Being a Muslim organizer in Georgia feels rewarding. Even though it can be daunting, being civically engaged is extremely important to me, especially as someone who does not fit within the generalized and stereotyped view of being Muslim. I am a current field organizer with the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, and the GAMVP workspace has been very welcoming and inclusive for me. In the past, I have been scared to be myself, but over time, I have been able to gain more trust with the people that I work with. Being myself in GAMVP allows me to enjoy the work that I do even more. Since I was younger, I felt as though I was the “different” type of Muslim in the communities I grew up with, whether they were Muslim or non-Muslim environments. As I continue to learn more about myself, I have become stronger in advocating for myself and communities outside my own. I am still gaining experience in interacting with people with similar but contrasting identities or differing opinions when it comes to being an advocate and community member in Georgia. Having these differences did give me certain dysphorias; however, being in GAMVP helped me combat these dysphorias so that I can be more optimal in the work that I do.
My political awakening started when I was twelve years old.
Anti-Muslim rhetoric in mainstream politics made me afraid to be Muslim in America at a younger age. My perspectives grew even more when I was sixteen years old, during the Black Lives Matter protests after the murder of George Floyd. Since then, I have been encouraging those who can vote to turn out to the polls and make their voices heard about the injustices happening in our country and the world. I provided voting information in group chats and social media to turn out voters in the 2020 Presidential Election and the 2021 Georgia U.S. Senate Runoff Elections. My activism in the voting space was boosted during my freshman year of
college at the University of Georgia. I knocked on doors in the Athens, GA area and tabled on-campus at UGA to get out the vote for the 2022 Georgia U.S. Runoff Elections. I have been helping with Get-Out-The-Vote efforts because I feel that we, as Muslims and members of our communities, need to send our message to politicians and elected officials, even if no politician or elected official is perfect. Since my freshman year, I have been making visits to the Georgia General Assembly, and I have been talking to my representatives and connecting with other community efforts to advocate for legislation that will help and protect our communities.
Furthermore, as a 2023 Youth Ambassador at GAMVP, I had conversations with community members, helped with voter registration drives, and made phone calls to voters to encourage them to cast their ballots in their local elections. During my experience as a Youth Ambassador, I enhanced my political advocacy and voter outreach skills. Now, as a current field organizer at GAMVP, I feel more confident in encouraging community members of all identities to register to vote and cast their ballots, as well as connecting and collaborating with others to promote progress for all.
My advice to all Muslim and non-Muslim communities alike is that we should use the tools that we have in our toolbox to make our country and our world a better place. We should not only vote but also take other forms of action, such as calling and contacting our elected officials and talking to our representatives in our local government and our state capitol. I believe that change starts from the ground level, and when we all make our voices heard from the bottom up, we can and will see change happen. Let’s come together, turn out to the polls, and continue to voice ourselves.