 I grew up in a large and loving family, surrounded by books, movies, and music from around the world. My parents never made me feel that being a woman made me somehow inferior, and I am deeply grateful to them for instilling confidence in me from an early age. I am very close to my family, including my grandparents. My grandmother (Nani) is still my biggest role model! I value a good sense of humor, and appreciate those who make me laugh. 

My family moved to Charlottesville, Virginia when I was 12 years old, and my outlook on Islam has been shaped by that move. I didn’t grow up as a very religious child, so my understanding of Islam really emerged in connection with my growing awareness of what it meant to be “American” at a very critical point in the nation’s history. While I love and embrace my Bangladeshi heritage—our long tradition of poetry, music, and religious tolerance—my American identity is deeply entwined with how I think of Islam and how I approach my faith. As such, I hope to find someone who hopes to make the U.S. home, someone who knows about the challenges involved in living in a non-Muslim country but also about the opportunities it provides and wants to embrace both aspects of life here. 

I am passionate about social justice, and am pursuing a PhD in Anthropology because I truly believe learning about other cultures helps us broaden our minds and helps combat social ills—e.g. racism, gender-violence, etc. Plus it helps us fulfill the Qur’anic injunction: “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another” (Q49:13). Islam is not only important to me in my personal life, but I love it because it is a communal religion and places strong emphasis on compassion that goes beyond tolerance.  It gives rights to women and ethnic minorities, and teaches us to be good to all human beings regardless of what’s in their hearts.  I hope to impart this Islamic sense of social justice to my children one day. 