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My name is Aisha and I am double majoring at the University of Texas in Austin,
studying Middle Eastern Studies and English with a minor in Islamic Studies. I
thought that [Middle Eastern Studies] would be about people like me, first
generation. Our parents are immigrants. But it turned out to be a more
comprehensive study of Muslims throughout US history, because Islam has
actually been in America for much longer than I would have ever guessed, rather
than something that came with people like my parents.
In interfaith dialogue, you learn a lot about yourself. That is something I have
seen a lot in my own personal experience because I have been with people of
many different faiths my whole life and spoken about religion with somebody who
wasn't a Muslim. I have learned about their religion but also I have learned a
lot about my own and what I believe in. And I think that is also one of the
great benefits of interfaith dialogue, you learn a lot about your own self.
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