Creator: Ali, Subhan

Creator: Nowruzi, Parsa

Abstract: Subhan Ali (2009 MA Civil Engineering; 2015 PhD Civil Engineering), a member of the Markaz advisory board, shares reflections from his time at Stanford and his involvement in the creation of the Markaz Resource Center. Ali describes growing up in Los Angeles and how coming to Stanford widened his perspectives on the Muslim world beyond the Pakistani Muslim community he'd been raised in. He recalls the Muslim student groups and programming at Stanford on his arrival in 2008 and provides insight into the advocacy that went into creating the Markaz.

Creator: Baghoolizadeh, Mahta

Creator: Mohamdy, Abdu

Abstract: Mahta Baghoolizadeh (2013 BS Biology), currently a medical school resident at University of California, Los Angeles, shares memories of her involvement in the Muslim community at Stanford and the creation of the Markaz Resource Center. She describes the experience of being a Muslim at Stanford and the sense of community she found through her involvement in the Muslim Student Awareness Network and the Islamic Society of Stanford University, two active student groups that predated the Markaz. She also details the efforts that went into the establishment of the Markaz: drafting a formal proposal, inviting faculty and student support and input, and a pivotal meeting with President John Hennessy and Provost John Etchemendy to discuss their proposal. She recalls other Stanford students who played important roles in the process, including Subhan Ali and Omar Shakir.

Creator: El-Gabalawy, Osama

Creator: Nowruzi, Parsa

Abstract: Osama El-Gabalawy (2015 BS Biology; 2016 MS Computer Science; 2021 MD Medicine) reflects on his experiences as a Muslim student at Stanford over the last decade. He begins by sharing his parents' stories of immigrating to the United States from Egypt, then goes on to describe growing up in Los Angeles and the impact 9/11 had on his life and his family. He recalls being bullied during his school years and coming into his identity as Muslim while at Stanford. He describes his involvement with the Muslim student groups at Stanford and his experience with Avicenna: The Stanford Journal on Muslim Affairs. He relates the importance of having a space like the Markaz on campus and how the Muslim Board led the efforts towards its creation. He mentions some of his observations from watching the Markaz grow throughout his time at Stanford, as well as friction within the community in response to the representation of different narratives in Islam. He concludes by describing the impact of the community organizing experience and how he applies that experience to the creation of the Diversity Center of Representation and Empowerment (DCORE) at the Stanford Medical School.

Creator: Shakir, Omar

Creator: Kassam, Arman

Abstract: Omar Shakir (2007 BA International Relations; 2013 JD), currently the Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, reflects on his decade's worth of experience with the Muslim community at Stanford. He begins by describing the Muslim student groups that existed on campus during the early 2000s, particularly post-9/11. Shakir goes on to recall early unsuccessful efforts to request a physical space for Muslim students at Stanford that contributed to the eventual creation of the Markaz, and some of the different visions Muslim students had for such a space. He describes the support they received from faculty members, including Larry Diamond, and reflects on what makes the Markaz distinct from the community centers at Stanford. Finally, he draws parallels between his experience in advocating for and creating the Markaz and his current work at Human Rights Watch, and how the former informs the latter.

Creator: Taymuree, Zainab

Creator: Nowruzi, Parsa

Abstract: Zainab Taymuree (2016 BA African and African American Studies) shares memories of the creation and early years of the Markaz Resource Center. Taymuree recalls first becoming aware of the project through the Muslim Board and later becoming heavily involved in designing the physical space. She provides insight into the decisions that were made about the interior design and the décor of the space, in consideration of the potential uses of the center, the representation of the community, and inclusiveness. Taymuree also reflects on giving the commencement baccalaureate speech and graduating from Stanford, as well as the changes in the African and African American Studies Department with the onset of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Creator: Zemmali, Lydia

Creator: Nowruzi, Parsa

Abstract: Lydia Zemmali (2020 BA Human Biology, Human Rights minor) describes her father's French-Algerian background and her experience of growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, and spending summers with her relatives in France. She reflects on her own spirituality and how she has found support in the Markaz Resource Center, especially following the election of Donald Trump in 2016. She describes the Muslim community's response, as well as the wider campus response, to a visit from anti-Muslim author Robert Spencer. She also talks about her identity as an Arab in relation to her experience with the Arab Student Association at Stanford.