About

Hey everyone,

This blog is basically the outward expression of what I spend my days thinking about, my free time being an activist about and my nights dreaming about. I’m an American Muslim of Afro-Arab heritage. I’m a Chicagoan. I love social media. And figure skating. And YA novels. And puns. I’m a news|current events|political science junkie. The thing I probably spend the most amount of time thinking about is the development of Western Muslim identity: how does it happen, what does it mean for the West|East, and how can we actively and positively contribute|engage|love our societies.

This blog features daily links[ies] of news items I find interesting|thought-provoking|stimulating as well as weekly essays. I’m still trying to learn my way through WordPress, so I’ll be experimenting for a while.

I hope you enjoy your time on my site and your feedback is always appreciated!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hind Makki

The daughter of African immigrants to the American Midwest, Hind has long been interested in understanding the impact of migration, race, religion on shaping the development of Western Muslim consciousness. She has worked extensively within the American Muslim community on civic engagement, interfaith dialogue and leadership development and has traveled throughout the United States and Western Europe, leading workshops on social cohesion through interfaith action and dialogue.

Hind grew up in a somewhat insular, mainly Arab American, Muslim community in suburban Chicago, where the mosque was an integral part of her childhood. When over 300 people marched on that mosque on the evening of the September 11 attacks, Hind was motivated to work toward interfaith cooperation in her community. In her writings, Hind often explores how religious pluralism in secular democracies intersects with race, class and access to social and political capital for minority communities. She is a fan of popular culture, female characters in dystopian novels, international sport and good, non-pretentious literature.