Faces of African Muslims holds an info session and Q&A at the first meeting Wednesday. Credit: Daranii Asoba | Lantern Reporter
The Faces of African Muslims club is working to create a new safe space for Black Muslims on campus, bring students together and celebrate cultural traditions.
Hamdi Hassan, a second-year in marketing, and Hanan Shiekh, a second-year in finance, serve as co-presidents of this recently established organization. Hassan said being Black and Muslim “is like having two different identities,” which can be difficult to navigate without a sturdy support network.
Shiekh, who is Somali-American, said though most people who share her nationality are also Muslims, others might not experience that privilege if they come from countries where Islam is not the majority religion.
“We needed a space to embrace both of our identities, not pick one over the other,” Shiekh said.
These feelings motivated Hassan and Shiekh to create FAM, a club in which Black Muslims can embrace their full identities and feel supported in their distinct struggles that Muslims of other races might not face, Hassan said.
“Our mission is to promote cultural awareness and diversity within the Muslim communities of Ohio and enhance global awareness of the struggles of Africans and Black Muslims,” Hassan said.
FAM aims to connect Ohio State students to its association of chapters countrywide in order to strengthen the national Black Muslim community, Shiekh said.
Several universities, such as University of California Berkeley, University of Maryland and University of Texas at Dallas have created spaces for Black Muslims to come together, and both Hassan and Shiekh said they felt it was time to bring that same opportunity to Ohio State.
“We’ve seen that other universities already have a FAM, and it felt like such a meaningful way to connect with others across campuses,” Shiekh said.
FAM seeks to achieve these goals through social events that promote discussion among Black Muslims at Ohio State and beyond, Shiekh said.
“If anybody has anything on their mind, they can have this space to talk about their experiences,” Hassan said.
Discussion-based events will include Quran study circles, also known as “halaqas” in Arabic, Shiekh said.
Social events will consist of lighthearted games, including conversation spaces modeled after Jubilee — a media group known for hosting conversations in which individuals with diverse perspectives engage in discourse regarding certain topics — Shiekh said.
Shiekh also said one of the organization’s long-term goals is to focus on philanthropy by giving back to local mosques and cultural centers.
“We think it’s important to be social and meet other Africans, but also giving back to the community is something we really want to implement going forward,” Shiekh said.
Though the club chiefly focuses on African Muslims, it encourages people from all backgrounds to participate in activities, Hassan said.
“Come as you are,” Hassan said. “This is not a space for anybody to be judged.”
The club’s first event, titled the “FAM Kickoff,” was held 7 p.m. Wednesday in room 120 of Caldwell Laboratory, according to the club’s Instagram page.
The event included an information session about the organization, food from various African regions and a Jeopardy-style game with cultural and Islamic themes, Hassan said.
“We want to introduce our mission and values in a fun, welcoming way to bring people together and start building our community,” Hassan said.
Shiekh said she hopes the club can lead the way for Ohio State’s Black Muslim population to come together and forge new customs on campus.
“We really hope to see some new faces because, at the end of the day, that’s why we started this organization — to create new traditions,” Shiekh said.
