By Nargis Hakim Rahman
One day, I was on my way home from the middle school I attended when I was harassed by a group of girls. This was after 9/11 and it was unexpected as I attended a middle school in Hamtramck, Michigan, with about an 80 percent Muslim student population. So, I thought I blended in until that dreaded day and suddenly, I found myself on the guard.
Still, my shock and understanding of what was happening came about gradually. I had yet to fully grasp what had happened and what was happening all around me. For example, I heard news about elderly men being attacked on their way to the masjid.
When I turned 15, I had applied for an admin job in Taylor, Michigan that was owned by two Muslim doctors. The one who took my interview said, “You will have to remove your scarf if you want to work here.” I politely said, “Okay,” and left. When I got into the car, I felt the pangs of hurt that even our ummah couldn’t stand up for Muslim women. I didn’t take that job.
By 2006, while attending Wayne State College and participating in various organizations including the Muslim Students’ Association and halaqas (Arabic for “Islamic studies”), I took the time to reflect. I was also going through my first identity crisis at the time and wanted to further understand my purpose as a human being, as a Muslimah, all the while pursuing my dreams of becoming a journalist. Therefore, through my MSA circle, I learned how to be unapologetically Muslim in all areas of my life. We prayed together in library corners and empty classrooms; we volunteered at various charities and attended lectures. At internships I had, I asked for accommodations to pray, oftentimes explaining why it was important to me and gaining the opportunity to practice my religion. I remember sitting in an editorial meeting where I overheard a reporter talking, in disdain, about Muslims passing out Qurans. Later on, as we ate together, that same reporter asked me questions about Islam and Muslims.
Those experiences helped me discover the beauty behind hijab, behind being visibly Muslim.
Sometimes, it got exhausting, feeling like I was the only one or that I was being asked because I was being judged. However, I grew to accept that people are just curious. And as a journalist, I also ask a lot of questions.
In 2012, I began working for CAIR Michigan, where I learned first-hand about the harassment, hate incidents, bias, Muslims being put on watchlists and Muslims being harassed by the FBI. That job took what I had already experienced and showed me the extent of it. That knowledge equipped me with the tools, language and understanding of what was at stake when we didn’t speak up. A decade later, I am seeing women and men all over the world, via various notable occupations, from Media all the way to the Olympics, being unapologetically Muslim.
Two decades after 9/11, as a journalist, when I interview people, some get shocked, surprised, but oftentimes happy, to see someone like me on the other side of the screen or microphone. In many ways, we are all only beginning to heal from the aftermath of one of the greatest tragedies that ever happened.
About author
Nargis Hakim Rahman is an award-winning Bangladeshi American Muslim journalist and writer. She is a graduate of Wayne State University with a BA in Journalism and a Psychology Minor. She grew up in Michigan, Detroit, USA, where she is passionate about community journalism. Nargis hopes to give American Muslims and minorities a voice in the press. In fact, she is a reporter and producer for WDET 101.9 FM. Moreover, her written work has appeared in various media including The Huffington Post, NPR, YES Magazine!, Haute Hijab, Tostada Magazine, Eater, Model D, Detroiter Magazine, The Muslim Observer, Brown Girl Magazine and Metro Detroit Mommy.
Website: https://nargisthewriter.com/
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook: @nargisthewriter