Dream Storytelling Interviews

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  Oral History Interview with Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin on July 25, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin conducted by Samayyah Cook on July 25, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Samayyah Cook. Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 31, 1944. When Imam El-Amin was a child, he arrived in Detroit via train with his family as part of the Great Migration. Imam El-Amin was raised in Detroit as a Christian. He converted to Islam in 1976 and joined the Masjid Wali Muhammad community under the leadership of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. Imam El-Amin has played multiple leadership roles in Detroit in both political and religious arenas. Between 1994 and 2001, he served as Neighborhood City Hall Manager under Mayor Dennis Archer, working on community connections and development. In 2009, Imam El-Amin ran for City Council, and his campaign successfully raised the visibility of the Muslim community in Detroit. Along with his late wife, Dr. Cheryl El-Amin, he is one of the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center founders. Imam El-Amin forged relationships with leaders of different faiths across Detroit both as a longtime imam of the Muslim Center and as the first director of the Council of Islamic Associations of Michigan, now known as the Michigan Muslim Community Council. In the interview, Imam El-Amin discusses how he has contributed to building the Muslim Center from the ground up. He reflects on how he and other pioneers founded the Muslim Center to cultivate interfaith and intra-faith relationships and encourage mosque-based community outreach and activism. Now, as Imam Emeritus of the Muslim Center, Imam El-Amin explores the importance of continuing to develop the Muslim Center into an attractive space for individuals across the generations through expanding youth programming, sports and recreation, and the Jazz Cafe.

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  Oral History Interview with Imam Dawud Walid on October 5, 2020 and October 25, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  All video segments are in the same file. Oral history interview with Imam Dawud Walid. The first segment of the interview was conducted by Zayd Walid on October 5, 2020, and the second segment was conducted by Zayd Walid on October 25, 2020. Interview written by Zayd Walid and Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director). Imam Dawud Walid was born in Detroit, Michigan on November 22nd, 1971 to parents who hail from Virginia and Michigan. He moved to New Jersey and then Virginia as a child, returning to Detroit in his adulthood. Imam Walid reverted from Christianity to Islam in his late adolescence, after being influenced by “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and Muslim American artists in the conscious rap movement. After high school, Imam Walid joined the Navy through the Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty (MGIB-AD), and remained in the service over the course of four years. Through his travels with the Navy, he gained first-hand exposure to issues confronting Muslims across the world, such as those in Bosnia, Iraq, and Palestine. After returning to Detroit in 1998, Imam Walid began attending Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad. He embarked upon a lifelong devotion to the study of Islam and Arabic language, pursuing learning with many renowned teachers both locally and abroad. In Detroit, Imam Walid taught classes at Al-Ikhlas Training Academy and Wayne County Community College. He also reported for newspapers such as “The Muslim Journal” and “The Muslim Observer.” Over time, Imam Walid has taken on leadership roles in many Muslim and interfaith institutions, including the Bosnian American Islamic Center in Hamtramck, Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad, and the Michigan chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ). Most notably, Imam Walid serves as the first African American Executive Director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Michigan chapter. As an internationally recognized scholar and teacher, Walid often travels to give lectures and classes. He has published several scholarly books about Islamic history and theology, including “Towards Sacred Activism” and “Blackness in Islam.” In the interview, Imam Walid discusses the history of Muslims in Detroit, America, and West Africa. He elucidates his ideas about sacred activism, and the development of concepts pertaining to race and anti-racism in Muslim societies. Throughout the interview, Imam Walid elaborates on the history of institution-building and community-development work by African American and African-born Muslims in Detroit, and discusses his vision for continued cooperation and community revitalization.

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  Oral History Interview with Imam Derrick Ali on October 11, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Imam Derrick Ali, conducted by Abdul-Zahir Sadid on October 11, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Abdul-Zahir Sadid. Imam Derrick Ali was born in 1948 in Detroit, Michigan. Imam Ali converted to Islam through the Nation of Islam under the leadership of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and later became a follower of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. Imam Ali attended Wayne County Community College, where he studied engineering while also taking Arabic and Islamic Studies classes with the renowned scholar Dr. Abdul-Mumin Shakir. During the mid-1980s, Imam Ali joined the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. He served as one of the first imams at the Center, where he made many important contributions over the years. As an imam, he promoted dialogue and teamwork among Muslim Center members while encouraging congregants to strive energetically in their efforts toward mosque and community development. During his interview, Imam Ali reflects upon the importance of continuing the Nation of Islam’s do-for-self legacy of autonomy, leadership, self-determination, and unity among African Americans. As a Muslim Center pioneer, Imam Ali details the history, development, and leadership of the Muslim Center from its founding until today. He discusses the Muslim Center’s contribution to revitalizing its surrounding neighborhood and the importance of the younger generation continuing that legacy into the future.

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  Oral History Interview with Imam Mika’il Stewart Saadiq on September 26, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Imam Mika’il Stewart Saadiq conducted by Zayd Walid on September 26, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Zayd Walid. Imam Mika’il Stewart Saadiq was born and raised in Detroit, growing up in a large multigenerational household with family members who worshipped at a local Baptist church. After graduating from McKenzie High School in the early 1990s, Imam Saadiq attended Prairie View A&M University in Texas, a Historically Black University. At the age of twenty, he embraced Islam after being exposed to the writings of Malcolm X, the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and references to Islam in hip-hop music. Imam Saadiq took his shahada with Imam Luqman Abdullah, the founder of Masjid Al-Haqq, who he describes as one of his most important teachers and guides, and joined Masjid Al-Haqq as his first Muslim religious home. After some creative exploration as a hip-hop artist, Imam Saadiq pursued a career as an educator, serving as a teacher and administrator at Al-Ikhlas Training Academy for more than a decade. Imam Saadiq served as Detroit Police Chaplain for several years in response to the rising visibility of police violence against African Americans. He later served as the community liaison advisor for Councilman Scott Benson in Detroit’s District Three. In the interview, Imam Saadiq reflects on the values and goals that have united his work as an imam, teacher, and community leader throughout his life. In this discussion, he emphasizes his motivation to eradicate white supremacy in local and national government institutions and the importance of service leadership and youth leadership in building strong African American and African American Muslim communities.

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  Oral History Interview with Imam Saleem Khalid on August 20, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Imam Saleem Khalid conducted by Samayyah Cook on August 20, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Samayyah Cook. Imam Saleem Khalid was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. His parents, who hailed from Tennessee and Illinois, moved to Michigan in the 1940s. Imam Khalid grew up attending a Baptist church with his family, and frequented weekend religious school. After graduating from Kalamazoo Central High school, Imam Khalid continued his education at Kellogg Community College and Wayne State University. He then moved to Detroit to take a position with Standard Federal Saving, where he developed a specialization in business and financial consulting, eventually becoming the organization’s first African American Vice President. Imam Khalid reverted to Islam in the 1970s, inspired by the example of an influential Muslim American family in Detroit. He began attending Masjid Al-Mu'mineen in Virginia Park. With this religious re-orientation, Imam Khalid changed his career to one in which he could serve economically disadvantaged communities. Imam Khalid became Executive Director for the Detroit Alliance for Fair Banking, and devoted himself to ameliorating the effects of the city’s legacy of redlining. Imam Khalid also served as the Executive Director of New Detroit, helping organize a response to the 1967 Detroit Uprising, and facilitating conversations between Black and white community leaders. After devoting himself to the study of Islam over many years, Imam Khalid became a prominent teacher who is frequently called upon to lecture at area mosques. Imam Khalid now leads the Muslim Enrichment Project (MEP), where he works to help facilitate the integration of Michigan-area Muslim integration into their local Muslim communities. In the interview, Imam Khalid discusses his long-term work toward dismantling systemic racism in the Detroit community as a religious leader and through his career. He celebrates the many organizations in Detroit that are promoting community development, including Dream of Detroit, Dar Al-Rahma, and Al-Ikhlas Training Academy.

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  Oral History Interview with Imam Tauheed Rashad on August 5, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Imam Tauheed Rashad conducted by Abdul-Zahir Sadid on August 5, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Abdul-Zahir Sadid. Imam Tauheed Rashad was born in Little Rock, Arkansas to parents who hailed from Mississippi and Arkansas. He grew up in the segregated South and attended an all-Black elementary school. Imam Rashad moved to Ohio with his family when he was a child, and then to Detroit in his teenage years. After graduating from high school, he obtained a vocational studies license. Imam Rashad reverted from Christianity to Sunni Islam in the late 1970s, becoming part of the Masjid Wali Muhammad community, which is now known as the Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad community. He blended his continuing education in Islam with his other post-secondary studies when he enrolled in Wayne County Community College, where he combined a program of Muslim World Studies courses with a focus in social sciences. After obtaining two associates degrees, he became the first person in his family to graduate college, earning a Bachelor's degree in Arabic and Near Eastern Studies from Wayne State University. In the 1980s, Imam Rashad began a career as an engineer at Detroit Public Schools and has continued working as an engineer over several decades. In the 1990s, he began volunteering in Michigan prison ministry, and in 2017 he began serving as imam of Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad. He also continued his education in Islamic Studies, earning a graduate certificate in Muslim Community Leadership from Hartford Seminary. Imam Rashad is currently enrolled in a graduate program at Chicago Theological Institute/Bayaan Islamic Graduate School. In the interview, Imam Rashad discusses the role of education in his life and celebrates the new opportunities available to Muslim Americans for Islamic studies, both in the United States and abroad. He elaborates on the legacy of Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad and reflects on its influence on other local Muslim institutions. Imam Rashad also discusses his role as imam and his commitment to serving local Muslims and Detroit residents through teaching, religious leadership, prison ministry, and community-building.

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  Oral History Interview with Jo Annette Muhammad on October 4, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Jo Annette Muhammad conducted by Naimah Siddiq on October 4, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Naimah Siddiq. Jo Annette Muhammad was born on July 15, 1952 in Birmingham, Alabama to parents who were both born in Alabama. In the early 1950s, Muhammad’s family moved to Detroit, Michigan as part of the Great Migration, and lived in the Sojourner Truth Housing Project for part of Muhammad’s childhood. Muhammad’s parents, Rosie Musheerah Rushdan and John Rushdan, joined the Nation of Islam when she was young, and they both became active members of Temple No. 1. Muhammad’s father traveled around the United States to take part in the NOI’s missionizing efforts. In 1968, Muhammad’s parents opened a bakery on Linwood Street near Temple No. 1, and later opened other businesses, including a pastry shop and ice cream parlor. Muhammad acquired skills in baking and business management while working at her parents’ shops. After graduating from high school, Muhammad attended Lewis Business College for several semesters, then returned to the family’s bakery business. Currently, Muhammad owns JoAnnette’s Delicious Pies and Other Homemade Goods, which she operates out of her home. She also sells baked goods on Fridays at the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. As a member of the Muslim Center, Muhammad takes classes in Islamic studies with Imam Khalil Markham. In the interview, Muhammad discusses the importance of the Muslim Center and the neighborhood revitalization organization Dream of Detroit in building up the neighborhood around the mosque. She also reflects on her desire to pass on the legacy that she inherited from her parents and to help young people develop careers as cooks or pastry chefs. She hopes that learning these skills will inspire young people to open halal restaurants in the community.

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  Oral History Interview with Kecia Escoe on July 23, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Kecia Escoe conducted by Ayesha Cook on July 23, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Ayesha Cook. Kecia Escoe was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1965 into a predominantly Christian family. Both of Escoe’s parents were also born in Detroit, but trace their familial roots to Georgia and other areas in the southern United States. Escoe converted to Islam in 1987. At that time, she was completing her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fisk University. After graduation, she attended Central Michigan University where she received her Master’s degree in Human Resource Management. In 2002, Escoe opened her own quilting business, Umi’s Comfort, which is centered around creating one-of-a-kind items that tell stories, especially those with connections to African- American history and culture. Escoe’s ingenuity in quilting earned her awards from Motor City Match and NEIdeas, and her quilts have been featured in exhibits by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and Halal Metropolis. In addition to running her own business, Escoe is actively involved with the Muslim community. While on the board at the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center, Escoe founded a drill team to give girls an outlet for physical activity. Aside from her involvement at the Muslim Center, Escoe has also volunteered at Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad,Masjid Al-Haqq, and Al-Ikhlas Training Academy. At these institutions, Escoe has helped with cooking Ramadan meals and providing other services for the community. Escoe also participates in the annual Day of Dignity, where she organizes the provisioning of food, clothing, and blankets to neighbors in need. In the interview, Escoe reflects on the importance of quilting for African Americans over time, highlighting its usage as a messaging device in the Underground Railroad and as an important mode of artistic expressions across generations. Escoe also emphasizes the significant role that her service work in Detroit’s Muslim institutions has played in her life.

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  Oral History Interview with Khalipha Kane on September 1, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Khalipha Kane conducted by Naimah Siddiq on September 1, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Naimah Siddiq. Khalipha Kane was born on December 23,1975 in Detroit. Her parents were born in Detroit and New Jersey, and she traces her family’s roots back to the southern United States. Kane was born into a Christian family and attended Catholic schools for part of her education. As a young adult, Kane became a member of the Shrine of the Black Madonna where she was influenced by Black Christian Nationalism. A few years later, she began to learn about Islam after a friend gave her a copy of the Qur’an. Kane embraced Islam after attending classes and services at Masjid Al-Haqq and took her shahada with Al-Haqq’s founder, Imam Luqman Abdullah. Kane has pursued several careers during the course of her life. After graduating from Redford High School, she attended stenography school and worked for some time as a court reporter. After several years, Kane was inspired to draw on her talents as a chef and pursue a career in the culinary arts. Over the years, Kane has established a successful catering business called Khalipha’s Katering and draws on knowledge passed down from her grandmother to specialize in Halal Soul Food. To produce this cuisine, Kane adjusts her family’s recipes to accommodate halal dietary restrictions. In the interview, Kane reflects on her family’s southern legacy and how it has helped her create her own style of cooking. After developing her catering business, Kane purchased a food truck, and Khalipha’s Mobile Kitchen allows her to expand her business’s reach across various communities. Kane combines her career in food service with her religious ethics by partnering with Islamic organizations to provide free iftar meals for the community during Ramadan. She volunteers on the Sister’s Committee at Dar Al-Rahma, where she helps organize the menu for programs and contributes to building the center in a variety of ways.

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  Oral History Interview with Lawrence Ziyad on December 26, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Lawrence Ziyad conducted by Zayd Walid on December 26, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Zayd Walid. Lawrence Ziyad was born in Detroit on May 3, 1950 and traces his family’s roots to Greenville, Mississippi. He was raised in a Christian family, attending church with his mother and Sunday School. After high school, Ziyad was drafted to the United States Army and worked in Search and Recovery (SNR) during the Vietnam War. When Ziyad returned from Vietnam in the early 1970s, he began discussing Islam with his brother, who was involved with the Nation of Islam. Ziyad reverted to Islam soon after and began attending Temple No. 1. After several years, he embraced Sunni Islam under the leadership of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. Ziyad attended the Michigan Career Institute and worked for the Chrysler Corporation. In the mid-1980s, Ziyad and his wife Catherine helped established the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. As the mosque grew, he was instrumental in developing its Islamic weekend school for youth. Ziyad also assisted in the mosque building’s maintenance and carpentry and was involved in the Muslim Center’s major expansion. During the interview, Ziyad reflects on the revival of Islam that accompanied Imam Warith Deen Mohammed’s entry into leadership and details his experience with this transition. He reflects on the benefits of the community programs offered by the Muslim Center and the work done by its partner organizations like Neighborly Needs and Dream of Detroit, which promote community building and neighborhood revitalization.

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  Oral History Interview with Mahasin Mahdi on August 18, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Mahasin Mahdi conducted by Zaynah Hasan on August 18, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Zaynah Hasan. Mahasin Mahdi was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan into a Muslim family. Mahdi moved to Detroit during her childhood, which allowed her to attend the Clara Muhammad School and Al-Ikhlas Training Academy. Growing up, she attended various mosques with her family, including Al-Ikhlas Mosque, Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad, and the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. Mahdi and her siblings enjoyed participating in Camp Al-Hilal, an Islamic summer camp, which kept them involved with the Muslim and African American communities. After graduating from Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, Mahdi earned a degree in nursing from Wayne State University. Around 2018, Mahdi assisted her husband, Shaykh AbdulKarim Yayha, in founding Dar Al-Rahma, with the mission of providing a center of service and learning for Detroit’s Muslim community. Dar Al-Rahma engages in neighborhood revitalization and provides sustenance for the community through their food pantry program and by offering hot iftar meals during Ramadan. Mahdi and her husband traveled to Tarim, Yemen to study and worship with a community led by the renowned teacher Habib Umar bin Hafiz. In the interview, Mahdi provides details about the everyday lives of international students who gather in Tarim and about some of the classes offered at Dar Al-Mustafa and Dar Al-Zahra. She also discusses her positive impressions of Yemeni culture. Mahdi explains how Dar Al-Rahma serves as a way to connect Detroit Muslims with the ideas, teachings, and practices associated with Tarim.

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  Oral History Interview with Malik Shabazz on October 17, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Malik Shabazz conducted by Zayd Walid on October 17, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Zayd Walid. Malik Shabazz was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan to parents who hailed from Mississippi and Illinois. Shabazz grew up in a close-knit African American community around Waverly Street, the neighborhood where the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center is now located. He attended the neighborhood’s Longfellow Elementary School and graduated from Central High School. Shabazz was active in the Civil Rights Movement, marching on Washington in 1963 with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He joined the United States Navy in 1966 and served until 1968. Inspired by the teachings of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, Shabazz reverted to Islam in 1975, and began attending Temple No. 1, which later became Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad. Shabazz is an advocate for patronizing black-owned businesses and a “do for self” philosophy. In 1985, he helped establish the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center, taking a hands-on approach to its renovation. Throughout his life, Shabazz has contributed actively to Detroit’s Muslim community. He particularly advocates for outreach to young African American Muslims through mosque programming. In the interview, Shabazz reflects on his experiences growing up in Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s. He discusses his memories of the Civil Rights movement and elaborates on his experiences during the 1967 Detroit Rebellion. Shabazz expresses his hopes for the continued reinvigoration of Detroit’s African American Muslim institutions, particularly its mosques, schools, neighborhoods, and businesses.

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  Oral History Interview with Mark Crain on July 18, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Mark Crain conducted by Ayesha Cook on July 18, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Ayesha Cook. Mark Crain was born in Detroit, Michigan in July of 1988 into a family that has lived in Detroit for four generations. His maternal grandfather worked for Mayor Coleman Young’s administration, and his paternal grandfather opened Detroit’s first Black-owned locksmith shop, which has stayed in the family for decades. Crain was raised as a Presbyterian, and converted to Islam while he was a student at Northwestern University, where he focused on African-American studies and political science. After graduation, Crain joined the Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) in Chicago where he served as a community organizer. He also worked as a campaign director for MoveOn, an organization combining political and civic advocacy. In 2013, Crain moved back to Detroit with his family and took on a leadership position with the neighborhood revitalization organization Dream of Detroit where he now serves as executive director. In the interview, Crain reflects on his experiences raising a family in an intentional community in close proximity to the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. He details Dream of Detroit’s accomplishments in recent years, including their efforts to advocate for all Detroiters while promoting housing accessibility, increasing housing density, and fostering community life in Dream of Detroit’s target area.

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  Oral History Interview with Mitchell Shamsud-Din on August 25, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Mitchell Shamsud-Din, conducted by Ayesha Cook on August 25, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Ayesha Cook. Mitchell Shamsud-Din was born on August 23, 1956, in Detroit, Michigan to parents who were both born in Georgia. Raised in a Baptist Christian family, Shamsud-Din converted to Islam through the Nation of Islam at at fifteen years of age, and joined Temple No. 1 (now Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad). He enrolled in the University of Islam, graduating in 1970. Shamsud-Din became a member of the Warith Deen Mohammed community in 1975. He studied with Dr. Abdulmumin Shakir at Wayne County Community College’s Muslim World Studies Program, earning a degree in 1997. Shamsud-Din discusses how he has drawn on a do-for-self ideology to pioneer non-profit work in Detroit’s African American Muslim community throughout his life. He is a founding member of the Detroit Muslim Mission Community Development Corporation, which serves to provide basic needs such as food to the community. For many years, Shamsud-Din has helped organize and provision the weekly soup kitchen and food pantry at Masjid Wali Muhammad. He has also helped sustain the long running soup kitchen and food distribution program at the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. Shamsud-Din is a founding member of the Muslim Center, and a founding member and board member of the Health Unit on Davison (HUDA Clinic), a free medical clinic established in 2004. He has partnered with non-profits such as the Community Development Advocates of Detroit (housing) and the Community Health Awareness Group. He is married to Crystal Shamsud-Din and has four children.

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  Oral History Interview with Mostafa Aboutaleb on October 10, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Mostafa Aboutaleb conducted by Ayesha Cook on October 10, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins and Ayesha Cook. Mostafa Aboutaleb was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on November 26, 1985, and raised in Dearborn and Detroit. His father grew up in Cairo, Egypt, and his mother was born in Lebanon. Aboutaleb grew up attending mosques throughout the metro Detroit area, including the American Moslem Society (AMS) in Dearborn and the Islamic Center of Detroit. He attended weekend Islamic school at AMS, where he studied the Qur’an and Arabic language. Aboutaleb graduated from Renaissance High School, and went on to attend the University of Michigan-Dearborn for his undergraduate degree in biochemistry, and Wayne State University for his graduate degrees in biochemistry and pharmacy. Aboutaleb currently works as a pharmacist. In his early adulthood, Aboutaleb began attending the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. In 2019, he moved to the neighborhood around the Muslim Center to be closer to the mosque and to be an active resident of the Dream of Detroit community situated there. In the interview, Aboutaleb discusses growing up in the Detroit metro area, his journey to becoming a pharmacist, and his commitments to volunteerism, social justice, and community development. He reflects on the impact of the Muslim Center and Dream of Detroit on his neighborhood, describing Dream of Detroit’s work to promote a vibrant and diverse community, foster housing rehabilitation, and address the underlying causes of systemic racism.

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  Oral History Interview with Mujahid on November 14, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Mujahid conducted by Zayd Walid on November 14, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Zayd Walid. Mujahid was born in Highland Park, Michigan. He was raised in Detroit, and spent significant time with family in the South as he grew up. Mujahid was brought up as a Muslim, as the child and grandchild of Muslims. His late father, Imam Luqman Abdullah, founded Masjid Al-Haqq in the 1980s and was a beloved and influential leader in Detroit who was extremely active in community-building until he was assassinated by the police in 2009. Mujahid grew up in Masjid Al-Haqq community and attended Islamic parochial school within the mosque. Mujahid discovered his talent for music at an early age and became a successful hip-hop artist. In the interview, Mujahid describes growing up in Detroit as a Muslim and his career as a musician. Based on his experience, he explains the importance of African-American Muslim youth maintaining a strong identity. Mujahid also reflects on how the members of Masjid Al-Haqq continue to honor his father’s legacy by providing food and shelter for those living around the mosque as well as serving as stewards for the neighborhood.

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  Oral History Interview with Nabintou Doumbia on December 20, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Nabintou Doumbia conducted by Zainab Yousif-Ahmed on December 20, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Zainab Yousif-Ahmed. Nabintou Doumbia was born on April 6, 1997 in Bronx, New York to a Muslim family who had moved from the Ivory Coast to the US to join the large West African community in the Bronx. When Doumbia was two years old, the family relocated again, this time to Michigan, settling first in Flint and then in Detroit. Doumbia’s family members played an active role in organizing Muslim American life in Detroit, most notably by establishing the vibrant Islamic Community of As-Salaam, which has many members who have migrated from Africa. Growing up, Doumbia attended Qur’an weekend school and Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, an Islamic parochial school in Detroit. Doumbia excelled at Al-Ikhlas, participating in Student Council and the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament. After graduating high school, Doumbia became an active member of Al-Ikhlas Academy’s Alumni Association and also became the Regional Director of the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament. Doumbia attended Wayne State University where she majored in sociology and minored in African American studies. At Wayne State, Doumbia was part the Honors College and the Muslim Student Association. Another way she practiced community leadership was by helping to establish the Sisterhood of Yere Lon (Knowledge of Self), an education group for Muslim women who identify as African, which Doumbia co-founded with one of her siblings. Doumbia has received recognition for her activism, including the Detroit Minds and Hearts Fellowship with the Muslim American Society and the Deeply Rooted Emerging Leaders Scholarship. Doumbia currently attends law school at Georgetown University where she is a member of the Muslim Law Students Association and the Black Law Students Association. In the interview, Doumbia explores her desire to use her law degree to help advance the rights and well-being of others. She also recounts her positive experiences attending Al-Ikhlas Training Academy and describes the supportive community it provided for her. Further, Doumbia discusses her development as an activist and how she roots her community engagement in Islamic values and Black identity.

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  Oral History Interview with Nadir Ahmad on July 29, 2020 and August 28, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Nadir Ahmad. The first segment of the interview was conducted by Abdul-Zahir Sadid on July 29, 2020, and the second segment was conducted by Dr. Alisa Perkins on August 28, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Abdul-Zahir Sadid. Both segments are in the same video file. Nadir Ahmad was born on September 26, 1949 on a farm in Virginia where his father was a sharecropper. Ahmad first came to Islam via the Nation of Islam in 1973, after his brother introduced him to the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Later, he embraced Sunni Islam. Ahmad had his first experience as an educator in his early adulthood, when he served as an instructor in the military. In 1978, Ahmad co-established an Islamic private school in Petersburg, Virginia. Ahmad moved in Detroit, Michigan in 1980 to study Islam and Arabic at the Muslim World Studies Program at Wayne County Community College with Dr. Abdulmumin Shakir. Ahmad taught at the Clara Muhammad School in Detroit, where he later served as assistant principal and then principal. In 1991, Ahmad founded Al-Ikhlas Training Academy in Detroit, and he currently continues to lead the school. In the interview, Ahmad describes the history and mission of Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, the challenges it has confronted over the years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and his lifelong work as an imam and educator.

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  Oral History Interview with Nafeesa Mahdi on July 16, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Nafeesa Mahdi, conducted by Zaynah Hasan on July 16, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins and Zaynah Hasan. Nafeesa Mahdi was born in New York City and raised in Georgia. She grew up in a Christian family, attending Sunday school at the Baptist Training Union. In 1977, Mahdi married native Michigander Rafiq Mahdi, and the couple settled in Michigan. After residing in Inkster, Michigan for more than a decade, Madhi and her family moved to Detroit. Mahdi and her husband both reverted to Islam soon after moving to Michigan, becoming active members of several Detroit Muslim institutions, including Masjid Jase Bell Joshua in Inkster, Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad, the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Center, and the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. Since the early 1990s, Mahdi has served as a teacher and administrator at Al-Ikhlas Training Academy (ATA), an Islamic parochial school in Detroit. For several years, she served as the school’s middle and high school principal. Before starting her career at ATA, she was a teacher at Detroit’s Clara Muhammad School and a substitute teacher with Insker Public Schools. Aside from serving the community through her teaching, Mahdi is also one of the original members of Neighborly Needs, a Muslim-led neighborhood revitalization organization. In the interview, Mahdi discusses the significance of organizations such as Neighborly Needs for building up west Detroit neighborhoods with significant historical ties to the African American Muslim communities and institutions. Mahdi also details her experiences serving as a teacher and administrator for Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, and describes the growth and changes she has witnessed in the school over many years. She also recounts the factors that motivated her to enroll each of her seven children at ATA and the benefits they received from the school. From her multiple perspective as a teacher, administrator, and parent, Mahdi emphasizes the special way that Al-Ikhlas Training Academy nurtures its students, and stresses the importance of including Islam in every aspect of a young Muslim’s education.

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  Oral History Interview with Rafiq Mahdi on August 26, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Rafiq Mahdi conducted by Ayesha Cook on August 26, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Ayesha Cook. Rafiq Mahdi was born in 1951 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to parents who hailed from Oklahoma and Mississippi. Mahdi was raised as a Methodist and attended Sunday school as a child. After graduating from Ann Arbor High School, Mahdi attended Washtenaw Community College in Michigan. He later moved to Georgia, where he pursued studies at the DeVry School of Technology in Atlanta (formerly Bell & Howell). While in Atlanta, Mahdi met his wife, Nafeesa Mahdi, who was then a student at Morris Brown College. Mahdi returned to Michigan with his wife after the couple completed their studies in Atlanta. The couple settled in Inkster, and later moved to Detroit. In Michigan, Mahdi reverted to Islam after being influenced by the teachings of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. As an active member of the local Muslim community, Mahdi joined with a small group of others to establish Masjid Jase Bell Joshua in Inkster. Mahdi and his wife were also active members of Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad in Detroit and enrolled their children at Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, an Islamic parochial school. Mahdi and his family created Nine United, a group dedicated to community development and recognition of prominent members of the community. In the interview, Mahdi details the different ways that he and his family have been involved in local Muslim institutions and the benefits of commmunity cohesion. He also discusses his wish for Detroit’s African American Muslim community to advance their financial autonomy by establishing and supporting more community-owned businesses.

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  Oral History Interview with Shaykh Ali Suleiman Ali on August 27, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Shaykh Ali Sulieman Ali conducted by Abdul-Zahir Sadid on August 27, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Abdul-Zahir Sadid. Shaykh Ali Sulieman Ali was born in Ghana on February 12, 1948, to parents who hailed from Nigeria and Ghana. He grew up attending the local mosque with his family and enrolled in an Islamic school at a young age. After graduating high school, Shaykh Ali won a prestigious scholarship through the Saudi Arabian government, allowing him to study at the Islamic University of Madinah. Shaykh Ali later moved to the United States to pursue a doctoral degree in Islamic Studies and Arabic from the University of Michigan. After graduating, he worked as a professor of Islamic Studies and Islamic Law at several institutions, including the Michigan Islamic Academy, Wayne County Community College, Oakland University, and the University of Detroit. In the early 1980s, Shaykh Ali began serving as imam for a Dearborn congregation. Several years later, he helped establish Muslim Family Services (MFS) in Detroit, a division of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), which assists struggling community members with counseling, financial aid, and access to food and transitional housing. He serves as the director of MFS and as an Islamic counselor there. In the interview, Shaykh Ali reflects on his lifetime experience in international travel for Islamic education, comparing the various cultures in which he has immersed himself, including those in West Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. He elaborates on the importance of African and African-American Muslim community-building in Detroit, describing the diverse and tightly-knit communities surrounding the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center and Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad. Shaykh Ali also describes his aspirations to continue promoting relations between African and African-American Muslims.

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  Oral History Interview with Shaykh Kafani Ibrahim Cisse on August 8, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Shaykh Kafani Ibrahim Cisse conducted by Ayesha Cook on August 8, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Ayesha Cook. Kafani Ibrahim Cisse, respectfully known as Shaykh Kafani, was born in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, to parents who hailed from Louisiana and Mississippi. Shaykh Kafani was raised in a close-knit, extended family whose members identified as Christian. His father was the first Black Vice President of an investment company called the Household Finance Company. Shaykh Kafani’s family moved to Detroit, Michigan while he was growing up, and he attended Detroit Public Schools. After discovering his talent for the performing arts, Shaykh Kafani enrolled in an arts program at Cass Tech High School, and then studied dance and modeling at Wayne State University. Shaykh Kafani was a prominent creative force in Detroit’s hip-hop scene. He traveled across the world with various groups, performing for audiences in Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States. Shaykh Kafani embraced Islam when he was around twenty-two years old, based on the influence of Muslim friends. After reverting to Islam, Shaykh Kafani traveled to Senegal to deepen his study of Islam and the Qur’an under the tutelage of prominent shaykhs. He earned a diploma from the African American Islamic Institute in Senegal. After returning to the United States, Shaykh Kafani made great efforts to spread the knowledge gained from his travels as a sought-after religious teacher and mentor to Muslims across generations. In his interview, Shaykh Kafani reflects on how he maintains Muslim morality and modesty while participating in the performing arts. He explores the impact that his time in Senegal had on his spiritual development and understanding of the world. Shaykh Kafani also discusses the importance of Detroit’s African and African American Muslim institutions for cultivating spiritually-informed, anti-racist consciousness and practice.

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  Oral History Interview with Shaykh Momodou Ceesay on October 24, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Shaykh Momodou Ceesay conducted by Naimah Siddiq on October 24, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Naimah Siddiq. Shaykh Momodou Ceesay was born in Gambia on June 28, 1958. During his childhood, Shaykh Ceesay engaged in intensive Islamic studies under the tutelage of various shaykhs in both Gambia and Senegal. After receiving a scholarship, Shaykh Ceesay continued his education in Tunisia. He then earned a degree in Islamic sciences at Cairo’s renowned Al-Azhar University. Shaykh Ceesay immigrated to the United States in 1989, where he served as a teacher for the West African Muslim community, first in New York and then in Detroit. In addition, he made history by completing the first Mandingo translation of the Qur’an. Shaykh Ceesay ministers to the West African immigrant community through lectures over Kairo Radio, a station devoted to Gambians in America. Around 2000, Imam Ceesay began serving as imam at the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center and became the mosque’s resident imam in 2014. He advances Islamic education at the Muslim Center by teaching Qur’an and religion classes, and particularly devotes himself to educating young people and seniors. In the interview, Shaykh Ceesay reflects on his vision for the Muslim Center, discussing his priorities of education and building a diverse community. He also discusses the efforts he has made to bring together the African American Muslim and West African Muslim communities.

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  Oral History Interview with Tahira Hassanein Khalid on September 20, 2020

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Tahira Hassanein Khalid, conducted by Ayesha Cook on September 20, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Ayesha Cook. Tahira Hassanein Khalid was born in Detroit to parents who hailed from West Virginia and Georgia, and she was raised in Ecorse, Michigan. When Khalid was five years old, her father, Osman Hassanein, converted to Sunni Islam, with her mother, Khalida Hassanein converting soon after. In her interview, Khalid relates how in 1957, Osman Hassanein became one of the first African-American Muslims in the nation to complete the hajj. After returning from pilgrimage, Osman Hassanein helped establish Masjid Al-Mu’mineen, one of the earliest Sunni mosques associated with the African American Muslim community. In his capacity as mosque board president, he was instrumental in forging inter-ethnic and inter-racial forms of friendship and cooperation within the local Muslim community. In her interview, Khalid talks about what it was like growing up as part of the ethnically-diverse Islamic environment fostered by her parents. Khalid describes the course of her education that led to her earning a graduate degree in social work from the University of Michigan. She details aspects of her long and productive career in social work, and her special focus on the interests of women and under-served communities including immigrants and African Americans. She discusses her long-time work with Muslim Family Services, in which, among other responsibilities, she helps provide services to women in transitional housing. She also has worked for Wayne State University School of Medicine and for other agencies advancing initiatives to better understand and address the mortality rates for African American infants in Detroit. Khalid was one of the founders of a group called Muslimah University which offers a monthly forum for women to draw upon their own talents and skills for the group’s collective education and empowerment.

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  Oral History Interview with Thaddeus Shakoor, August 13, 2020 and March 6, 2021

  Dream Storytelling Project Team

  Oral history interview with Thaddeus Shakoor. The first segment of the interview was conducted by Muminah Ahmad on August 13, 2020 and the second segment was conducted by Dr. Alisa Perkins on March 6, 2021. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Muminah Ahmad. Both segments are in the same video file. Thaddeus Shakoor was born on August 22, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan to parents who were both born in Georgia. Raised in a family with a Christian background, Shakoor converted to Islam though the Nation of Islam’s Temple No. 7 in Harlem while he was in his twenties and living in New York to pursue a musical career. Shakoor returned to Detroit after a few years, and in the 1970s he embraced Sunni Islam, joining the community of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. In the interview, Shakoor describes the many years of community activism that he engaged in during his life with other members of Detroit’s Muslim Community through Temple No. 1, Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad, and the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. Shakoor emphasizes the guiding role that Imam Warith Deen Mohammed has played in his life, especially in understanding the importance of cultivating cooperation among Muslims across ethnic, class, and urban-suburban divides. Shakoor was instrumental in establishing Neighborly Needs and the Shabazz Men’s Transitional Home. He helped lay the groundwork for Dream of Detroit, a major revitalization effort in the central west Detroit neighborhood around the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. He is married to Baheejah Shakoor and together they have raised five children.