Growing up Muslim in a post-9/11 world - with Wajahat Ali
This is probably one of my favorite interviews so far. I read Waj’s book, Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become an American, and I had a lot of questions about what life looked like for Muslim families post-9/11 in U.S., back then, and now. But also, this was a chance to hear Waj’s story a little bit more, and things he’s not talked about often on Substack, like his writing, his experience facing “hella nazar,” and the road that led him one step at a time to becoming the man he is today, despite pretty extreme odds and discrimination in a post-9/11 world. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did, a white kid from a rural West Coast town who, indeed, was listening to Toby Keith on repeat in the weeks after the worst disaster on U.S. soil. It’s never too late to get the whole story You can find Waj and I at the Epstein Oratorio in NYC on October 1st and 2nd. . The Panicked Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ellieleonard.substack.com/subscribe
