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Episode 11 – Amin & Jamila Kosobayashi

City of Residence: Minneapolis, MN Occupation: Small Business Owner / Psychologist Excerpt: Jamila: “Again because I come from an interfaith background that’s really where my interests lie and also where I feel I can be most helpful to the community at large. I know how the dominant culture thinks. I have an understanding of what the fears are. …

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Episode 12 – Valerie Shirley

City of Residence: Minneapolis, MN Occupation: Teacher of Deaf and Hard-hearing Excerpt: “And I contacted people and finally made contact with a deaf man from Ghana. He’s Muslim and he is who actually started the organization Global Deaf Muslim. And I actually got in contact with him, I think, in 2006 and I’ve been working with him off …

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Episode 13 – Makram El-Amin

City of Residence: Minneapolis, MN Occupation: Imam of Masjid An-Nur / Professional Life Coach Excerpt: “God says that He has made you different that you may know one another, that you may come to know one another, you know? The best of you, is the one who is most conscious of God. So, not that I’m looking to …

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Episode 14 – Hoda Badawi

City of Residence: Fridley, MN Occupation: Educator, Ed. D. from University of Minnesota Excerpt: “The importance of Islamic education to me was, I sort of divide it into two fronts: one is sort of the defensive front, and one is the proactive front. On the proactive front, providing children with an Islamic education helps imbibe that Islamic identity …

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Episode 15 – Ahsan & Zahra Ansari

City of Residence: Maplewood, MN Occupation: Industrial Engineer/Child Development Excerpt: “For me particularly because I came in ’65, my experience has been very different from most people who have come later because I was involved in the Islamic activities right from, say, day one, if you want to call it – from ’65, being part of the Muslim …

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Episode 16 – Keith Ellison

City of Residence: Minneapolis, MN Occupation: US Congressman – Minnesota 5th District Excerpt: “I’m glad you asked that question, I actually urge Muslims to combat Islamophobia, not to protect Islam, but to protect freedom of faith, generally. Because the truth is, it might be Muslims today, but it could be Jews tomorrow or it could be Mormons …

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Episode 17 – Zuhur Ahmed

City of Residence: Minneapolis, MN Occupation: Radio & TV Host Excerpt: “I have been host for them for the past almost four years, and on topics that are most of the time chosen by people like the Minnesota Department of Health, and other healthcare-related organizations, or safety—we also covered topics that are related to safety in case of …

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Episode 18 – Asma Saroya

City of Residence: Blaine, MN Occupation: Civil Rights Worker Excerpt: “I think my interest in civil rights came from my childhood, just growing up in Iowa. There was—we had a lot of great, friendly neighbors, but there was also, you know, people in the community who did not understand us, who didn’t know who we were. And we …

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Episode 19 – Mohamed Elakkad

City of Residence: Roseville, MN Occupation: Retired Agronomist at the University of Minnesota Excerpt: “Well, the greatest achievement we have I believe, from my heart, that we have too many mosques, but we don’t have unity among all this communities. But this is achievement that everyone can go to pray in his place, which is about like, …

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Episode 20 – Enes & Naima Arslan

City of Residence: Burnsville, MN Occupation: Small Business Owners Excerpt: Enes: “It doesn’t matter what color you are, where you are from, what religion you are; it’s bringing the community together, we’re all here so we’re all “something” American, so, I think it’s important to bring the community like that, not just say, “I’m this”, and pull to …