Aman Ali- South Asian Muslim or Muslim South Asian?

We often talk about the different countries that make up the South Asian region: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. But we haven’t spoken as much about the different religions that contribute up the South Asian experience: Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastriansim, Jainism, Sikhim, Christianity, and on and on. That changes today. We were thrilled that Aman Ali took some time to sit down with us to explore issues facing the Muslim community in America, and how that community can be integrated into the Desi community we so often discuss. Aman started off as a comic from Ohio who transitioned to storyteller when he got notoriety for his critically acclaimed project: 30 Mosques in 30 days. The conversation naturally starts of with that project and how it came about. Aman shares the naiveté he brought into the idea and the rich history of the Muslim community he was able to find. We, much to nobody's surprise, then move the convo to the idea of community, and chart how his cultural identity shifted at different points in his life. Aman then opens up about how even though he identifies strongly with a Muslim community, he struggles with the portion of that community that he deems, “holier than thou.” He tells us how he thinks the “purity” that that segment pushes is a root cause of many of the issues affecting the youth he knows.    Once we have explored where Muslims are at this moment, we move to the broader community and pose this question: if Islam becomes the primary identifying factor for Muslims instead of their Desi identity, can we create a true South Asian American community? We debate the cause of such a phenomena in the first place, then discuss how we can move forward to what Aman says is his dream of integration.    We end with a passionate intellectual sermon about the responsibility of an artist and how the addiction to fame can create a reality where there is just too much noise, and not enough talking.    As always there will be a discussion in a few days so hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or our website:www.americandesispodcast.com