Jabin Ahmed

This interview with Jabin Ahmed was conducted in Hudson, NY on June 7, 2013, as part of the Oral History Summer School.

In this interview Jabin talks about the immigration of her parents from Bangladesh to New York City, and their struggles to find work and feed their young children. She talks about her family's relocation to Hudson in search of work in the mid 1990's, and the growth of the Bengali community in Hudson since this time. She discusses how the sacrifices of her parents inspire her, and how her relationship with them is in the process of shifting from one of being cared for, to caring for them.

She talks about her faith as a Muslim; the solstice prayer provides in her life; how the depth of her faith has changed over time, and the discrimination she has experienced as a Muslim woman since the September 11 attacks. She talks about the importance as a Muslim women, of sharing her faith and teaching her two younger sisters about Islam.

She mentions about how she's had a strong sense of curiosity since Childhood, and how this curiosity continues through a desire to understand, explore and know more. She also discusses the freedom and new experiences she's had at college in Troy, where she is a Arts and Therapy Major.

She also talks about Bengali culture,  and the compromises she makes in balancing her Bengali and American roots. She also talks about her plans to one day open a Hookah Shop, where she can share her art work and provide a space that shares the true meaning of Islam.

This interview may be of interest to people who would like to learn more about the growth of the Bengali population in Hudson since the mid 1990's; the experience of a second generation Bengali women in the United States; some of the beliefs and practices of Islam; and the discrimination experienced by a Muslim women following the September 11 attacks.