UPBEAT MUSIC Captions by Imogen Staines. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 UPBEAT MUSIC CONTINUES # La, la-la, la, la, la, la, # la-la, la, la, la-la. # La, la-la, la, la-la. # CHIMING MUSIC (CHANTS) When you hear the word 'Muslim', what do you think? Do you think ISIS? Do you think terrorism? DRAMATIC DRUM MUSIC I don't blame you. It is hard to find Muslims pictured in the media as everyday, normal people. And even though NZ is one of the most open-minded countries in the world, we Muslims still feel like we're treated as outsiders because of the media. This affects my community. I have decided to do something about it, using the power of photography. FUNKY ELECTRONIC MUSIC My name is Ali Thair. I'm 26 years old. I've been in NZ for over 20 years. I'm a marketing tutor, a street photographer, and I'm a Kiwi-Iraqi Muslim. So I would like to use the power of photography, storytelling and good old human conversation to really educate and inform Kiwis, aiming for them to look past the headlines and really see us for, you know` Like everyone else, we're part of the community, and we're not what the media says. LIVELY MUSIC I am one of the photographers for Humans of Auckland City. This Facebook page is modelled from the very popular page Humans of New York. So Humans of Auckland City takes photos of people on the streets of Auckland. We ask them questions about their daily lives, their struggles and challenges. Then we take these photos and quotes and post it on Humans of Auckland City Facebook page. By sharing these stories online, people connect, people criticise, people comment, but, more importantly, the stories bring people together. Sharing these Muslim stories on the Facebook page will make a difference, because the stories are real, they're authentic, and I believe this is the ideal way to make an impact. CAMERA BLEEPS So, I'm going to meet Villiami from Humans of Auckland City, run through a few ideas to him. Just gonna see what happens. I don't know if you noticed, but this year I have 50,000 followers. Pretty stoked. Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's pretty cool. So, I've got an idea I'll just run by you. So... Yeah. ...using the page's success and the authenticity, I'd like to have a focus on Arabs and Muslims and the whole struggle they're facing, with the aim to challenge Kiwis and make them see that we are more than what the headlines say and, in fact, we are not what the headlines say. Mm. We are p` Kiwis, we're integrated, and we're part of NZ society, and I reckon using the page will be the ideal platform. Yeah, yeah. (LAUGHS) What do you reckon? I like that. I like that. And why I like that is cos, I guess, part of the reason why we're here today is I wanna do something about it. You need to... So... ...do something new? But I think the interviews are quite intimate. They're really, uh` They get personal. And` And it takes a lot of courage for somebody to share it with the world. Do you think Muslim men and women will share? Getting them to open up will depend on how open-minded you go in and how culturally aware you are when you go in and talk to these people. As with any other culture, you go in knowing their culture, they'll be much more open and welcome with both arms. Sweet, man. I'm thinking we dedicate a whole week of just giving voice and posting stories about Arab Muslims living in NZ, in our society. How does that sound? Sounds awesome. Really keen. Sweet. Sweet. COMPELLING MUSIC Pretty excited, eh, that Villiami's keen on this project and how we're gonna use the power of social media, photography to really, you know, shed light on people's stories. And it is gonna be a challenge at first, but nothing good comes easy, I guess. And hopefully we'll meet the deadline. Before I start taking photos of Muslims, the first thing I'm going to do is really understand what I am dealing with. How deep is the belief that Islam equals terrorism? Do you associate Arabs and Muslims with terrorism? Well, I` I do slightly, yes. I'm beginning to. I try not to, but I think I'm beginning to feel I've got to do that, yes. I think it's true to say that the majority of NZers would associate terrorism with the Islamic faith in light of the events that have happened in the world over the last few years. What do you associate with the Muslim faith? (CHUCKLES) Um, their, like, headscarves and... ISIS. How did you arrive at this, like, association? What made you associate Muslims`? Oh, just from watching television, reading the news and what things` what's happening in the world today. SOFT MUSIC CAMERA BLEEPS Um, yeah, I was quite surprised by the level of fear that these people have but also expected as well. I mean, all these people, they consume the media on a continuous basis, which is 80%, 90%, you know, being easily negative, um, every single day. And so they're products of what they consume. We need to educate Kiwis in a` in a constructive, fun way that's not in your face and is very very relatable, with a personal narrative. CAMERA BLEEPS SMOOTH MUSIC There are three things you need to be a street photographer ` camera, confidence, and, more importantly, an interest in people. Yo. Hey, man. Hey, man. How's it going? Do you mind if I take your photo? What do you want Kiwis to know about Muslims and Islam? What's really important is to know that they are just people, and they're just like us. We all want the same needs as each other, and that's what makes us equal as humans. I don't like to point fingers. I don't like to hold a grudge. That's what causes anger and violence. Hopefully we can understand and we can unite. What's your name, bro? Uh, Yusef. Yusef. Where you from? Uh, England. Uh, I've just recently converted. True? Yusef's my Islamic name. I was Lloyd before. Why Yusef? I wanted to pi` have an Islamic name just for looking for the future, cos I've just recently been married, so when we have children, I want` I want, you know, a son of Yusef. I'm getting some really positive reactions from people on the streets, but this photo series also needs to deal with the negative experiences. I've got a few mates who are willing to talk about their negative experiences and the prejudice that's been thrown their way. CAMERA BLEEPS LAID-BACK MUSIC What's your guys' personal experiences on discrimination in, you know, relation to your faith? I have been in situations where people call you out on being Muslim. You know, if you get` You know, if you get into a bit of an argument with someone, that's how you're always seen. You're not seen as just another person; you're seen as another Muslim. To be honest, I've seen, like` like, a lot of friends and people in the Muslim community who, sort of, sacrifice their faith in order to assimilate with, you know, society. I've had, you know, arguments with people before, and it always gets to a point where that's what they really call you out on. You know? Yeah. Uh, 'Muslim this', 'Muslim that'. And in a way, you can't blame people for believing it, because this is how they feel they get their information, but at the same time, I think some blame has to be put on people who have to think for themselves. You know? Yeah, and they do that because of what they've been fed. Well, that's exactly right. It's not` It doesn't just spring out of nowhere. I have a friend who actually didn't get a job, um, because his name was Osama. OK? And the boss said quite blatantly that it was 'because your name was Osama', and he suggested that he should change his name to get a job. For someone to have the power to just say, 'Hey, you should change your name, 'and then we'll grant you this opportunity to live your life, i.e. get a job,' the fact that it happens in 2015, um, in countries around the world, let alone NZ, is quite appalling. ELECTRONIC MUSIC So, most people on the streets don't know that I'm Muslim, and, I mean, that's fine with me. I'm not out on the road to preach; I'm out to take photos. I mean, if I'm out with my mum, who wears a veil, I mean, I know the looks. I can feel them. And my mum's a very educated person. She's got two engineering degrees, and she's been working in NZ for the last ` God knows ` 20, 30 years. And` But people look at her in very degrading ways, and that makes me very very frustrated. No one knows what it's like until you, you know` You have to be subjected to it to know the feeling. You know, when I` when I'm out with my white mates, it never happens, cos I blend in with them, but when` when I'm out with a few friends of mine who look stereotypical Arab or Muslim, you feel those eyes, and post-ISIS it's way worse ` way worse. The eyes got colder and colder wherever we went ` even in NZ, um, albeit we have it much better than other countries. I would love to do something about this. Um, as a single person and even with friends and the Facebook page, it will be a big challenge ` you know, a small Facebook page against the global media. You know, it's not even David and Goliath; it's an ant versus Goliath. But, you know, you've gotta start somewhere. ELECTRONIC MUSIC I've heard about a guy, Jaspreet. He's a Sikh, but he has had very direct experiences with discrimination against Muslims. So I` I'd like to hear about your experience of what happened at the incident at the Columbus cafe. So, I was just meeting one of my professors, and, um, when I walked into the cafe, I was wearing my headphones, so I took them off before ordering the coffee and put them in my laptop bag. About 30 minutes into the meeting, two cops showed up and asked me to step outside with them. They said that, 'We've just received a call saying that, um, 'there's a Muslim guy with a` with wires in his bag.' I realised that they were probably my headphone wires. She couldn't tell the difference between a Sikh and a Muslim. That's still the first thing. And then she thought that because I was a Muslim I was more likely to be a terrorist. Did they apologise? No, actually. No. Um, they felt that there was no need for them to apologise. People need to realise that we are just as much NZ citizens as them, and if I let, sort of, these experiences affect the way I think about people, then I'll be no different than them. Thanks for coming today and sharing your experience. The way you reacted was very very moving. A lot of people wouldn't have reacted like that and would've reacted in a totally different way. Thank you. ELECTRONIC MUSIC So I think Jaspreet's story is full of evidence of, you know, racial profiling and discrimination. And this will spark debate on the Facebook page, and people will have different views about this. So I've got five guys who are willing to share their stories right now, but, you know, I'm having second thoughts about bringing Muslim women into the project. I'm not really sure that I want to expose Muslim women to the social media backlash and negative comments, which will happen. And so really gotta think hard about this and talk to Villi and see how we can actually make this work. CAMERA BLEEPS ELECTRONIC MUSIC KNOCKING ON DOOR 'Sup, brother. How's it going? Hey, man. Thanks for coming. Made some, uh, classic Turkish tea for you. Oh shucks. Thanks, man. Ah, all good. What's it been like, uh, reaching out to the Muslim community, trying to get these photos from people? Have you been able? Um... Uh, a few roadblocks. It's going OK. Um... But are we gonna put Muslim women in the project? > Getting photos of, um, Muslim girls in covering is` it is a sensitive issue. They are different in the sense that they carry their identity wherever they go. You know, putting a photo of a religious person who's under scrutiny, you know, on a very very continuous period and getting a personal issue from them with a photo, exposes them. I think it's important to highlight issues on women from the Middle East or Muslim women. Well, you know, everyone knows the trolls and the keyboard warriors on the internet ` what they say and what they do. So it's like, man, there's gonna be some backlash. You can't avoid that ` people` you're always gonna bump into people ` haters. So if you're able to get people who are` who say yes, that's awesome. It takes a bit of courage to be able to share. I think Villi is right. If we wanna change the perspectives on Muslims in this country, we really need to include females in this project. (RECORDING) MAN: Anjum Rahman is a prominent NZ Muslim... So I have a plan. I'm gonna reach out to an inspirational female leader in our community. Anjum Rahman is a spokesperson for the Islamic Council of Women. She's very experienced in dealing with media and standing up to prejudice. She's the ideal person to advise me on how to proceed. (SPEAKS INAUDIBLY) Yeah, I think what you'll find is that a lot of people just won't want to take part. They see what happens on social media and particularly on public fa` places. And the negative comments and the hate speech that is going on around there is` it can be, you know, a real barrier for people. For the women that wear hijab, you know that we choose to wear this, but we recognise that with it comes the backlash. So do you think, um, the me` NZ media portrays Muslims and Islam and Arabs in general in a negative sense? I find some days I just have to shut off everything ` like, all media, TV ` and just stay away, because it's so upsetting. ...upsetting. And it's so horrible. And it's scary. And I` It doesn't stop either. And you're walking out on the street and thinking, 'Is that what everyone thinks about me?' You know? And it's like, 'Well, there's nothing I can do about it right now. 'This is who I am. I'm not gonna change.' But it's still intimidating. I mean, I think` I guess that's where faith is an important part. That's what you fall back on is that, you know, I'm not doing this for me. I don't need the publicity. but it's about standing up because it's the right thing to do, you know? Exactly. And I'm doing it for my kids so that they have a society that they can grow up and feel safe in. I asked a lot of, uh, friends about their views on this issue, and a few of them have sisters, and a lot of them, you know, seek out their views on this. They said that, you know, most of them would shy away from this kind of project. What would be really good is if you allow them the opportunity to tell their own story, so if you're just going in, it feels like you're telling their story, and so then they have little control, but if they're telling their story and they're getting control, I think that would have a huge impact. It probably will be more likely to succeed. CAMERA BLEEPS I'm pretty sure that there are ones out there who would talk and who would express their views on this and who would talk about these big issues, including their personal stories from their narrative. It's just a matter of finding them and, yeah, hopefully meeting them. CAMERA BLEEPS SOFT MUSIC UPBEAT MUSIC So, two young women have agreed to meet with me and discuss taking part in the Facebook project, but they're not really convinced yet in the whole idea of it appearing on social media. Maram is a training psychologist, and Salma is a nurse. I really hope they see the positive in what I'm trying to do with this Facebook project. So, I do Humans of Auckland City. Um, so, we go round the streets and get photos of people and get their stories. I mean, I guess, like, one of the things that is important to me is that, as a Muslim woman, it's not just about what I` like, my headscarf ` like, what I'm wearing on my head ` but also being dressed modestly, right? And so in taking a photo, I want to know how it's being framed, right? So that's something that I'd be cautious about in OK'ing it, yeah. OK, so taking into consideration everything I've said, you've said, how are you guys feeling? I think that this is, like, a great opportunity for some of the other, like Muslim voices to, kind of, speak out, so I'm happy to do this. Yeah, so am I. Yeah? Yeah. And record. So what's a struggle that you've had to overcome in the past or recently that's impacted on you? Growing up in NZ, I really struggled to find a comfortable medium between being Somali, being Muslim and being, um, Kiwi. And that was something that, like, I guess I got by, and, like, I learnt through mistakes. Me, being a Muslim but still being, like, brought up in NZ and that being a big part of who I am ` that was really difficult, to be honest. You know, I had to really stand back and, like, think really carefully before making decisions. And so that took me a long time to figure out how to` how to do things ` how to be and how to act and so forth. K, so, what would you want Kiwis and the NZ public to know about Islam, about Muslims and Muslim women in general? One thing that I'd really like to, um` Kiwis to know in general is just that we're individuals. We have our own tastes, our own ideas and` We're also approachable. Yeah, come talk to us. Some people are kind of uncomfortable. Like, just` just they don't know how to approach us. Thanks, ladies. Um, it's been amazing hearing your stories, um, ups and downs. And, um,... Cool. ...so right now we wanna go and take a photo,... Cool. ...if you guys don't mind. All right. Sounds good. Thank you very much. Come` Come and have a look at the photos. CAMERA BLEEPS That one's good. I like that one! (CHUCKLES) It is quite rare to see young Muslim women appear in the media, and it's quite an enlightening experience for other people to see the, actually` the real voices of this group of people called 'young Muslim women'. And so the authenticity and the personal nature of it really really opens up this new door of connection. I think there is an element of braveness for the people taking part in this project, because there is` there is gonna be backlash, and there is gonna be criticism. And not everyone's comfortable with that, so for them to, um, step over all that and believe in the bigger picture, I think there is a lot of braveness in that. CAMERA BLEEPS UPBEAT MUSIC Today's the day, bro. Muslim Week is gonna go live. It's official. So do you wanna just open up those pictures, please? (CHUCKLES) Wow. That's pretty good. Look at Hassan and Shazan. Wow. That's a really good photo, man. Lloyd, a convert. I really like your pictures, and we can just put up a whole lot of, um, silly stuff and it could go viral and get heaps of likes, but what this really is about is, um, getting people to have a conversation online about what it's like in real life being in Auckland. You'll have maybe a bit of backlash in the comments, but that's fine. We could` We gotta take a risk and try. Sweet, bro. I'm gonna log in and then go on Humans. OK, are you ready to post it now? (CHUCKLES) Yep. Cool. Got the quotes pretty well done, the photos edited. We're good to go. ELECTRONIC MUSIC I just wanna see` Right, have a look-see. See if anybody said anything. Oh, they will have. We've got a lot of followers. Someone will have said something. Wow. 360 people have seen it already, the post. < Ooh. And, uh, six likes. That's, like, within one minute. So effectively we're changing the world, right? (LAUGHS) LAID-BACK MUSIC OK, so, we've been live for approximately three days now. To be honest with you, reading through some of the comments, um, quite shocking. This is referring to Jaspreet's story, who was the Sikh mistaken for a Muslim and cops were called on him. READS: I think this story's possibly made-up bullshit to either garner publicity 'and sympathy for the Sikh community.' And another person was saying, 'Oh, he looks like a terrorist, 'so he might as well be mistaken for one, and it's good on` it's good on the lady for calling him out.' Uh, there was a lot of people stepped in and actually were, you know, constructively correcting the racist comment from the other guy. READS: Sorry you had to deal with that, man. 'Some people are just too quick to jump to conclusions these days.' And another person was saying, 'I'm embarrassed by her ignorance. 'Worse, her ignorance reflects on all of us.' So those two comments are basically people who really understand the wrong in the situation, and they're stepping in and actually contributing to this. It's like, 'Wow, people actually care.' And they're, like` they're actually engaging in the, um` they're engaging in this topic. So you` I guess you could say that if it was really worth it when you see that one comment, and it really pushes you forward to post more stories. This project has allowed me to really get out of my comfort zone, ask people sensitive questions, um, especially the sensitive area of Muslim women coming out on social media. I never thought I'd be able to do that, um, in this age of Islamophobia. And so I g` I guess it's the start of something big, and this is the first step. UPLIFTING ELECTRONIC MUSIC We may be from different cultures, but we are all Kiwis, and together we make Aotearoa the beautiful place it is. I'm committed to continue my photography and storytelling to make a positive change in this country. UPBEAT MUSIC Captions by Imogen Staines. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016