Upcoming StoryCorps "Muslim American Journeys" Tapings in New York, Chicago & More
Click portraits below to follow each individual’s journey.
"I am very happy and lucky to be able to find a career or a calling that is going to be able to give me financial success, but also that I really enjoy."
Click here to read the full story"My advice to young people is that the time that you are living in is the time that you are prepared to live in."
Click here to read the full story"My body was not supposed to be violated in this severe way, nor was my soul. Yet, both happened. But I am comforted in knowing that there are others I can talk to who understand my pain."
Click here to read the full story"Today, I know that the two separate sides of me were never separate at all; they are the same. They are American. They are Muslim. They are me."
Click here to read the full story“Others tend to see your results and envy your outcomes, but they fail to take notice of the amount of hard work and sacrifices you have made to get where you stand today.”
Click here to read the full story"This country never failed to surprise me by showing the generous amount of human, constitutional, and civil rights citizens of America have and how much power and independence an individual could have in this country."
Click here to read the full story"The civil and organized environment in America is a stark contrast to the pandemonium that I had gotten used to in Bangladesh. I feel that there is order in this new land whereas there was always chaos in my previous home. America is not just the land of opportunities, it is the land of possibilities."
Click here to read the full story"As a Black, Muslim and female I’m faced with so much. Last year I published my first book of short stories titled, Amilah. It’s an anthology of fictional short stories dealing with the lives of Somali-Americans."
Click here to read the full story"Reflecting on my life in Burkina Faso, I realized my current life is amazing even without Jordan’s, or an Xbox, or the latest iPhone. Living in an underdeveloped country made me appreciate the American life and the opportunities it has to offer."
Click here to read the full story"The next chapter in my life, which is attending a college or university will strengthen my brand, and I will get to further define what it means to be me: Muslim, Gambian-American, and Female."
Click here to read the full story"But just as I was getting accustomed to the country and my friends and everything, we moved once again to America, which was probably our toughest and longest journey. We came here in 2009."
Click here to read the full story"Being a guest in this country was about getting to know the culture; not necessarily how they talk and what they eat, but also how the financial world works and how the professional world works."
Click here to read the full story"My new life in America is becoming greater over the passage of the days. I learned how to stand up for myself."
Click here to read the full story"I believe that my name and its meaning have implicitly defined my identity since my childhood. This search for knowledge has been a life long identity journey for me and is how I define myself."
Click here to read the full story"I used all available connecting resources to find stable housing, enroll in school, find employment, and become a peer mentor for others like me."
Click here to read the full story"I had struggled with gender roles nearly all my life. I was a free, unrestrained American girl, but I seemed to be restrained by a culture grounded thousands of miles away – an orthodox Muslim culture that traditionally required me to cover myself, be obedient, and sit down and stay quiet."
Click here to read the full storyIn Fall 2018, MALA will launch its first civic leadership program geared towards developing young Muslim American professionals. MALA Young Leaders will meet for private roundtables with civic leaders, social entrepreneurs, and academic experts, and will participate in a series of seminars on leadership, community engagement, and social good. Ultimately, MALA Young Leaders will promote individual empowerment, independent thought, and diversity as they work to unite Americans of all backgrounds.
AMERICA INSIDE OUT WITH KATIE COURIC is a new six-part docuseries premiering on the National Geographic on April 11. Couric travels to dozens of cities across North America — from Freemont, Nebraska, to Montgomery, Alabama, to talk with hundreds of people to get an inside look at pressing social issues. On April 11, at 6:00PM, MALA will host the premier screening of 'The Muslim Next Door', the first installment in the series, at GWU's Jack Morton Auditorium.
On March 22, MALA convened a panel of experts in New York to discuss female genital mutilation (FGM) in the US. This discussion was part of the 62nd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, and featured a testimonial from Kadi Dambouia, a survivor of FGM. Her testimony preceded an expert discussion on how we can build networks of support and intervention, both at federal and community levels.