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Video

Muslim-American Profiles: Zainah on Finding Home

17 August 2011

This video was produced by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs in August 2011. It features Zainah Khan, an Indian-American from Saudi Arabia.

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[TEXT: Muslim American Profiles]

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[TEXT: Zainah – India, Saudi Arabia]
Well, my name is Zainah Khan.

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I am originally from a small
town in India called Bhopal.

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I grew up in Saudi Arabia.

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My faith is just part and
parcel of who I am.

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The way I behave, the way I
talk to anyone on the street

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is me practicing my faith. I
don’t necessarily think

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there is a one definition of
being American; that’s the
beauty

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of being in America, I think,
that you’re just — when you’re

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wearing a headscarf, you’re
just one of the crowd,

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and you could just be whatever
you really want to be.

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And that is being American.

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Coming here, I’ve been
integrated into this community

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so much and I’ve just taken part
in so many different community

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service activities. The fact
that I can go out and do things

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by myself and take charge in my
community, be a leader in my

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community, just makes me feel
like this is home.

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[TEXT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DEMOCRACYCHALLENGE]

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[TEXT: Produced by The U.S. Department of State]

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)