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Suehaila Amen - American Patriotism
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16/07/18
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Recorded 7/15/2016 at the Great Revelations Academy in Dearborn, MI Follow Muslim Youth Connection on social media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/mycmedia Facebook https://www.facebook.com/muslimyouthconnection Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mycmedia Twitter https://twitter.com/_mycmedia _____________________________________________________________ Website: http://www.myconline.org Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=YjcrKU8qzkt2CrqE_MN7xHQE_gwJ_HFRWQ-wcz_-sTxIxSCGeO_W2Or83dnB3zLJHu4Odm&country.x=US&locale.x=US
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[0:00]in the community a lot of my focus has been Civic engagement
[0:05]encouraging young people to become more active in their communities not only
[0:11]doing community service work but becoming more active in Social cultural and
[0:16]political Arenas I think it's very important that we as a Muslim
[0:20]Community address the fact that we are citizens of this country and
[0:26]we make up a very important part of the fabric of this
[0:28]nation sometimes we tend to forget how important we truly are in
[0:35]the United States because we have been marginalized people have not been
[0:40]um paying really much attention to Muslims and the things that we've
[0:44]been accomplishing in the United States and unfortunately the uh the Muslim
[0:48]Arab and South Asian Community have been under the microscope we've been
[0:52]dealing with a lot of issues we've been misunderstood and it's important
[0:57]that we begin to change the narrative and begin Chang changing the
[1:01]way people are looking at us we we don't want them to
[1:04]look at us with the misperceptions and the stereotypes that they have
[1:08]of us we want them to see us for who we are
[1:11]and what we contribute to this country unfortunately with the way things
[1:15]are moving you have a lot of issues when it comes to
[1:18]National Security we're looking at issues of surveillance um combating violent extremism
[1:24]programs which can negatively impact our communities if they're not done in
[1:29]the appropriate manner we're looking at issues with a no uh fly
[1:35]list with a terror watch list these are lists that have grown
[1:38]um immensely over the last several years so you're talking about under
[1:46]the Bush Administration the watch uh the watch list being 47,000 people
[1:51]to being over 1 million people under the Obama Administration so that's
[1:56]that gives you an idea of how easily it it is to
[2:01]put another human beings name onto that watch list which makes it
[2:04]very difficult for them to fly for them to travel anywhere or
[2:08]even to purchase you know items such as if somebody wants as
[2:14]is an avid Hunter and wants to purchase a gun by their
[2:16]name being on that list it could potentially hurt them and not
[2:19]allow them to buy the things that they need in order to
[2:24]to continue being involved in the Hobbies or activities that they've been
[2:28]involved in so we're looking at the way policies and even the
[2:35]media play a very important role in the and giving people these
[2:40]presumptions about us so um I think it's important that we really
[2:45]understand what it means to be patriotic what it means to be
[2:52]civically engaged what it means to participate in the country that we
[2:55]live in ultimately this is our home I know many of us
[2:59]are connected to our motherland land overseas even if you weren't born
[3:04]here born there right in your ancestral Homeland it's important that's still
[3:09]something that's very important to us we still have a deep connection
[3:12]how many of you were born in the United States okay how
[3:16]many of you have for those of you that were born in
[3:21]the United States how many of you still maintain close ties to
[3:26]the Homeland okay I do too I don't have any family in
[3:29]Lebanon I have one cousin one aunt and she has now two
[3:35]children living there other than that I don't have any family in
[3:38]Lebanon other than distant relatives but I still find myself drawn to
[3:42]my ancestral Homeland I still find myself wanting to go every summer
[3:46]I just booked my ticket and I'm you know and I'm going
[3:50]next month because that's something that's important to me because at the
[3:55]end of the day as an American I can still maintain my
[3:58]Heritage and my identity just because you're an American doesn't mean that
[4:02]you can't embrace your ancestral heritage and that you can't have both
[4:07]of the best of both worlds in your hand um unfortunately we
[4:12]live in a society that tends to push you to make a
[4:15]decision either way right you feel like you're compelled to make a
[4:22]choice between being an American or being an Arab being an American
[4:26]or being a Muslim you have people that question you why why
[4:30]are you practicing your faith yet we're given the freedom and the
[4:35]Liberty to do so in this nation but due to the political
[4:37]rhetoric and the negative perceptions of Muslims in the media people have
[4:43]actually had the audacity to say why do you still wear the
[4:49]hijab why are you still wearing a thob why do you feel
[4:51]that you're compelled to bring your religious um texts or your religious
[4:58]laws we we always see in the media that Sharia is probably
[5:03]one of the most popular words used in in mainstream media and
[5:07]it's misused over and over again people don't understand how these laws
[5:12]dictate Our Lives as Muslims and how they impact us as Muslims
[5:19]living in the United States um and unfortunately misconstrue the meaning and
[5:24]and take it in a negative way trying to allow for people
[5:27]to see it as something that is going to negatively impact the
[5:32]nation when really it has nothing to do with anyone else but
[5:35]us as Muslims we've seen the demonization of Muslim communities in um
[5:42]politics you watch people like Frank GNE who is one of Trump's
[5:47]policy advisors these are things that are really something that Muslims in
[5:53]America should be afraid of these are people like Peter King the
[5:59]New York congressman who led a witch hunt against Muslims and was
[6:03]holding hearings um about us talking about our faith about our community
[6:07]about our culture uh Gaffney who is with the center for security
[6:10]policy who puts out a lot of this um wrong information and
[6:19]data that you see when you see Fox News uh anchors who
[6:22]are talking about Islam and are throwing up these absurd statistics this
[6:27]is where they're getting it from they're getting it from these sources
[6:30]that are highly islamophobic highly anti-islam anti-muslim and then those those negative
[6:38]stories impact us as a community impact you and I as we're
[6:40]walking down the street as people look at us as if something
[6:46]is wrong with us or we're a threat to the United States
[6:49]that type of propaganda has been going on for decades this is
[6:55]nothing new unfortunately it's happening at a at a much more alarming
[6:58]rate now and it's something that we need to take back this
[7:01]is our opportunity to become more active to become more involved um
[7:07]you have organizations in the United States like the institute for social
[7:12]policy and understanding who do extraordinary research that is directly correlated to
[7:16]the Muslim American Community these are organizations that impact our community in
[7:23]a positive way these are organizations that we should be supporting you
[7:27]have ispu even the ACLU though they cover a wide range of
[7:34]topics that we may not sometimes agree with all the time they
[7:37]afford US the opportunity to continue with our own civil liberties and
[7:42]they protect us by ensuring that we are allowed those opportunities to
[7:48]voice our opinions you have extraordinary leaders that really sometimes we don't
[7:52]take notice of you see them on Twitter you see them on
[7:57]social media but really get to know who these people are because
[8:00]the things that they're saying and the and the activities that they're
[8:03]participating in are really setting a precedence for how American Muslims should
[8:09]be participating in the political system and in society in general you
[8:13]have omaran Iman who just recently gave um a prayer at the
[8:22]Dallas um memorial for uh that just happened the other day um
[8:29]Imam Khaled Latif who's out of New York uh Linda sarur who
[8:32]the myc had speak at um at their banquet uh brother dud
[8:38]wed who were're lucky to have here in in uh Michigan that
[8:41]leads care Michigan the Council on American Islamic relations you have brother
[8:46]Hussein rashed um who is um based out of New York and
[8:52]does a lot of uh studies and research as well brother Mahi
[8:55]Hassan who everybody sees as the great debater from the UK who
[8:58]always has these phenomenal videos these are people who are impacting the
[9:04]wayar these are people the uh who are impacting the way American
[9:10]Muslims are viewed in society and alhamdulillah they're giving us that positive
[9:16]image right they're the ones who are standing in the Forefront they're
[9:19]taking uh the lead and they're making sure that people recognize who
[9:24]we are as Muslims unfortunately you have opportunities because politics shifts in
[9:30]the way that it does you have opportunities where the political system
[9:33]does seem to embrace Muslims and it draws Us in and way
[9:40]how many of you have um recently heard about the um the
[9:46]state department umid celebration that just happened this past week no one
[9:51]heard about it so state department has been hosting Aid celebrations and
[9:56]usually the White House holds uh an fad and this I believe
[9:58]was uh started under President Bush um as much as we may
[10:05]disagree with President George W Bush's policies and some of the decisions
[10:09]that he made during his presidency one of the greatest things that
[10:12]he did was he stepped up to the plate and acknowledged the
[10:15]American Muslim Community and embraced them during a time where things were
[10:19]were really turning against us very quickly and he made that effort
[10:25]to consciously go into mosques have conversations and address the Congress conations
[10:30]and the American Muslim Community and then began hosting aars at the
[10:35]White House which brought National Muslim American leaders to the table to
[10:39]discuss issues several years ago these types of events though they you
[10:47]know they're a nice gesture from our political you know um Arena
[10:52]it can also turn on us so a few years ago they
[10:56]had a White House afar dinner I don't know if any of
[10:58]you read about it where where um President Obama invited the ambassador
[11:04]of Israel durmer to attend and at this ifar dinner which is
[11:11]supposed to highlight the extraordinary works of American Muslims on a national
[11:17]um in a national setting invited durmer to come to this fad
[11:23]the ambassador of Israel and actually at the ifar dinner had the
[11:28]audacity to say to attend that Israel had the right to defend
[11:32]itself as Gaza was going through this onslaught of um activity from
[11:41]Israel towards gasa during that summer so these are things where we
[11:44]may say oh yes it's great they're embracing us they're welcoming us
[11:48]but then it's also getting that finger put in your eye right
[11:54]um for lack of a better way to say it where it's
[11:56]saying yes you're here we welcome welcome you but we still have
[12:02]an agenda and we're still going to push it the way that
[12:03]we see fit so the these are things that we need to
[12:08]pay attention to and when you realize that these types of um
[12:12]activities are happening or these you know subtle messages are being given
[12:18]that's when you need to stand up and take a stand as
[12:23]an American Muslim you have every right to be in this country
[12:26]whether you were born here you were naturalized or you're or you're
[12:29]working on your permanent residency this is a place that you chose
[12:36]to call home and in order for us to remain active to
[12:38]remain engaged you need to begin understanding the way the political process
[12:43]works because the only way we can move forward is if we
[12:48]understand that process because that process dictates everything that we have to
[12:54]deal with when it comes to um American society and the laws
[12:57]that we obey in this country now who can tell me what
[13:01]patri what what it actually means to be a patriot what is
[13:08]p being a patriot mean without using Dr Google yeah loving your
[13:12]country loving your country and what else it means to love your
[13:16]country and what serve it serve it defend it fight for it
[13:22]okay that's what patriotism is how many of you are patriotic consider
[13:29]elves patriotic it's it's a reality but at the end of the
[13:37]day being a patriot doesn't just necessarily mean that you're living here
[13:41]you've chosen this country but it means you're willing to defend this
[13:44]country whether it be verbally physically politically socially you're willing to defend
[13:53]this nation this is a nation that you call home now how
[13:56]many of you would say that you're patriotic toward towards your ancestral
[14:02]Homeland right don't ever say anything bad about Lebanon I can say
[14:10]something bad about Lebanon but you can't and that's because we're so
[14:15]deeply connected and a lot of communities in the United States don't
[14:20]necessarily understand what it means to maintain our Arab identity and our
[14:25]faith as well as our American patriotism I know it was something
[14:30]that was a focal point for us when we were doing the
[14:36]show allamerican Muslim it was trying to strike that balance between finding
[14:41]your identity maintaining that identity as an Arab as a Muslim and
[14:46]then still embracing the home the home that you're living in right
[14:50]because essentially at the end of the day the United States is
[14:54]my home this is where I was born this is where I've
[14:56]grown up and though my heart is is connected to my ancestral
[15:02]Homeland I technically don't have ties to it I don't live there
[15:07]I haven't suffered under the um aggressions that other people have so
[15:12]I really can't connect on that much more deeper level with what
[15:16]others struggle to uh to deal with when they're trying to embrace
[15:22]both identities especially with immigrant communities many communities who have been here
[15:26]for centuries don't understand that because their great great great grandfathers and
[15:33]grandmothers have come here from Europe settled and they're so far removed
[15:38]from their ancestral Homeland that they don't have those ties whereas we
[15:42]as new immigrants are still connected the first time I remember the
[15:46]first time I went to libnan I remember crying the entire way
[15:52]there to the point that my dad wanted to choke me and
[15:56]he was exhausted just from listening to me scream and yell for
[15:59]14 hours that I didn't want to go to this country that
[16:03]I didn't care about I was like this isn't my country America
[16:06]is my country I don't want to leave my friends I was
[16:10]14 I couldn't imagine going to this country in the Middle East
[16:13]that I knew was riddled with war this was 1992 they were
[16:16]still in the middle of a war and my only fear was
[16:22]you're taking me to a country that's not mine and I remember
[16:24]setting foot by like 10 hours and I had stopped crying setting
[16:30]foot on Lebanese soil and I started to cry again my dad
[16:33]smacked his forehead and he said for the love of God what
[16:38]is wrong with you he's like can you stop crying it's only
[16:40]30 days and I told him I said but I feel like
[16:45]I'm home because it was the first time that I set foot
[16:48]on the soil of my ancestral Homeland and I saw people that
[16:55]looked like me and that welcomed me with z and with AA
[16:58]and withum and I felt like this was where I belonged because
[17:05]I finally felt that I was in a position where people welcomed
[17:08]me where they looked at me and they wanted me to be
[17:13]a part of that country where I never had felt that here
[17:15]because we struggled to fit in I was born and raised in
[17:21]Dearborn I lived here during a Time many of you can't remember
[17:23]or weren't here for how many of you well not the young
[17:28]ones how many of you from the older generation were here in
[17:31]the 80s and early 90s so you remember what Dearborn was like
[17:36]Dearborn we had one butcher one grocery store two restaurants hookah cafes
[17:43]didn't exist they didn't exist until I was in my 20s so
[17:49]this was a very close- niit Community very closely tied together we
[17:53]worked together and we were afforded opportunities in this country that our
[17:58]ancestral homelands could not give these families which is why they came
[18:02]here during war and as they came here they became a part
[18:07]of the fabric of this country and that's when they started to
[18:10]realize how important it was for them to be active I remember
[18:16]a as a child in the 80s Dearborn Public School System didn't
[18:19]get off for Aid this is how activism started in our community
[18:24]soid was not a day off for students in Dearborn Public Schools
[18:29]we had to fight to just get the day excused so that
[18:35]for those of us who had perfect attendance and we waited anxiously
[18:38]for that little certificate that told you you had perfect attendance for
[18:42]the entire school year we were devastated if we had to take
[18:46]a day off activism began in the early 80s here in Dearborn
[18:51]as the Arab Community began to Rally around getting Muslim Students an
[18:56]excused absence so so that it wouldn't affect their perfect attendance record
[19:01]this is how things got started and this is when the community
[19:06]really began to realize that their voice mattered and they had to
[19:09]make an impact in some way to help the youth who were
[19:13]struggling and dealing with addressing their faith their culture and and being
[19:19]an American my mom and other parents in the community spearheaded how
[19:23]many of you take private girls gym class or took a had
[19:28]all girls gym class when you were in school right did you
[19:32]guys have all boys gym in school okay we didn't so activists
[19:41]in our community began these um really the began using their advocacy
[19:46]and their activism to change policies that were in the school system
[19:51]in a community that was still small but was growing okay so
[19:54]they had gym classes it started with getting uh Muslim girls um
[20:02]excused from taking swim classes during Ramadan or taking swim classes in
[20:08]general because it was mixed with boys then it began getting shower
[20:12]curtains put up in the gym uh in the gym locker room
[20:16]because back then the gym used to be uh the locker room
[20:20]used to be open shower so they were just shower heads and
[20:22]there was no privacy so it began with getting shower curtains then
[20:26]they started rebuilding the gym locker room room so that they were
[20:30]actually private stalls these are those little steps that started to happen
[20:34]in this community that really began to change the way people were
[20:38]looking at Dearborn because Dearborn was spearheading some of these initiatives and
[20:43]a lot of people didn't realize the importance of it until it
[20:47]impacted their youth right until they started to have children and they
[20:51]didn't want their daughter in a co-ed gym class or they didn't
[20:56]want their Muslim child having to participate in swimming classes during Ramadan
[21:00]this is when people began to realize that there was nothing wrong
[21:04]with maintaining your civil rights and your and your civil liberties while
[21:09]still embracing your faith and your heritage that it was okay to
[21:12]find that balance between both and still be able to fight for
[21:17]your rights as an American because that is what you're entitled to
[21:21]do and and still know that you are given that freedom to
[21:24]practice your faith and that because we have a community that was
[21:30]growing that it would allow us the opportunity to Rally behind certain
[21:35]issues that would ultimately help us and moving forward in society so
[21:40]as the community grew and as many of you were born and
[21:42]started to grow up in the community you had the luxuries that
[21:49]we weren't afforded at the time so we went through struggles and
[21:52]it's just as other communities you see like you hear from the
[21:56]African-American Community the struggles that their families went through while dealing with
[22:03]slavery and and we can't even put ourselves in that position right
[22:07]to really understand what these people went through during that horrible time
[22:12]in in history and what kind of impact it made negatively on
[22:19]not just this community but on society in general so to bring
[22:23]it back to home to make you really realize how important it
[22:25]is to have your voice and to say what you feel and
[22:30]to fight for your rights and that you can find that balance
[22:34]Dearborn really is you know it was such a small community and
[22:38]as it grew we started to fight for the rights for this
[22:40]community to be able to be engaged and active and still maintain
[22:47]their religious obligations and identity we um you know we take for
[22:51]granted a lot of the things that have now come up in
[22:56]society how many of you are familiar with muslimgirl decom no look
[23:02]it up muslimgirl go.com was started by Sister am man Alat am
[23:09]Mani is I want to say she's in her mid-20s now maybe
[23:15]about 25 phenomenal extraordinary young lady she's an activist she's been at
[23:21]the White House she's met with the first lady she's met with
[23:24]other heads of state she is truly a remarkable young Muslim woman
[23:29]who is changing the way people perceive Muslim women and not just
[23:34]Muslim women but how they're reading on issues that affect American Muslims
[23:39]so I I started writing for them recently when I when I
[23:44]have some time I'll you know I'll jump in and I'll submit
[23:46]an article but these are young women these are activists throughout the
[23:50]Comm commu throughout the nation and different Muslim communities who have ch
[23:55]begun to change The Narrative of American Muslims when issues arise when
[24:01]situations happen this small like little band of Heroes they really they
[24:10]they amazed me I thought we were super active and some of
[24:12]the things that we're engaged in but these young ladies have gone
[24:15]above and beyond and when I watch the things that they're doing
[24:18]and the things that they're writing about and how they're taking issues
[24:24]and showing the American public just how much they impact not only
[24:29]us as American Muslims but sharing the American Muslim perspective with the
[24:35]Greater Community and Muslim girl.com is show is is seen all over
[24:40]the world it's online it's you know they're huge on uh social
[24:46]media these are articles that you can read of how American Muslims
[24:49]are thinking and how and and some of the difficulties they're facing
[24:53]and addressing issues that affect us as Muslims affect us as people
[24:57]of color affect us as people of faith and how they affect
[25:01]us As Americans how many of you realize how important Civic engagement
[25:08]is in your faith how many of you are familiar with some
[25:11]of the things that are written in the Quran or some of
[25:16]the things that wasallam has stated actually in Islam do you actually
[25:22]know some of the things that have been said about Civic engagement
[25:25]so a portion of chapter 3 verse 110 it says you are
[25:32]the best Nation produced as an example for mankind you enjoy what
[25:36]is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah what
[25:42]does that mean to en to enjoy what is right and forbid
[25:46]what is wrong isn't that a part of social justice that's a
[25:53]part of engagement right and here as American Muslims we need to
[25:57]realize that that part of social justice impacts us on a daily
[26:00]basis and this is something that our faith tells us to do
[26:05]so you're compelled as a Muslim to be socially religiously culturally just
[26:14]you're supposed to look at the world and look at it from
[26:17]from a view of Justice you're not supposed to try and disenfranchise
[26:27]people or continue perpetuating misperceptions and stereotypes you're here to make the
[26:32]world a better place that's what God subhana wa ta'ala has asked
[26:40]of you he has asked you to do what is right and
[26:42]forbid what is wrong and we don't realize how important that is
[26:47]and sometimes we need to take a step back and understand that
[26:50]God has chosen us to continue to fulfill a series of um
[26:57]you know you know prophecies that have been brought down over time
[27:00]and that we are so we are foot soldiers we're here to
[27:05]continue a message to continue spreading that beauty of Islam to show
[27:10]people the reality of who we are as Muslims and the impact
[27:14]that we've made not just here as Americans but the impact that
[27:17]we've made on society and on the global Community because Muslims have
[27:21]truly done extraordinary things I know you always see those memes in
[27:25]social media that will tell you oh if you didn't have Muslims
[27:28]that you want to ban and send back to wherever they came
[27:30]from or people who are actually um you know whose hearts are
[27:36]just hardened and very dark and say that we need to bomb
[27:38]them and get rid of all of them that there should be
[27:42]a mass Exodus of Muslims from the globe you would have lost
[27:46]a lot of things how many of you can tell me what
[27:48]Muslims have brought to the world algebra how many of you hate
[27:54]math you can thank a cousin right what else what else have
[28:02]we given the world I believe soap coffee what else Asom astronomy
[28:12]there's literally lists of things that Muslims have done structures like electricity
[28:21]electricity I know we've had our hand in a little bit of
[28:24]everything so if Muslim Muslims were to be annihilated and removed from
[28:34]society in general what would have brought so we have Google here
[28:38]surgery there have been tools that were used during Islamic societies over
[28:43]the centuries that are that were being patented only less than a
[28:48]100 years ago but they were being used thousands of years before
[28:53]so the Muslim Community has contributed greatly and we need to begin
[28:58]engaging the American community and Western societies and really understanding who we
[29:03]are and what we've brought to the table that it's not just
[29:06]about um the fact that we're here we follow our faith this
[29:11]is our holy book but the fact that we've actually done extraordinary
[29:14]things um it says in the Quran in a portion of chapter
[29:19]5 and verse two it says and cooperate with each other in
[29:22]matters of goodness and righteousness and do not cooperate with one another
[29:26]in sin and hostility and fear Allah indeed Allah is severe in
[29:29]punishment how many of us get angry when we see the things
[29:35]that are happening in society we take to social media we voice
[29:38]our concerns and sometimes they're very hostile right people get angry emotionally
[29:45]you react but at the end of the day what are people
[29:49]waiting to see from you what is the general American public that's
[29:55]non-muslim waiting to see from you as an American Muslim an apology
[29:59]sorry an apology an apology they want your apologies they want you
[30:05]your you to condemn whatever it was that was happening Somebody went
[30:09]into Subway and didn't pay the full price of their sub you
[30:12]need to condemn the fact that that guy didn't pay his full
[30:16]price of his sub and we had to stand in line for
[30:20]an extra 10 minutes waiting for him to find change like there's
[30:24]so much Ridiculousness that they've made American Muslims feel like you have
[30:29]to apologize for absolutely everything do you feel compelled to have to
[30:33]apologize as a patriot what is your duty to be a good
[30:41]citizen your duty as a patriot is to be a good citizen
[30:44]to abide by the law to fight for the laws right so
[30:51]as an American Muslim who's being negatively impacted by policies by uh
[30:59]negative media um stories by people's misperceptions my duty is to fight
[31:07]for my rights that is my obligation as a patriot is to
[31:10]fight for what it is I've been given in this nation as
[31:15]an American people will always come at me when I criticize the
[31:18]United States or I criticize politicians they tell me you have no
[31:22]right to criticize these people or to criticize the government or their
[31:25]policies what is your right as an American you can criticize your
[31:33]government you can critize the policies it is your duty as an
[31:41]American to question your government to question these politicians that are lobbying
[31:47]for certain policies and bills and legislation that are going to negatively
[31:50]impact communities of color unfortunately the reality is there there's a lot
[31:58]of privilege at the end of the day we are a community
[31:59]of color though you may check the box for white if you
[32:05]fall under Middle Eastern how many of you actually feel white when
[32:09]you walk down the street I don't I don't think I'm white
[32:14]nobody looks at me and yay you you're a great American I
[32:19]struggle with having to ensure my safety the fact that I may
[32:26]get approached by some who will have something negative to say and
[32:30]I have to be equipped with a smile and some diplomacy to
[32:34]answer but for me when people come at me with something negative
[32:41]me as a patriot I respond sharing what my rights are you
[32:48]need to know your rights you don't know how important it is
[32:52]for you to know your rights you are never too young you
[32:57]are never too old your rights are everything for you in this
[33:00]country you have every right to defend yourself you have every right
[33:03]to say how you feel and to express those feelings unfortunately we're
[33:09]put in a position where we have to express those feelings in
[33:12]a diplomatic manner because you don't want to feed into a negative
[33:16]image that they already have right so in their mind somebody looks
[33:22]at me and they see an oppressed woman oh W is me
[33:23]sua traveling to the other side of the world and I have
[33:29]people that tell me you're oppressed your men keep you locked up
[33:35]in the house and I was like as I'm in China I'm
[33:37]not locked up in a cage in my basement and I'm traveling
[33:42]by myself as a female people have missed the point of what
[33:45]of some of the things that they're trying to get across right
[33:48]so like right there you look like a fool because you're saying
[33:51]something that really is untrue as I'm standing here before you that's
[33:56]completely the opposite opposite of the image of Oppression I was blessed
[34:00]when Terry Jones was in town to have been working in the
[34:08]court when he came and um as he it was funny I
[34:12]was sitting at the court reporter's desk and I'm typing away as
[34:16]he's chatting and talking about how Islam is a horrible religion and
[34:20]the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam was you know a horrible human being
[34:24]and how women are oppressed Muslim women are oppressed they're not allowed
[34:30]to be educated they're not allowed to work and here's me the
[34:34]image of Oppression working wearing red white and blue because I was
[34:38]smart and I made sure I was wearing the colors of the
[34:41]United States of America as I sat in that courtroom and just
[34:46]by my sitting there and when he said those words I looked
[34:51]up at him and I smiled because I didn't I was like
[34:52]oh that's a good one and all of the media literally Drew
[34:57]its attention to me because here I am as he's talking about
[34:59]the image of Oppression women who are veiled are unable to work
[35:05]are uneducated and that Islam uh stifles them and suffocates them here
[35:10]I am educated working and wearing the hijab and that and the
[35:15]complete opposite of the image that he was trying to portray to
[35:20]the media and to the people in the courtroom so without even
[35:23]saying a word and just a simple smile I was able to
[35:28]change that narrative and it made all of the media laugh in
[35:30]the courtroom as he was saying this because I just looked up
[35:34]and I smiled I was like thanks um you need to be
[35:39]able to respond in a way where if you feel you're going
[35:41]to respond emotionally I always caution people it's best not to respond
[35:48]don't respond if you're going to yell at somebody if you're going
[35:52]to curse at them if you're going to be inappropriate because ultimately
[35:56]that's what they want want to see from you and as a
[36:01]person who's being a good citizen that's not what you're wanting to
[36:04]do right being a good citizen is what tell me three things
[36:07]of what it means to be a good citizen helping your neighbor
[36:13]helping your neighbor what else abiding by the law abiding by the
[36:18]law the most important thing in this country abide by the law
[36:22]you are here in this country I know many of us though
[36:26]our hearts may be elsewhere you are living here the laws here
[36:32]are what dictate how you should conduct yourself we see every day
[36:37]on waren Avenue the hour before afar that all laws are broken
[36:40]when it comes to driving because we want to get to where
[36:45]we need to go no one's wearing their seat Bel you're halfway
[36:47]jumping out of the car as it's still in motion to grab
[36:51]your hello before you have to get to somebody's house this is
[36:53]reality but at the end of the day you are obligated ated
[36:58]as an American whether you're a resident or a citizen to abide
[37:00]by the laws of the land in which you live now if
[37:04]I go to Saudi Arabia for ladies what is the first thing
[37:07]you do when you go to Saudi Arabia you have to cover
[37:13]I went on business I've been to Haj twice alhamdulillah but when
[37:19]I went on business they graciously told me on the phone we'll
[37:22]have an ABA waiting for you at the airport when we pick
[37:26]you up I said thank you I have my own I appreciate
[37:29]it I'll see you there but I am traveling to a land
[37:35]where I need to abide by their laws these are the laws
[37:38]of that country I am going to abide by them as I'm
[37:41]there in that nation and that's what is expected of us as
[37:45]Americans Not Just As Americans as visitors for those who have family
[37:48]that come here and they feel that they're exempt you're not when
[37:52]you're visiting a country out of whether it be courtesy consideration you're
[37:57]following the laws of the land in order for you to be
[38:03]considered to be an Engaged and a good citizen you are to
[38:06]follow the laws of the land in which you're living and if
[38:10]you're living here in the United States there are laws that you
[38:12]abide by but those laws also afford you Liberties that you may
[38:20]not have elsewhere right or not you can be in a when
[38:22]I was in Saudi Arabia when I was in Haj perfect example
[38:26]I was in Haj in 2013 and our group was attacked in
[38:31]Haj it was a horrible experience we literally left Mina running for
[38:39]our lives fearing for our lives but at the end of the
[38:42]day I took to social media and hasj Hassan came and pulled
[38:48]my phone out of my hand and he's like you're going to
[38:50]get us killed before we get out of this country be careful
[38:55]what you post hashtagging Saudi Arabia what with with it and I
[39:00]didn't realize what he what he was saying until I left the
[39:03]country and then I saw what it what could possibly have happened
[39:08]to me had I been in the country and was bashing the
[39:12]country that I was in and this is a reality it happens
[39:15]in the Emirates you're not allowed to bash the Emirates the Emirates
[39:18]can come take you away and good luck anybody finding where you
[39:22]are that those are those are laws of those countries and you
[39:26]need to abide by them just like need to abide by them
[39:27]here and there's nothing wrong with following the laws of the land
[39:31]your faith is always of the utmost importance right when so when
[39:38]people ask me what do you consider yourself do you consider yourself
[39:41]an American or do you consider yourself an Arab I had somebody
[39:45]ask me that in an interview once what do you consider yourself
[39:49]Arab American or American Arab I told him first and foremost I
[39:52]consider myself a Muslim because at the end of the day when
[39:56]I go to my Creator he he's not asking me for my
[39:58]passport he's asking me for my good deeds and what I've done
[40:04]as a Muslim then I'm an American because technically I was born
[40:07]in this country of Arab Descent of Lebanese Heritage and he just
[40:12]looked at me and he said there are people that would say
[40:14]they're an American before they're a Christian before they're a Jew before
[40:18]they're a Buddhist or an atheist and I told him everybody else
[40:24]is entitled to their opinion but for me God comes first because
[40:27]at the end of the day that's where I'm going it's those
[40:34]Pearly Gates that are what I'm aiming for and for me God
[40:38]comes before country where you'll have people say country comes before God
[40:43]it really all depends on you as a person and what your
[40:48]spirituality and what your faith if you have any means to you
[40:51]there's nothing wrong with with saying that that is your right as
[40:57]an American in this country to have your religious freedom to be
[41:01]able to say that my faith is of the utmost importance to
[41:06]me that I will protect my fellow citizen protecting your fellow citizen
[41:11]doesn't mean you need to sign up with the military Patriots are
[41:17]walking around you daily I'm a patriot Maya is a patriot Hassan's
[41:23]a patriot we are patriots we are actively engaged we are actively
[41:28]working to help our fellow man to help our fellow citizens to
[41:34]help our communities when you're engaged in in charitable work in community
[41:38]service work how many of you have participated in myc's community service
[41:43]projects okay if you haven't I suggest that you do because ultimately
[41:49]at the end of the day your faith asks of you to
[41:55]give back God does not ask you to only give back to
[41:59]to Muslims you are asked to give back to society to Mankind
[42:02]and Mankind includes everyone and when you're living in this country when
[42:08]you're helping Society you're helping yourself and you're helping your umah because
[42:14]you're elevating the way people perceive us you're elevating our image in
[42:18]the eyes of the people who don't really understand who we are
[42:23]I know when we were doing All-American Muslim we got a lot
[42:26]of backlash a lot of people didn't like the fact that we
[42:29]showed The Good the Bad and the Ugly of of who we
[42:34]are as American Muslims right it showed a lot it showed us
[42:39]across the Spectrum from being very liberal to being very conservative but
[42:43]that's the reality of who we are but it also changed people's
[42:47]perceptions and you don't realize how much every action that you take
[42:55]is changing people's perceptions or it's validating their misperceptions when we get
[43:02]involved in charitable activities for those of you who've been involved in
[43:06]charity work how many of you have actually gone and done something
[43:09]for another Community that's not yours how many went to Flint and
[43:18]helped or donated water okay you're helping a community that's not yours
[43:23]right people saw the fact that the Muslim Community came came out
[43:28]and droves donating water donating time donating Services drove to Flint which
[43:33]is an hour and 20 minutes away walking in the cold door
[43:39]too handing people water to help them continue right we don't realize
[43:47]how much that actually means to a human being until you see
[43:50]the tears in their eyes until you see the happiness on their
[43:52]face when they see that you're as a Community of Faith you're
[43:57]you're working to help them how many of you have ever worked
[44:00]on a campaign for somebody that's not Arab or Muslim really my
[44:09]uncle's wife's sister uncle's wife's sister yeah he marri okay fantastic so
[44:19]when they see that Muslims are engaged outside of just supporting their
[44:24]own Community because we tend to you know we tend to stick
[44:27]to our own and there's nothing wrong with that it doesn't make
[44:30]you a bad person but you need to realize that it's so
[44:32]much bigger than that we're lucky we live in a community where
[44:36]we have people from our community running for office what if you
[44:40]were in Kansas what if you were in Idaho are you going
[44:44]to sit home and not do anything or are you going to
[44:47]get out and support the people that are trying to make change
[44:50]happen that are going to treat you as another American and not
[44:53]look at you as a label the one thing that we do
[44:56]wrong in Society is we look at each other as labels we
[44:59]don't look at each other as human beings we've forgotten the fact
[45:02]that you have a heart and a soul and a mind we've
[45:08]forgotten those things in society globally we look at each other as
[45:11]a hashtag we look at each other as a label and that's
[45:13]something that's wrong we need to become more active just because you're
[45:18]involved if you live outside of the city of Dearborn get involved
[45:21]in charitable activities in your immediate Community you don't need to come
[45:25]to the Arab or Muslim Community to be active people need to
[45:29]see that you're engaged I know it's in your heart to do
[45:31]so you just need to put yourself out there you would be
[45:38]so surprised how easy it is to just extend a smile a
[45:42]handshake a hug sometimes people just want to know that they can
[45:46]connect with you on a human level as parents as mothers if
[45:52]you saw somebody who was suffering another mother who lost her child
[45:56]in the mall are you not going to hurt for that mother
[45:59]because you understand her pain you understand what that feeling is like
[46:03]if that mother was of a different color of a different Community
[46:08]are you going to feel less engaged less hurt or are you
[46:11]still going to feel the same pain as a human being we
[46:18]connect with other human beings on that human level that's when labels
[46:23]and hashtags don't exist when you're trying to connect when you're seeing
[46:30]somebody else hurt if you saw one boys if you saw one
[46:32]of your schoolmates who's non-muslim fall and get hurt and is bleeding
[46:38]are you going to help him right you're not going to say
[46:43]hey bro are you Muslim right we have had conversations over the
[46:49]years about what it means to actively be engaged actively being engaged
[46:54]in your community is not just focusing on your own issues on
[46:59]the things that only affect your community because if we continue to
[47:05]be insular which means we continue to stay within ourselves that's what
[47:09]people say about us we're a very insular Community we don't know
[47:14]what exists outside the boundaries of Dearborn and we need to begin
[47:19]changing that and we change that by helping we change that by
[47:22]getting involved we change that by showing our patriotism people tend to
[47:26]think by being being a patriot that means you have to strap
[47:28]yourself with um a uniform and go fight for this country that's
[47:34]not necessarily it I feel that I'm more patriotic than some of
[47:37]the people that have put themselves in the military because ultimately at
[47:40]the end of the day my greater goal is to assist other
[47:44]human beings I don't care what community they come from if my
[47:49]African-American brothers and sisters call me I'm there my Latino brothers and
[47:53]sisters call me I'm there my Jewish brothers and sisters call me
[47:56]I'm there I sat and I met with all the leadership of
[48:00]the um lesbian gay and bisexual and transgender Community the LGBT community
[48:06]after Orlando to sit and understand their suffering because I'll be honest
[48:11]with you if anybody has understood our suffering as a Muslim Community
[48:16]it's the lgbtq community they're the ones who will stand by you
[48:20]as a Muslim who's being negatively impacted by issues that are happening
[48:27]in society because they know exactly how you feel because they've been
[48:31]through it and they know what it's like to be disenfranchised these
[48:35]are things that we tend to not think about because we may
[48:40]not agree with that particular opinion or that particular way of life
[48:48]doesn't mean that you can't support that human being and this is
[48:52]something that we have to come to understand that there are people
[48:57]who are suffering and that we need to look Beyond those labels
[48:59]to help them because in order for you to be a patriot
[49:03]for you to really embrace your identity as an American as a
[49:06]human being living in this country and abiding by the laws here
[49:09]then you have to understand that we are collective community that is
[49:15]dealing with issues that is suffering and that there's more Happening Here
[49:20]domestically that is going to negatively impact you than what's happening overseas
[49:24]we have primary is coming up we have an election coming up
[49:29]these are Big elections These are times when you need to have
[49:32]your voice heard and I know we feel disenfranchised and we think
[49:37]our voice isn't always heard but it is and if we continue
[49:40]to sit at home and watch our soap operas on TV and
[49:45]and not be concerned with what with what's happening domestically we're going
[49:49]to continue to allow these negative things to happen and we're going
[49:53]to allow them the pathway to continue moving forward we need to
[49:57]be able to look ahead look at the reality of the situations
[50:01]that we're dealing with I don't tell people to go out and
[50:04]condemn anytime there's something happening my heart bleeds for the people of
[50:09]the world globally I posted my heart is bleeding for Humanity #
[50:13]you know for nce for friend it doesn't mean that I'm condemning
[50:19]what happened because if I condemn I'm taking some kind of responsibility
[50:23]for what's happened and that has nothing to to do with me
[50:27]it has nothing to do with my faith or my community but
[50:30]there's nothing wrong with understanding what other human beings are suffering with
[50:34]and it starts here it starts in your own Community it starts
[50:38]in your own City in your own state in your own country
[50:42]I can go and ask IM Ali down the street what's happening
[50:47]in Egypt and she'll give me a a minute by minute update
[50:50]as to what's going on in the streets of of Cairo if
[50:56]I ask ask her who's running for congress she can't tell me
[51:00]forget Congress who's running for judge who's running for your city council
[51:04]they can't tell you because they're not concerned with it because they
[51:09]feel that their voice doesn't matter but if you're going to continue
[51:13]to feel that way then we're not going to progress and we're
[51:15]not going to be able to move forward so it starts here
[51:21]it starts here and now and I know that it's difficult to
[51:23]see it and sometimes we take a lot of things for granted
[51:26]but if you're going to sit aside and not really fight for
[51:31]your rights then you can't complain when somebody continues to infringe upon
[51:37]them with surveillance with the way policies are moving within law enforcement
[51:42]and uh the way Federal policies are going to impact you as
[51:46]immigrant communities whether you're new immigrants or your potential family that could
[51:51]come here from overseas you need to begin taking a stand on
[51:55]issues because domestically you're going to suffer and it's not a joke
[52:00]you have presidential candidates who feel that they' found a platform in
[52:05]this country and they're getting egged on and they're getting supported where
[52:09]people are saying it's okay to ban Muslims from this country until
[52:13]we figure out what's going on that it's okay to give people
[52:20]a test to see if they believe in Sharia law you actually
[52:25]have politicians people of status of stature who have hundreds of thousands
[52:31]of followers who are on a national platform and a global platform
[52:38]saying these things and if you continue to sit at home and
[52:41]not pay attention to what's going on around you it's going to
[52:44]continue negatively impacting you and before you know it you'll be on
[52:49]the first plane out of here and they'll change because currently you
[52:53]can't be revoked your citizenship right they can't revoke your citizenship I'm
[52:57]here for life you're stuck but at the rate things are going
[53:01]and if we continue to stay silent God knows what if somebody
[53:06]then begins to put a policy in place where they can reject
[53:09]your citizenship then what then you're going to say oh I didn't
[53:14]know I wasn't paying attention when it's too late and things can't
[53:20]be changed if we don't band together as a community and move
[53:23]forward as a United Community we continue to divide ourselves Dearborn alone
[53:28]is divided we're watching it in our in our elections it's ridiculous
[53:32]it is probably one of the most disturbing things that I actually
[53:36]see if we can't stand United as a community just as a
[53:42]Muslim Community between the different uh you know factions of the Muslims
[53:46]that are here because when I was growing up as a child
[53:48]we were united we worked together the mosque had people from all
[53:56]different backgrounds you didn't have this mask for this group that mask
[54:00]for another group this mask for that Imam another mask for another
[54:03]Imam the community was a United Community we worked together on issues
[54:07]and we've become fractioned over the years and we need to bring
[54:12]it back we need to reain it in by you talking to
[54:15]your friends by you engaging and sometimes you think you're too young
[54:19]you're not I started getting active when I was 12 years old
[54:24]I was speaking in front of hundreds of people at the mosque
[54:28]at Community dinners at functions when I was 14 because I knew
[54:32]at a young age because I had parents that were active I
[54:37]knew that in order for me to begin helping to move our
[54:40]community forward I needed to get started at a young age and
[54:45]that work took me globally it's all about changing perceptions you want
[54:50]to engage people you want them to see you for who you
[54:53]are as a human being and then for them to truly understand
[54:55]what it means to wear hijab what it means to embrace Islam
[54:59]what it means for you to be a young man growing up
[55:02]in America as a Muslim how are these policies negatively impacting you
[55:07]how is the media changing the way people are perceiving you because
[55:11]there's so much negativity how are you going to make that first
[55:16]step in changing the way people see you it starts with you
[55:19]getting involved if people continue to say how many of you continue
[55:27]to to see people say we don't hear you we don't see
[55:32]your community getting up and saying anything we don't hear your your
[55:36]clergy condemning these acts speaking out against this violence how many of
[55:42]you actually see it happening I see it I see it every
[55:47]day I see it from people all over the country all over
[55:51]the world but they don't feel that they're seeing it enough so
[55:54]when you be begin to change the way people are looking at
[55:59]you simply by a handshake or a hello when you're walking by
[56:02]someone it's going to start changing the way people look at you
[56:07]but the most important thing is for you to be engaged if
[56:09]you're not going to be engaged honestly there's no reason for you
[56:15]to be here why be in this country if you're not going
[56:18]to actively get engaged and be a part of the fabric of
[56:22]this nation and and understand your civil liberties and everything that you've
[56:25]been afforded here in the nation the opportunities your civil rights the
[56:30]the the ability to get a job get an education if you're
[56:35]not going to take advantage of the things that have been offered
[56:38]to you why be here so you need to begin looking at
[56:42]things through a different lens and understand that just because you're helping
[56:47]doesn't mean that you're helping you don't want to be just helping
[56:53]your own Community you want to be helping Society in general so
[56:55]start start to get out start to let people see you I
[56:58]know it's you know it's sad to say that you need to
[56:59]let people see you but it is it's important let them see
[57:04]that we're a community that's not only elevating ourselves but we're elevating
[57:08]the rest of society because when we begin to elevate each other
[57:11]we're going to move forward as a collective group and that Collective
[57:14]group will begin embracing you and seeing you for who you are
[57:19]an American not seeing you as a label or or or an
[57:21]image of your faith okay so all I ask ask you know
[57:26]I think it's important that people realize that patriotism isn't just about
[57:31]Defending Your Country but it's about defending your fellow man your fellow
[57:37]citizen about supporting them their right to say what they need to
[57:40]say I've had people yell and spit in my face and I
[57:44]tell them thank you for sharing your freedom of speech now I'm
[57:47]going to share mine and I tell them what I think and
[57:52]I try to stay as diplomatic as possible I had a guy
[57:54]throw a beer bottle at me while I was walking in the
[57:57]airport and I took a napkin and I picked it up and
[58:02]I put it on his table and I said you Dro this
[58:03]sir and he looked at me and he's very belligerent and he
[58:09]was yelling and screaming at me and I told him I said
[58:11]your mother must be waiting anxiously at home for your arrival to
[58:16]kiss that extraordinary mouth of yours I go I'm sure she's very
[58:20]proud of the gentleman that he that she's raised and he was
[58:25]had nothing to say and in fact when you respond in a
[58:28]diplomatic manner like I've had people yell at me to take that
[58:33]rag off your head I've traveled all over the country all over
[58:34]the world so a lot of things happen to me I'm happy
[58:38]it happens to me because other people may not respond in the
[58:43]way that I respond but as I had a guy yelling at
[58:45]me to take that rag off my head and I responded with
[58:49]him that I appreciate him sharing his opinion but that it's not
[58:53]a rag and that this is what my scarf actually means and
[58:57]that if he's a Christian and he believes in the Virgin Mary
[58:59]that he should ask her why she's wearing a rag on her
[59:02]head it it had other people turn around and begin to yell
[59:10]at this person right and then they came to my defense because
[59:13]they saw that I was responding in a diplomatic way with kindness
[59:17]with love that's what we're taught with Charity Islam teaches us to
[59:22]love mankind to be just to be righteous it's very hard to
[59:31]do I'll be the first one to admit I mess up all
[59:36]the time but the one thing I try to do is maintain
[59:38]that patience in times that are trying and all you can do
[59:44]is begin to take those steps forward to begin changing the way
[59:48]Society is moving and instead of moving in a negative way let's
[59:52]start moving it towards something more positive okay I hope you all
[59:58]get out and vote for those who can vote if you're not
[60:00]registered to vote shame on you you need to get registered and
[60:05]I'm sure myc can get you registered or show you how um
[60:11]but really your your voice does matter and at the end of
[60:14]the day you you know that disenfranchisement it'll go away unfortunately we
[60:18]are suffering it's the reality of the day that we're living in
[60:22]but if we continue to be more mindful and more focused on
[60:27]what matters As Americans and to realize that there are issues that
[60:31]are happening right under our nose that we don't even know about
[60:34]then we'll be able to start changing the way that our community
[60:38]is moving because sometimes I think we we're regressing instead of progressing
[60:42]so begin to get involved get active start looking outside the box
[60:48]and most importantly vote and if you can't vote for those of
[60:53]you who are too young to vote get get active start understanding
[60:56]what it means to be a part of a campaign to be
[60:59]a part of a process even go with your family while they're
[61:02]voting just so you understand what that process actually means it'll be
[61:07]a benefit to you as you get to understand what voting really
[61:11]means and what campaigning actually means for a person who's running for
[61:15]a public office salum thank you for having me and inshah hopefully
[61:23]we'll get to get together in more uh Happy Times and be
[61:30]able to share more celebrations I think there's so many more things
[61:34]that we can honestly do to celebrate one another and a lot
[61:38]of the extraordinary things that we're doing so I look forward to
[61:43]other opportunities to engage in conversations with you okay salamu alaykum
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