GRIOTS REPUBLIC - An Urban Black Travel Mag - Jan 2016
www.GRIOTSREPUBLIC.com - An Urban Black Travel Mag. It's the stories you want to hear in a voice you recognize.
www.GRIOTSREPUBLIC.com - An Urban Black Travel Mag. It's the stories you want to hear in a voice you recognize.
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©Ammar Asfour<br />
cared. He genuinely wanted to help not only the<br />
Muslim community, but the larger community of the<br />
favela. But was that enough to make a strong<br />
community?<br />
So, I asked him about his vision. He told me it was to<br />
build a school for the youth in the community. I was<br />
surprised. “Why a school?” I asked. “Most Muslim<br />
community leaders would seek a mosque first!”<br />
He laughed and smiled. But his eyes were serious. He<br />
held my arm and walked me to the edge of the porch,<br />
pointing out at the favela …<br />
“Their way out of here is education not a worship<br />
place,” Kaab Abdul pointed at the sprawling houses in<br />
the urban slum. At that moment, a light bulb turned on.<br />
“Their way<br />
out of here is<br />
education not a<br />
worship place.”<br />
I’ve traveled to over 40 countries, and I hope to travel<br />
to more. I will never forget Kaab nor will I forget that<br />
particular moment. It taught me that future<br />
gener ations will struggle with their identities unless<br />
they are empowered through learning. That moment<br />
and that thought shaped the remainder of my trip and<br />
my current curiosity.
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