Reflections of a Brooklyn-based Arab American Activist

Until 2000, Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian Muslim American and at that point a college student, had never worn a hijab. As she explains, she had also never felt the sting of discrimination directed at her Arab or Muslim identity. In fact, when Sarsour began to wear her religious headscarf, she was showered with both adoration and sincere interest. After September 11, however, her embrace of her cultural identity was no longer simply interesting to her American colleagues; it was now heavily identified with that of September 11 terrorists. In the face of discrimination that she now faced, Sarsour did not back down. This article traces her journey as an activist and a leader within the Arab American Association of New York. As she analyzes the repercussions of September 11, Sarsour suggests that the event made clear to her and other Arab Americans that they were not seen as a coordinated and politically organized community. Consequently, their new focus became one of civic engagement, allowing them to emerge at the forefront of discussions and debates in the wider community.