Razi Hashmi, 23, sees a generational change in the way American Muslims approach community involvement in the United States. 

“When my father and other immigrant families came to the U.S., they came to make a living. Now it’s up to the youth to work for a better future,” says Razi. “I see that happening with my generation and I want to be engaged in making these changes.”

Born to a Pakistani father and an American mother, Razi grew up in Hartford, Conn., but spent six years in Pakistan where his father, a surgeon, founded two hospitals in Lahore.  Living in different environments with vastly different cultures led him to feel as if he didn’t entirely fit into either. 

“When we moved to Pakistan, my siblings and I felt a sense of culture shock – we were outsiders because our mother was American,” he says.  “In America, I was seen as just a Pakistani.”

As a solution to this dual identity, Razi found his primary identity in Islam, his faith.  “Faith transcends race and culture,” he says. 

“My parents were exposed to different experiences of Islam – my mother as a convert, and my father as a person born in the faith,” says Razi. “I take a blend of their perceptions and integrate it into my own understanding.”

In college Razi founded a branch of the Muslim Students Association at Dickinson College. He organized iftaar dinners, a fast-a-thon to help Hurricane Katrina victims, and interfaith discussions with other religious groups on campus.  From an activist in college to an official spokesperson for the American Muslim community in his current position as Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma, Razi has had to practice patience.

“At college I would face innocent, honest questions about my faith, and now I face much tougher questions – a lot come from ignorance.”  Still, Razi says he prefers answering questions to letting people develop misperceptions. By engaging in dialogue about Islam and Muslims, Razi considers himself a part of the next generation of American change-makers.

Posted October 2007