Religions Texas

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2152/82554

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 116

Amanda Quraishi Interview
(2018-09-20) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Amanda Quraishi, a Muslim convert and activist in Austin, Texas. Quraishi discusses her journey of converting to Islam and her story of becoming an activist within the community and beyond. She shares her perspective on the strength and challenges facing the Muslim community, including the power of masses and the importance of accepting pluralism.
Constance Shabazz Interview
(2018-10-11) Institute of Diversity and Civic Life
This interview is with Constance Shabazz, a social activist, feminist, and speaker from Chicago. After learning about the health care disparities and injustice faced by the African American community during her time working for the Sickle Cell Foundation in New York, Constance decided to become a physician and advocate for others. Constance talks about how reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X helped align her spiritual beliefs with Islam and informed her opinions on providing free health care for all. Constance moved to Texas in 2016 and continues to organize around community needs.
Shadia Igram Interview
(2018-10-23) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Shadia Igram, founder and executive director of Muslim Space in Austin, TX. Shadia speaks about how her experience growing up in a close and vibrant American Muslim community inspired her to create Muslim Space. She talks about her desire to build such a welcoming community in Austin and to improve continuously on its diversity and inclusivity. Shadia also discusses her goal of dispelling the notion of American Muslims as others and outsiders within broader American culture.
Duriba Khan Interview
(2019-03-04) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life
Seja Haque Interview
(2019-03-21) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life
This interview is with Seja Haque, a high school senior in Corpus Christi, Texas who speaks about struggling between her Muslim and feminist identities as well as being involved at her local mosque where she was eventually asked to teach. Seja discusses the immigration story of her parents from Pakistan to America and her deep found appreciation of her cultural identity. She plans on attending the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and eventually becoming a lawyer.
Mehraz Rahman Interview
(2019-04) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life
This interview is with Mehraz Rahman, an outgoing senior at The University of Texas at Austin, serving as Vice President of the student body in her final year. Mehraz discusses navigating her identity as part of a small Bangladeshi community in Austin, a tumultuous election cycle that caused many to question her authenticity, and her personal experiences with assertiveness in male-dominated spaces. As Vice President, Mehraz successfully advocated for the installation of more reflection spaces for students needing a quiet and clean place to pray.
Roshnara Mustafa Interview
(2019-04-15) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Roshnara Mustafa, an Indian Muslim who lives in Austin, Texas. Roshnara shares her story of growing up in Kerala, India and her exposure to different sects of Islam, including Sufism. Roshnara discusses her own path in strengthening her faith and religious identity and advocates for accepting pluralism within Islam.
Shameem Azizad Interview
(2019-04-20) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Shameem Azizad, a radiologist and a mother who lives in Austin, Texas. Shameem discusses navigating her faith from her childhood to adulthood and the potential challenges she sees her children face, her background as the child of refugee parents, and her relationship with the state of Texas. Shameem also defines the label “American-Muslim” as it pertains to her views of American culture. Finally, Shameem recounts her work with Muslim Community Support Services, an organization that strives to support indigent and abused in the Muslim community.
Qusay Hussein Interview
(2019-04-24) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Qusay Hussein, an Iraqi former refugee who fled his native country to Jordan after losing his vision after a bomb blast detonation in Baghdad. After working with Doctors Without Borders in Jordan, Hussein moved to Austin, Texas in 2012. Hussein credits groups like Interfaith Action of Central Texas for supporting him through his transition. He now studies at the University of Texas at Austin and hopes to uplift those in need of help as a psychologist and motivational speaker.
Neda Hamid Interview
(2019-05-08) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life
This interview is with Neda Hamid, a Palestinian Muslim and recent Human Development and Family Sciences graduate from the University of Texas at Austin. Neda speaks to Islam being a very important part of their life and the subsequent ramifications of being a highly visible hijab-wearing Muslim. Neda also navigates a shift in their leftist political identity and discusses how being surrounded by progressive-minded people in college was a stark contrast to their high school experience in Baytown, Texas, where they were born and raised. During college, Neda was highly involved with the Liberal Arts Refugee Alliance (LARA) as well as the Palestine Solidarity Committee. Neda would like to tie their life’s work to helping the local refugee community.
Shakeel Rashed Interview
(2019-07-30) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Shakeel Rashed, an engineer and technology professional and a co-founder of Islamic Center of Lake Travis in Hudson Bend, TX. Shakeel shares about his upbringing in a Muslim-majority, religiously intermingled culture in Hyderabad, India. He discusses moving to the US for graduate school and compares perceptions of religious identity in the US and in India. He discusses how his experience in the US caused him to reevaluate his Muslim identity and become more involved in a Muslim community, eventually becoming part of the leadership of a new mosque in the Lake Travis area. He also describes how the Islamic Center of Lake Travis was started, the complicated process of building and rebuilding, and their vision for their community.
Husaina Yusuf Interview
(2020-03-02) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Husaina Yusuf, a young Muslim woman who was born in California and raised in Texas. In this interview, she discusses her upbringing in Houston, the cultural dynamics of her religious sect, and her life experiences. Yusuf was raised as a Bohri Muslim, a subsect of Shia Islam. She shares stories of her family dynamic, her community, and observations of Bohri culture. She also discusses her experiences as a woman navigating gender roles in her religion and personal life.
Mary Wilson Interview
(2020-08-26) Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Mary Wilson, a retired pastor and teacher who discusses her experiences from both occupations. Mary grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and has a background in education, first teaching junior high and later serving as an instructor at Austin Community College, upon receiving her masters in education. Mary was the pastor of The Church of The Savior for 18 years and holds a ministry doctoral degree. She also ran for a seat in Congress in 2017. In this interview, she shares formative experiences of her life, lessons from her time as a pastor and congressional candidate, and the challenges in her life, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sam Brannon Interview
(2020-09-18) Institute for Diversity and Civic Life
This interview is with Sam Brannon, who is the pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Elgin, Texas. Sam discusses the fresh perspective he brings to the church. After three years of serving as their pastor, Sam has developed close relationships with the congregation, hearing their concerns and navigating their grievances with them. In this interview, Sam shares his own story, the inclusivity he preaches, and the new challenges of preaching during the pandemic.
Billie Watts & Kerry Kirtley Interview
(2020-09-25) Institute for Diversity and Civic Life
This interview is with Billie Watts and Kerry Kirtley, co-pastors of the Touchstone Community Church. Billie and Kirtley share their passion for creating an inclusive, justice-seeking community outside of their previous ties to certain denomination’s discriminatory practices. Billie and Kerry discuss both past challenges of leaving behind a community that was not accepting of their children and the current challenges of COVID-19 era co-pastor duties.
Bonnie How Interview
(2020-09-28) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life
This interview is with Bonnie How, the senior solo pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church, a radically inclusive and justice-minded space. Bonnie recently became a citizen of the U.S. and speaks to the challenges of navigating that process during a global pandemic. Bonnie grew up near Glacier National Park in Alberta, Canada, but has no plans of moving back.
Jake Maxwell Interview
(2020-09-29) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life
This interview is with Jake Maxwell, Pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas. Jake is interested in contemplative or meditative practice within organized religion and uses that knowledge to run a progressive Baptist church. Jake also speaks to the struggles of maintaining one’s mental health during a global pandemic and the importance of recognizing his own privilege as a white man.
Dan DeLeon Interview
(2020-10-01) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life
This interview is with Dan DeLeon, who serves Baptist congregations and has also been a youth minister for several years. Dan discusses growing in his theological beliefs and finally being a pastor at the Friends Congregational Church in College Station, Texas. Now, Dan and his community must learn how to stay connected, practice self-care, and worship during a pandemic. Friends Church has pursued several initiatives like spiritual care kits that were hand-delivered to every congregation member, quarterly newsletters, and Sunday zoom service.
Neil Thomas Interview
(2020-10-05) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is Reverend Dr. Neil Thomas. Reverend Dr. Neil Thomas is a well known reverend who has served as a pastor in the United Kingdom, Los Angeles, CA and Dallas, TX. Reverend Thomas is currently the pastor for the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, a member congregation of the United Church of Christ that strives to promote diversity and inclusivity. In this interview, Revered Thomas discusses his leadership and activism in the church and larger community. He shares navigating preaching during the pandemic, how the goals of faith have changed, and the new structure of church via Zoom. We learn through his insights, the connection and engagement found through faith and how the pandemic can reteach one’s relationship with God.
Brent Hampton Interview
(2020-10-06) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life
This interview is with Brent Hampton, a pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Brenham. Brent studied engineering and business in college, but was most interested in the history of religion courses, eventually leading him to attend Sunday school where he fell in love with preaching. Brent also discusses the complications of socially distanced worship.

Browse

Browsing Religions Texas by Issue Date