“The scariest monsters are the ones who seem the most like you.”
―
Samira Ahmed,
Internment
“A compass doesn’t tell you where you are, and it doesn’t tell you where you have to go. It can only point you in a direction. It’s up to you to always find your true north.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“These terrorists are the antithesis of Islam. They’re not Muslim. Violence has no place in religion, and the terrorists are responsible for their own crimes, not the religion and not us.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“What’s that thing people always say about history? Unless we know our history, we’re doomed to repeat it? Never forget? Isn’t that the lesson? But we always forget. Forgetting is in the American grain.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“My body remembers what part of my mind wants to forget—because there are times when I struggle to reconcile what I gave up to be here, in this very moment, despite how much I wanted it. How much I do want it. The past may be prologue, but it’s with me, every day.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“But it's also a reminder that being quiet doesn't always signify weakness. Sometimes it takes great strength to find that silence. Sometimes it takes incredible strength to survive.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“Praying is important. But you can’t simply pray for what you want. You have to act.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“You are still young. Free . . . Do yourself a favor. Before it’s too late, without thinking about it first, pack a pillow and a blanket and see as much of the world as you can.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate and Other Filters
“One thing I’ve learned: people love a camera, and when I’m filming, they see it, not me, so whenever I need to, I can quietly disappear behind my trusty shield.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“It’s selfish and horrible, but in this terrible moment, all I want is to be a plain old American teenager. Who can simply mourn without fear. Who doesn’t share last names with a suicide bomber. Who goes to dances and can talk to her parents about anything and can walk around without always being anxious. And who isn’t a presumed terrorist first and an American second.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“I'm tired of hiding all the important parts of myself.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“There are literally centuries of women who never got to tell their stories. An invisible hand squeezes my heart for the nameless women history brushed aside.” ― Samira Ahmed, Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know
“I roll my eyes, since every Muslim understands the hypocrisy of right-wing xenophobes. They’re all terrified of a word they don’t understand, scared that religious law is going to infiltrate the land, but meanwhile they support the death penalty, are anti-choice, and think creationism should be taught in schools because of… wait for it… religion.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“There’s never been a wall that people haven’t been able to get by.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“America is us. America is ours. It’s worth fighting for. The people united will never be defeated. Resist.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“If history had no ghosts, I wouldn’t be terrified of what might come next.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“In recent times we’ve seen hate emerge out of dark corners, torches blazing in the night. We’ve witnessed so-called leaders not merely casually accept cruelty, but engender it. Worse, we’ve seen horrific violence. But all around us, we’ve seen people rise up, not merely against the forces of hate, but for equality and justice. Bigotry may run through the American grain, but so too does resistance. We know the world we are fighting for.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate and Other Filters
“Even if we lived in India, I would still be who I am and want what I want. Geography wouldn't have changed that.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“One detail that’s impossible to miss? Just like in the train station, every person with a gun is white, and not white like maybe they’re Bosnian—the kind of white that thinks internment camps are going to make America great again.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“A compass doesn’t tell you where you are, and it doesn’t tell you where you have to go. It can only point you in a direction. It’s up to you to always find your true north.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“These terrorists are the antithesis of Islam. They’re not Muslim. Violence has no place in religion, and the terrorists are responsible for their own crimes, not the religion and not us.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“What’s that thing people always say about history? Unless we know our history, we’re doomed to repeat it? Never forget? Isn’t that the lesson? But we always forget. Forgetting is in the American grain.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“My body remembers what part of my mind wants to forget—because there are times when I struggle to reconcile what I gave up to be here, in this very moment, despite how much I wanted it. How much I do want it. The past may be prologue, but it’s with me, every day.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“But it's also a reminder that being quiet doesn't always signify weakness. Sometimes it takes great strength to find that silence. Sometimes it takes incredible strength to survive.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“Praying is important. But you can’t simply pray for what you want. You have to act.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“You are still young. Free . . . Do yourself a favor. Before it’s too late, without thinking about it first, pack a pillow and a blanket and see as much of the world as you can.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate and Other Filters
“One thing I’ve learned: people love a camera, and when I’m filming, they see it, not me, so whenever I need to, I can quietly disappear behind my trusty shield.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“It’s selfish and horrible, but in this terrible moment, all I want is to be a plain old American teenager. Who can simply mourn without fear. Who doesn’t share last names with a suicide bomber. Who goes to dances and can talk to her parents about anything and can walk around without always being anxious. And who isn’t a presumed terrorist first and an American second.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“I'm tired of hiding all the important parts of myself.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“There are literally centuries of women who never got to tell their stories. An invisible hand squeezes my heart for the nameless women history brushed aside.” ― Samira Ahmed, Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know
“I roll my eyes, since every Muslim understands the hypocrisy of right-wing xenophobes. They’re all terrified of a word they don’t understand, scared that religious law is going to infiltrate the land, but meanwhile they support the death penalty, are anti-choice, and think creationism should be taught in schools because of… wait for it… religion.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“There’s never been a wall that people haven’t been able to get by.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“America is us. America is ours. It’s worth fighting for. The people united will never be defeated. Resist.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“If history had no ghosts, I wouldn’t be terrified of what might come next.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
“In recent times we’ve seen hate emerge out of dark corners, torches blazing in the night. We’ve witnessed so-called leaders not merely casually accept cruelty, but engender it. Worse, we’ve seen horrific violence. But all around us, we’ve seen people rise up, not merely against the forces of hate, but for equality and justice. Bigotry may run through the American grain, but so too does resistance. We know the world we are fighting for.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate and Other Filters
“Even if we lived in India, I would still be who I am and want what I want. Geography wouldn't have changed that.” ― Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate & Other Filters
“One detail that’s impossible to miss? Just like in the train station, every person with a gun is white, and not white like maybe they’re Bosnian—the kind of white that thinks internment camps are going to make America great again.” ― Samira Ahmed, Internment
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