MEI: What have you been up to since graduating?

AD: I’ve been doing a whole lot since I graduated! My first full-time job post-grad was as the Community Program Coordinator of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a Muslim-led civil rights organization. In that role, I offered training sessions and workshops on a wide range of issues from bystander and hate crime intervention to civic engagement and nonprofit compliance. I surveyed nearly 500 Muslims in the NYC area to record incidences of anti-Muslim bias and hate, culminating in a report on Islamophobia that I presented at City Hall entitled, “Feeling the Hate.” Let’s hope it leads to policy change!

After CAIR-NY, I got a role at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), a research institute which provides data and education on American Muslims to policymakers, journalists, and the general public to support dialogue and decision-making. I served as the organization’s Outreach and Partnerships Manager, which means that I facilitated relationships with local communities all over the country, presented our research at conferences and panels, and secured new institutional partners for our work. I loved it!

I have since left ISPU, and recently launched my walking tour company and storytelling project, New York Narratives, which aims to narrate the city in ways that have yet to be explored, and to empower others to share their narratives as well. I lead unique walking tours and offer different kinds of workshops for clients of all backgrounds. So far, I’ve led walking tours for classes at Princeton, NYU, Fordham, and CUNY, and have already won a grant from the Brooklyn Public Library and am a finalist for the prestigious David Prize. I’m really excited for where this will lead!

MEI: How did this degree help to establish you within your career? 

AD: I am enormously grateful for the degree, as it truly grounded me in the holistic, empathetic, and critical thinking faculties needed to work as a good community organizer and aspiring public scholar. On top of that, my academic training sharpened my research skills and analytical abilities, empowering me to undertake my own independent research projects with ease. Finally, the professional network afforded to me by this degree has been indispensable in getting through a lot of doors that I would have otherwise not had access to! 

MEI: Do you have any advice for current or prospective students?

AD: Two pieces of advice: First, I encourage current and prospective students (and I’ve gotten at least two to successfully apply to and complete the program!) to really soak in everything you’re getting with this degree. It’s a truly unique opportunity: you are in a global city at a world-class institution with the finest scholars of the field and unlimited opportunities to learn a new language, explore a new discipline, and to enrich your mind. Second, enjoy it!

MEI: What person, course, or experience most influenced you while completing the MA Program in Islamic Studies? 

AD: I think summer 2019, our final summer before the COVID-19 apocalypse, was really influential for me. That summer, a big chunk of my cohort spent two months together in Cairo studying Islamic spirituality, law, scripture, and so on with scholars who were invited from all over the world to work with us. I will never forget it!