Shaimaa Fayek is an Iraqi immigrant and proud Muslim living in Pittsburgh. Our interview takes place during the holy month of Ramadan, so we talk about the significance and cultural traditions of Ramadan. Shaimaa shares her story of growing up in Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s rule, and her family’s experience during the U.S. bombing of Baghdad and subsequent Iraq War. She describes the circumstances leading up to her family’s decision to leave Iraq–including a kidnapping–and what it was like having to flee to other countries, and eventually immigrating to the U.S. at 17. We discuss her days at Pittsburgh’s Taylor Allderdice High School as a new immigrant, and what it has been like for her being a Muslim in Pittsburgh. We also chat about her family life and a terrifying shooting they encountered early in the pandemic. It’s an eye opening account that we learned a lot from!
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