(voice of Omid Safi at the beginning and end of the video)
by LAYLA QURAN and AISHA ANWAR for PASSION IN PRACTICE: MUSLIMS OF THE CAROLINA PROJECT (Content shared with and compiled by JULIE POUCHER HARBIN, EDITOR, ISLAMiCommentary) on MARCH 31, 2015:
From the musings of a poet to the pirouette of a ballerina to the notes on a violinist’s music sheets, these embodiments of Islam render it an intricate and live form of art. From the classroom to the community center, Muslims in North Carolina embody Islam in unique and vibrant ways. In the fall of 2013, the first installment of our exhibit featured Muslim students and scholars embodying Islam through the pursuit of their passions.
For the second installment of #PassioninPractice (CLICK HERE for part 1 of Passion in Practice: Muslims of the Carolinas), we traveled across the state of North Carolina in the first months of 2015 to meet Muslim community members who shape their communities in beautiful ways. Through rain, little sleep and biting wind, we drove — treading our own dotted line on the map of NC. From book stores and bakeries to eco-boxes and hospitals we sat down with the people who have helped build this community: writers, architects, chaplains, scientists, bakers, artists, politicians, and more. We are inspired by the people we met. We want to share their stories with you.
With the rise in negative portrayals of Muslims in the press and fear-mongering legislation, so has risen Islamophobic rhetoric and verbal or physical harm to Muslims. This exhibit is therefore also an alternative view of one of the largest religions in the world, through a peek into the lives and passions of its followers. It is for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, because it portrays the various ways in which Islam is embodied beyond the 5 pillars, and showcases the physical and intellectual diversity of Muslims in North Carolina.
The greatest tragedy is that the people who best represented the passion for selfless giving to a community, are no longer with us. This exhibit is in honor of them: Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha #OurThreeWinners
The video and photos are on exhibition for the remainder of the academic semester at the Frank Porter Graham Student Union Art Gallery at UNC-Chapel Hill (Address: Corner of South and Raleigh Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 United States)
Here’s a sample of photos/bios from the exhibit below. Click directly on the gallery for an alternate/bigger view.
Imam Adeel Zeb
Imam Adeel J. Zeb is a global educator and spiritual peacemaker. He is the Muslim Chaplain/Director of Muslim Life at Duke University, previously serving as the Muslim Chaplain/Imam at Wesleyan University, Trinity College, and American University. He is a graduate of the Master’s in Islamic Chaplaincy program at Hartford Seminary and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Baylor University as well as a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Islamic Studies from Arees University in traditional Islamic sciences. He received certification in Tajweed Qur'anic studies from the Fatih and Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. He continues to study with scholars from top religious intuitions globally, and is also the Co-Founder of DEEN: The Foundation for Muslim Campus Life.Adeel has over ten years of experience in Muslim-American public service. He served as a two-time congressional staffer, has spoken internationally at Islamic centers, universities, hospitals, and Muslim conferences and has delivered Friday Khutbah on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. He has earned multiple certifications in Interfaith Conflict Management, Conflict Analysis, and Negotiation from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). He was the first Muslim Chaplain student at Children’s Medical Center’s Clinical Pastoral Education Program in Dallas, TX. He has published works in the Washington Post, and Temple University’s Journal for Ecumenical Studies. He was a 2012 Fellow with the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics. He has led and participated in interfaith and intrafaith international projects in Oman, Trinidad, Jerusalem, and Saudi Arabia. He has appeared on local and national media outlets and has been profiled in the Washington Post as “the prototype of the American Imam”. His media accomplishments include being profiled and interviewed in the Washington Post, ABC, CBS, FOX, and Voice of Asia.He is fluent in English, Hindi, and Urdu and has a working fluency in Spanish, Modern Standard and Qur’anic Arabic.
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Bios of those featured in the Video that are not featured in the Photo Gallery (above):
Shane Atkinson is from a Southern Baptist background and grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. He was introduced to the teachings of Malcolm X through Hip-hop music in the late 80’s. Shane sat with spiritual teachers from the major religious traditions over a ten-year period. At a festival celebrating the life of Jelaluddin Rumi in Chapel Hill, NC in 1999, Shane met an American scholar who was the catalyst for him accepting Islam. For the next decade, he sat with teachers from various Islamic countries. In 2011 he was given an Ijaza (authority) to teach Islamic theology, practice, and spirituality from Shaykh Jamal Ud Deen Hysaw. He began volunteering as a Chaplain at Duke Regional Hospital in 2011. After twenty years in the field of Orthotics and Prosthetics, Shane began studying Chaplaincy at UNC hospital in 2015. Shane’s hobbies include tinkering with his 1979 Chevy truck and recording Islamic devotional music inspired by gospel, southern rock and the blues.
Emily Mae White: Born in 1980 and raised as a Protestant Christian in Northern Michigan, Emily found God both in church and in the natural beauty of the outdoors. Her mother brought her up to value spirituality and acceptance, and her heart found its spiritual home in Islam in 2006 shortly before she received her PhD in Atmospheric Science. Researching and fighting air pollution was Emily’s passion until she and her husband welcomed their first child into the world. She embraced her new job and decided to take it on full time. She now stays at home with her two kids and runs a small home based bakery – mae’d bakery of Carrboro. Emily’s number one seller is a specialty, nutrient-packed dessert for new and nursing mothers with orders from all over the US. Last fall, she was featured as a finalist on Martha Stewart American Made. You can also find some of the cakes she’s designed at “mae’d bakery” on Facebook.
Krista Bremer is an American author whose award-winning essays have appeared in national and international magazines and news outlets including The New York Times Magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, CNN, MSN, MORE, The Sun, and The Sunday Times (London). Her work has been featured on National Public Radio, and she has appeared in the PBS series Arab American Stories. She has also participated in a debate at the Cambridge Union, and her work has been translated and reprinted all over the world. In 2009 she was one of six American writers to receive a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, a $30,000 prize to support emerging women writers in the United States. She is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a North Carolina Arts Fellowship, and a scholarship to the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Ismail, and their two children and works as associate publisher of The Sun.
Daniel Inayat von Briesen became a Muslim in his early teens after being exposed to Islam in Mecca, Saudi Arabia as a child. He studied in Egypt and Germany during high school, and again in Egypt during college. He Co-founded the Islamic Society of Central Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1993 and served as its president until moving to Charlotte in 1997. As an educator, D.I. von Briesen focuses on helping people demystify their world. He has been teaching technology for over ten years and specializes in evangelizing technology in education, with a focus on distance education, virtual worlds, and open platforms. He holds a faculty position with Central Piedmont Community College in the IT Division, is an adjunct at Appalachian State, and works actively in the community to encourage kids to explore their world. D.I. is the creator of the EcoBox – a self-contained living space made from a converted shipping container. You can read more about it at www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/February-2014/An-Untrapped-Mind-DI-von-Briesen/. He founded the non-profit gDwell, and is active in Hackerspace Charlotte and working to get kids involved in STEM, in part through partnerships with Discovery Place, Imaginon, and CPCC. He is a regular speaker on technology in education, and an active participant in the open courseware movement. In particular, D.I. is excited by the opportunities that web based tools offer for learning and teaching programming, and the much broader world of the open source maker movement. D.I. has also been a regular speaker on issues related to Islam since the late 80’s, and speaks to both Muslim and non-Muslim audiences in religious, interfaith, and secular environments. He is a regular participant in activities within the Charlotte community at Masjid Ash-shaheed, Islamic Center of Charlotte, and the Islamic Society of Greater Charlotte, and has represented Muslims at various Mecklenburg Ministries events.
Linda “iLham” Barto: The Arabic, pen name “iLham” means ‘divinely inspired,’ and rare inspiration is reflected in Linda’s spiritual and philosophical art and writing. Linda writes with interfaith sensitivity interwoven with a sincere desire for harmony and unity within the world’s faith diversity. She displays respect for all religions and focuses on the consonant values of peace, honesty, justice, charity, and integrity. Talented in several forms of writing, Linda received a Certificate of Achievement after completing a two-year writing program from Writers Institute (CT). Some of her essays have been translated, extending her authorship to span five languages. She is a member of the North Carolina Writers Network and was a featured author at the 2009 Book Expo America (NY). With sparkling colors, Linda illustrates numinous messages. Brilliance and passion are evident in vibrant images, and her calligraphy is flowing and elegant. Linda received an Associate of Arts degree from the commercial art program at Central Piedmont Community College (NC). She also completed a two-year course in fine arts with Art Instruction Schools (MN). “Glad to be a hillbilly,” Linda enjoys country living in the foothills of North Carolina. She brags of “two whacky brats, oodles of critters, and a pet husband.” Her greenhouse, vegetable garden, homemade soap, furniture refinishing, and crafty, household projects keep her busy. Having served during two wars, Linda is a veteran of the United States Air Force and the North Carolina Air National Guard. She was a decorated soldier having been awarded the National Defense Service Medal (twice), the Air Force Commendation Medal (twice), the North Carolina National Guard Achievement Medal, the George Washington Medal of Honor, and the NC Adjutant General’s Commander’s Coin.
The National Association of Professional and Executive Women has recognized Linda as one of the most prestigious women in America. She is listed among “Women of Excellence” for “professional excellence, leadership, and distinctive service.” The association elected her the 2010 Woman of the Year in the category of authors and illustrators.
Jibril Hough converted to Islam in 1991 from a Methodist background. He has been an activist on several levels and various issues for many years. In the hours after 9/11, Jibril organized anti-war rallies and fought for civil liberties. He currently serves as spokesman for the Islamic Center of Charlotte and holds a position as a board member for the Islamic Center of Charlotte and is a member of the Community Relations Committee for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Jibril Hough has written several op-eds – most recently on Je suis Charlie and free speech for the Charlotte Observers. Jibril acts as a liaison for the Muslim communities in Charlotte, organizing meet and greets on a number of related issues. He has organized meetings between the community and political leaders such as US attorney general Tom Perez and Congresswoman Sue Myrick to discuss issues like civil liberties and hate crimes. He also led the effort for Friday prayer at the Democratic National Convention in 2012.
Dr. Nadeem Iqbal is a long time resident of Research Triangle Area and a dynamic leader within the Muslim American community in North Carolina, whose contributions can be felt throughout the U.S. and beyond. He is a life-long promoter of inclusion of all communities into each other’s celebrations and has done that through organizing various social and cultural organizations open to all. He was a co-founder of Pakistani Student Association at NC State University, Raleigh, NC over 30 years ago, and a founding member of the Pakistani American Association over 25 years ago in the Triangle Area of North Carolina. Nadeem is also among the very few who laid down the foundation of the largest Islamic Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, now serving thousands of area Muslims. He has served in community leadership roles in various political organizations, including “Muslim American Public Affairs Council” of North Carolina and “Triangle for Obama”, and is a staunch media advocate for more than 25 years. Dr. Iqbal made his most significant contribution when he materialized his ground-breaking vision of celebrating Muslim Eid as an American Holiday Event by establishing a non-profit organization “NC Eid Festival, Inc.” in 2007. For the last eight years, NC Eid Festival has celebrated “Cary Eid Festival” in North Carolina which is endorsed and sponsored by the Town of Cary city council, which is indeed a rare accomplishment for any Muslim community in USA. Open to all, Cary Eid Festival attracts artists, performers and vendors from all religious and ethnic backgrounds, making this a “Festival Without Borders”. Dr. Iqbal is currently Chair of NC Eid Festival, Inc. board consisting of volunteers from many diverse ethnic groups. You can learn more about this wonderful organization at: http://www.NCEidFestival.org.
Aziz Sancar is a Turkish scientist specializing in DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints, and the circadian clock. His longest-running study has involved photolyase and the mechanisms of photo-reactivation. In his inaugural article in the PNAS, Sancar captures the elusive photolyase radicals he has chased for nearly 20 years, thus providing direct observation of the photo cycle for thymine dimer repair. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aziz_Sancar – cite_note-2
Aziz Sancar was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2005. Sancar completed his M.D. in İstanbul University of Turkey and completed his Ph.D. on the photo reactivating enzyme of E. coli in 1977 in the laboratory of Dr. C. Stan Rupert, now Professor Emeritus. Aziz Sancar is currently the Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Biochemistry, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is married to Gwen Boles Sancar, who graduated the same year and who is also a Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Together, they founded Carolina Turk Evi, a permanent Turkish Center in close proximity to the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill which provides graduate housing for four Turkish researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill, short term guest services for Turkish visiting scholars, and a center from promoting Turkish-American interchange. He has taken an honorary doctorate from Bilkent University on June 14, 2006.
Shamira Lukomwa: A Ugandan-American originally from Atlanta, Shamira is a fourth year at University of North Carolina, where she studies Global Studies and Communication Studies. As an out of state student, Shamira found community within UNC’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) and cites the organization as being an integral part of her Carolina experience. She previously served as MSA’s Education Chair for two years and is now the organization’s president. Through her leadership capacity in MSA, Shamira has worked to foster an inclusive and accepting space for Muslims and non-Muslims alike to learn about Islam and grow spiritually, intellectually, and socially. In addition to her involvement with MSA, Shamira is passionate about female and youth empowerment, critical development studies, and feminism as they pertain to Africa. She spent most of 2013 in East Africa: interning at Nsambya Babies Home in Kampala, Uganda in the summer and studying and conducting independent research in Kenya. The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence, existence, motivations behind and extent of sugar daddy relationships amongst female university students in Nairobi, Kenya and discern women’s sexual agency in negotiating condom use in such relationships. Currently, Shamira works with Carolina for Kibera, a non-profit organization that promotes participatory development in Kibera, Kenya, one of the largest slums in sub-Saharan Africa. She also serves as the East Africa Program Leader at Operation Groundswell, a non-profit backpacking, immersive travel, and experiential learning organization.
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Aisha Anwar
Aisha Anwar is a writer and photographer based in North Carolina, and a junior… major at UNC-Chapel Hill. (’16) She’s interested in depictions of ethnic children in juvenile literature and she is currently writing her first children’s book, called Finding Layla. Her photographs and writing have appeared in ISLAMiCommentary, Illume Magazine, The Daily Tar Heel, Carolina Quarterly, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Follow her on Twitter: @Aisha_Anwar01 .
Layla Quran
Layla Quran is a journalist from Greenville, NC, and a senior global studies major (’15) at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her past research and multimedia projects include interviewing Iraqi refugees about the physical and psychological barriers which emerged between the Iraqi people after the US invasion, and the impact and role of the Arts in Palestine. Layla has spent time in Istanbul, Turkey, collecting sound bites and footage for a project on how Kurdish individuals assert their identity within Turkey. She is the online managing editor and a staff writer for Campus Blueprint, where she writes pieces on social justice movements, minorities in the US, and workers’ rights. She also interned at the Southern Oral History Program in the UNC Center for the Study of the American South, where she completed an oral history project on the LGBTQ rights movement and the sexual revolution at UNC in the 1970s. Layla has also presented her self-designed research projects at various research conferences in the southeast, and most recently, at Harvard’s National Collegiate Research Conference. She hopes to continue creating art and media in order to promote alternative ways of viewing the world. You can see more of her work at https://laylakquran.wordpress.com.
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