entitlement that his American-born grandson innately feels. On the contrary, he made it his mantra to be a “good citizen” and keep his head down. Hell, the thought of me writing anything like this would probably have him looking over his shoulder.
So I guess when I first thought about it, that’s why I wanted to start Mus•Ilm magazine; because the Muslim experience is so fraught with uncertainty and fear. We want to yell our stories to the world, but we fear what they may eventually bring upon us; we want society to empathize with us, but we irrationally fear the possibility it responds with apathy. Being a Muslim-American is a struggle, and I think it always will be. But if nothing else, I just want to give my friends and community a chance to talk about the hardship and a chance to maybe shift the narrative of how society has classically perceived us. It’s a big task, but why not try?”
If you would like to check out this magazine, please visit this page:
https://www.facebook.com/muslimmag.uiuc/