Zahiah Hammad

My name is Zahiah Hammad and I am a sophomore double majoring in Political Science and Journalism with a certificate in Gender Women Studies and African Studies. I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was raised in a Muslim home with a mother and father and five brothers. Since kindergarten I attended a private Islamic school that never made me feel like I was a part of a subordinate group. It was both a sheltered yet uplifting experience to be able to attend this school. From what I was able to learn in school to pushing myself to learn from my own experiences, I was able to shape the way I uniquely viewed religion based on spirituality, culture and my social life. I was taught that religion is what is perceived from the books inside a classroom, but outside a classroom I was able to recognize religion as a way of life that is distinct from person-to-person. Through finding more about myself, to balancing that with the traditional religion I was brought up with, I was able to view religion with a whole new perspective. The Interfaith Fellows Program is an opportunity for me to be able to learn about the ways different students view their relgion while being able to indulge in a community that will allow me to experience the different aspects that make religion what it is today.