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Conclusion
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228 Conclusion On a summer day in Chicago, Sister Zubaydah and I drove to see an Arab American Muslim friend, Manar, for a women’s gathering at her home. Sister Zubaydah, whom I described in chapter 3, had recently returned from her trip visiting Muslims in China, where she was traveling with a group of mostly immigrant Muslim families from the United States. At Manar’s home, there were Arab, South Asian, Anglo, and African American women, some wearing hijab and others not. Sister Zubaydah remembered meeting several of them before at a Chicago reception for Azizah, the famous Muslim women’s magazine. Although we were a diverse group from different walks of life, only one woman seemed not to belong. She was a white woman, and because she did not greet us with as-salamu ‘alaykum (peace be upon you), I assumed that she was not Muslim. Once we sat down, someone handed Sister Zubaydah a book, a photo journal that had been circulating among the women. The title indicated that it was a journal of Muslim women in the United States, but Sister Zubaydah and I noticed immediately that the pictures were only of Arab Muslim women. “Where are the African American women?” we wanted to know. And no South Asian women were included either. Our hostess eventually introduced the woman who did not seem to belong, a photojournalist who came to shoot pictures of us. The photo journal was hers, and she needed pictures of us for a new book focusing on the experiences of Muslim women after September 11. As we lined up at the table for food, we took turns signing a release allowing her to use our photos. Sister Zubaydah announced to the others that she had just returned from China. Eyes grew big amid rounds of “masha’ Allah” (a statement made to recognize God’s blessings, literally, “God willed it”). As she told stories about her trip, I filled my plate from the dishes, forming a platter of ethnic foods: olives, cheese, hummus, collard greens, and lentils. Conclusion 229 The release was still making its way around. “Wait, what am I signing ? I don’t know if I want to do this,” said someone. The journalist was now downstairs setting up her camera, giving us a chance to talk freely. Another person spoke up, agreeing that we had given the woman permission without getting enough information from her: “We need to have some editorial say” about how she would use our pictures. A third person agreed, noting that photos of Muslim women had been used against us in the media. “We usually are portrayed as isolated, veiled, and victimized,” another person chimed in. It was time to start our meeting. Tonya, an African American woman, had been organizing a series of women’s gatherings with the goal of bringing Muslim women of diverse backgrounds together to address common issues that concerned them. For this meeting, she had invited Tehseen, a South Asian Muslim woman activist from California, for advice on how to start a multiethnic Muslim women’s group. We introduced ourselves. Among us were professors, stay-at-home moms, activists, social workers, writers, and artists. Anger management, civil rights, and diversity were the topics on our agenda. I took notes so as to be able to reproduce the Muslim women’s voices while the photojournalist was in another room, preparing to capture our images. Tonya started the dialogue: I am considered American Muslim, second generation. I’ve experienced discrimination as a woman in business, as an African American in business , and now discrimination as a woman in hijab. . . . Let’s examine how we can get more united. I met Sister Tehseen and wondered how we as women can get together [and discover] the beauty of knowing each other and sharing the food of each other. We are in the most ethnically divided city in America, and this is not the time to not be united. As our conversation continued, we took turns with the photojournalist downstairs. The first volunteer reported back to us that the woman asked her not to smile and gave no real explanation as to why. Why would she not be interested in at least a couple of pictures of smiling Muslim women? Her request confirmed that hers was another attempt to present Muslim women as solemn and unhappy. As a group, we discussed whether we should participate at all. Instead of backing out, we decided on another strategy...