July 22, 2015, Washington D.C.– The Department of State brought together a panel of outstanding Muslim women. Led by the Special Representative to Muslim Communities Shaarik Zafar, the women discussed how they used storytelling to communicate various issues about their lives and communities. Along with many distinguished guests, Dr. Faruk Taban, President of the Turkic American Alliance, who attended the panel discussion.
There were five very influential panelists at the events. Salam Darwaza, the producer of Salam Neighbor was there along with Jehane Noujaim, the director of The Square. Zarqa Nawaz, creator of The Little House on the Prairie, Aisha Saeed, author of the book Written in the Stars, and Salma Ali, creator of the blog “30 Days 30 Deeds” were also present. Opening remarks were made by Evan Ryan, the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Mr. Zafar introduced the topic with these words: “Stories matter. Stories not only reflect a society’s norms or values but over time I believe, and I know the ladies on the stage with me believe, that stories have the transformative power to change.” This theme of wanting to create change was reflected across all of the stories these women told.
Some of the storytellers chose to dictate about global issues like Syrian refugee camps in Salam Neighbor; Ms. Noujaim’s The Square shows the vivid reality of the revolution in Egypt. Other storytellers, like Zarqa Nawaz, chose to portray day-to-day life for Muslim-Americans in stories like Nawaz’s extremely successful series Little Mosque on the Prairie. Ms. Saeed’s Written in the Stars dives straight into the stories of many young girls bound by cultural and familial obligations. Ms. Ali’s essay Pakistan on the Potomac pushes for understanding between the US and the Muslim worlds.
No matter how big or small their voice, the fact that these Muslim women stood up to societal stereotypes and restrictions and made their voices ring on such an international level speaks of the power of storytelling. When telling their stories, each in their own way, these women likely had no idea how successful their stories would become. Creating understanding eventually creates change and these women have changed the way many Americans view the Muslim world today.
To watch the event online, click here.
To follow the event on Twitter, search: #muslimstorytellers
