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Nearly three decades ago, a group of mothers changed the trajectory of Janan Najeeb’s life. After studying microbiology at UW-Milwaukee, Najeeb worked for a few years in New York and West Virginia before returning to Wisconsin with her young family.
She became involved in a social group of fellow Muslim mothers. With them, she discovered a powerful sense of fellowship, leading her to found the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition in 1994.
“As mothers, we felt a responsibility to combat stereotypes and misinformation,” says Najeeb. “If we are encountering it and we are professionals in professional spaces, what is that going to look like for our kids going to school?”
The coalition blossomed and expanded. Najeeb spoke at organizations around the region, educating audiences about Islam and building a bridge of understanding.
“We aim to build a thriving society, strengthened by the richness of its diversity.”
MMWC was formalized as a nonprofit in 2010. Over the years, Najeeb built out several large programs, including opening a library and cultural center, launching the Wisconsin Muslim Journal, the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival, and Our Peaceful Home, a culturally specific family-strengthening and domestic abuse project. Determined that Muslim voices are included, she created numerous leadership programs and founded the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance.
“We aim to build a thriving society, strengthened by the richness of its diversity,” says Najeeb. “We’re trying to create a society that is welcoming, that is not polarized, but cherishes the uniqueness of every person, because that’s what really enriches our lives and enriches our country.”
Q&A
Can you tell us a little about the Coalition’s big initiatives like the Wisconsin Muslim Journal and the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival.
With the Film Festival and the Wisconsin Muslim Journal, that’s about us owning our narrative. We often find that the people talking the most about us, don’t understand us at all. So what was preventing us from telling our own stories? It’s a professional paper telling the stories that we want to tell, about Wisconsin Muslims, about Wisconsin Muslim institutions, about our events and accomplishments. The film festival started in the same way. It was disappointing to see so many films that portrayed Muslims in a very stereotypical way. And we know this because a lot of groups of color have gone through it as well. We said how cool would it be to create a Muslim Film Festival and show the films that we want to show?
Over the years, what have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced? Have preconceived notions about Muslim women been one of them?
Yes, preconceived notions are definitely a challenge, as is the influence of certain groups or individuals who push a particular image for their political agendas. Research shows that fear often comes from a lack of interaction with people from different backgrounds, and we’ve found that to be true. Once people meet and interact with us, those barriers often fall away.
