Storytelling and Surveillance
Wajahat Ali, a playwright and outspoken young American Muslim activist, observes:
The future of Islam in America has to be written by Muslim Americans who boldly grab hold of the conch and become heroes of our own narratives. We can no longer exist in culturally isolated cocoons or bury our heads under the sand waiting for the tide to subside on its own. We must follow the traditions and values of Islam and America by being generous and inviting with our narratives. We must tell stories that are “by us, for everyone,” thus accurately reflecting the spectrum of shared common values that exist simultaneously within the Muslim and American spirit.
A study of activists and community networks affiliated with the Muslim Youth Group (MYG) at the Islamic Center in Southern California and the Young Leaders Program at the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), highlights storytelling as a crucial dimension of efforts by American Muslim youth to express and mobilize around their identity in the United States. 30Mosques, a project that circulated through the MPAC and MYG networks, is a prominent example of such storytelling. Founded by Bassam Tariq and Aman Ali in 2009, the project tapped new media to document and share American Muslim Ramadan experiences and highlight diversity and shatter stereotypes. Over its four years of existence and through various online platforms, the project shared stories, encouraged dialogues, and increased visibility for diverse American Muslims.
