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Nikita Mandhani is a multimedia journalist, a writer and a storyteller. She recently completed her master’s in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, USA Today, Vox.com, Upworthy and several other major publications. Her passion lies in telling stories that focus on different aspects of the society, […]

MALA’s story-teller, Sharareh Drury, recently had her StoryCorps segment aired on NPR’s All Things Considered. Sharareh is of mixed heritage — her mom’s side of the family is from Iran and her dad’s side is from Ireland. She recently came to the StoryCorps booth in the Chicago Cultural Center where she spoke openly about being

Join us this #GivingTuesday as we work to amplify the diverse voices of Americans of Muslim heritage! Show your support with a donation, where all proceeds will be matched $1 for $1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for our project on GlobalGiving on November 29th. By sharing a broad range of diverse narratives

Sabina Hajdarovic is currently a student at Loyola University Chicago. She is also an intern with MALA for the Fall 2016 semester. In her unique story, she explains how a trip changed her confidence, perspective, and outlook in regards to her personal heritage, whilst securing a sense of belonging and pride.   My name is

Ibrahim Desooky is a student of Architecture at Cornell University, where he was a group fitness instructor for Cornell Fitness Center. He is also passionate about fashion design, music, photography and dance. Born to Egyptian parents, he comes from a family of  extremely talented creators and designers who held a large sway over art and design in

On November 2nd, 2016, MALA held its Annual Fundraising Dinner, themed “Celebrating the American Dream”, at Hubbard Inn Chicago. Over 100 attendees gathered to celebrate and commemorate MALA’s milestones and success. Not only was the event a success, but the Chicago Cubs also won the World Series Championship for the first time since 1908. In

Perseverance defines Shireen. Born and raised in Afghanistan’s Badakshan province, she dreamt of becoming a doctor. However, a ban on women pursuing educational and professional opportunities from a growing Taliban influence in the late 90’s forced Shireen to leave Balkh University in the middle of her studies. This did not deter Shireen from pursuing a

Sadiya Hassan is a 22-year-old college student with Sudanese, Nigerian, and Saudi Arabian ancestry. She is studying to become a Psychologist and explains that her rich mixed background has helped her become the woman that she is today. Sadiya currently resides in California.  This story is part of “American Muslims”, a photo series created by Carlos Khalil Guzman,

John Kirbow is a an Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran who worked as a cultural expert and member of the US Army Special Operations community, having served in Nigeria, Baghdad, Basra, Europe, and US Central Command (CENTCOM), Tampa. His current passion is applied social science. A devout linguist, John speaks – to varying degrees – Arabic,

Saleha describes her journey from starting her career in the corporate sector, which led to her studying theology, and finally signing up to serve in the United States Army. She discusses the need for building mental health and emotional counseling awareness within the Muslim community, as well as recognizing change within the leadership to address