City of Residence: Spring Lake Park, MN Occupation: Product Development Engineer and Army National Guard Officer Excerpt: “I joined the Army National Guard in 1992 and since that time I have been committed to the Guard. Right now, I have a family and I’m still committed to the Guard and everything I did before. I served two years …
City of Residence: Woodbury, MN Occupation: Runs In-Home Daycare Preschool Excerpt: “Apartheid. I guess, growing up in apartheid in South Africa was different. We had to live in certain areas, we had to go to certain schools, we had different movie theaters that we would go to, different parks that we were allowed to go to, getting on …
City of Residence: Rochester, MN Occupation: Computer Scientist Excerpt: “My interviewer—I think his name was Jim—he asked me, how about United States? Because I already spoke some English and I said fine, and he asked me which part of the country—and I didn’t know United States that well—I just said I don’t want to go to a big …
City of Residence: St. Cloud, MN Occupation: Professor Emeritus at St. Cloud State University Excerpt: “There are probably two types of struggles for Muslims at this point in time. One is the stigma attached to—to Islam and to anything that has to do with Islam and of course to Muslims in general… because of these unfortunate events that …
City of Residence: Blaine, MN Occupation: Teacher, Principal Excerpt: “The greatest achievement, I believe it is what I mentioned a few times how we have become so active in the community, teaching about Islam. I think that’s very, very important. And it has been a big achievement, I believe. I enjoy seeing what IRG has done in Minnesota, …
City of Residence: Fridley, MN Occupation: Diversity Consultant Excerpt: “And so there is some difference in theology there; so on the one hand, there are going to be things that are really common and similar about what we believe and what we share; and then there are going to be some things that are different. So, IRG has …
City of Residence: Pelican Rapids, MN Occupation: Works at a Turkey Plant Excerpt: “I like Pelican Rapids, I like Minnesota; yeah, my children live in Minneapolis, me I live here; I am working; I am helping my children; it’s okay. I like too much, too much; when I come here, I have a good life; me, my …
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. …
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 …
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 …