Flurry of Bay Area Muslim Arts and Activism Countered Stereotypes
MERCURY NEWS
By Lisa Fernandez
CALIFORNIA - When the planes struck the twin towers, Junaid Shaikh knew that his faith, and the lives of every fellow Muslim in America, would be tarnished like never before. Already, before Sept. 11, 2001, he would often see the image of a crazed terrorist as a distorted view of Islam in the media. Suddenly, the attacks would only reinforce that story in so many of his neighbors' minds. Instead of hiding their identity, Shaikh and others seized the chance to flip that stereotype around. The result: an unprecedented flurry of arts and activism from Bay Area Muslims intent on showing their neighbors that they are honest, hardworking Americans just like you. [link]
By Lisa Fernandez
CALIFORNIA - When the planes struck the twin towers, Junaid Shaikh knew that his faith, and the lives of every fellow Muslim in America, would be tarnished like never before. Already, before Sept. 11, 2001, he would often see the image of a crazed terrorist as a distorted view of Islam in the media. Suddenly, the attacks would only reinforce that story in so many of his neighbors' minds. Instead of hiding their identity, Shaikh and others seized the chance to flip that stereotype around. The result: an unprecedented flurry of arts and activism from Bay Area Muslims intent on showing their neighbors that they are honest, hardworking Americans just like you. [link]
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