Editor's Note:
Each day, we are inundated with messages that shape our perceptions of Muslims and Islam. Our communities have been stripped down to one-dimensional caricatures by the skewed propagation of misrepresented stereotypes. This reduction of our collective identities stems from allowing others to speak on our behalf with their interpretations of who we are, what we believe, and what we stand for. Now, more than ever, it is time for us to move beyond these fictionalized constructions and expand society's understanding of Muslims in the West. It is time for us to reclaim our own narratives and give voice to the struggles and experiences faced by members of our community across the spectrum.
The Jadeed Voices Initiative is a special project by the Muslim Writers Collective which aims to offer these voices a platform to reflect on our faith and the diversity among us by highlighting the exigency of promoting nuanced, multifaceted perspectives. Jadeed, commonly translated as new, conveys a depth of additional meaning in the classical Arabic, weaving together the root words for grandeur and earnestness to signify "that of which one has no knowledge." Hence, the purpose of this initiative is to not only feature new voices of which we previously had no knowledge, we are also disclaiming any pretense of a monolithic, one size fits all "Muslim American voice."
We hope these narratives will resonate with Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike. We hope they will shatter stereotypes and break down the walls that society has built in an effort to divide us. We hope they will humanize our experiences and reveal facets of the Muslim consciousness that have remained hidden until now. But above all, we hope they will give us the courage to speak on our own behalf because our voices are stronger, not weaker, when we recognize and celebrate our differences as well as our similarities.
Zara Raheem
MWC Board Member/National Editor