"I grew up under one of the most Islamophobic eras in modern history."
At the age of nine, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh first became aware of the widely held discrimination against her and the Muslim community. Growing up in the hostile atmosphere of a post 9/11 world, she became hyperaware of her ‘difference’. Her parents as business owners faced vandalisation and the threat of eviction. At 13-years-old, the family moved from the US to Jordan and after a tricky transition period, Al-Khatahtbeh went from hiding her Muslim identity to falling in love with the culture and religion.
“[I] decided to start wearing the headscarf to reclaim my identity that Islamophobia was trying to push away from me.”
After moving back to the US, she launched MuslimGirl.com in 2009 to reclaim the narrative on Islam and create a safe space for people experiencing the same things. The site now has a huge non-Muslim following also and Al-Khatahtbeh recognises the site now as a resource for greater understanding of the community.
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