“Ladies And Gentleman; Zamin has entered the Building”

‘*cough cough’ is this thing on? *(static)* Can you hear me? Good.

Ahem..

For lack of a better way to begin this; i have decided to start the only way I know how:

Elders; Brothers; Sisters; Respected Personalities; Entities and Egos,

As-Salam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wabarakatu.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce myself; the 4th member of the MT fam. My name is Zamin-Redha Anwarali K. Dharsi; but you can call me Susan if it makes you happy.(not really, call me Zamin.Thats not a request); and I have been dubbed the new ‘Gallery Manager’ at MT, although im not so sure how I feel about this yet seeing as it makes me sound like Im a 30-something New York woman; but I digress..It may have been said many times; But for what its worth, It is never easy writing about ones’ self. We all know who we are, and the task of describing to others who we are is so daunting becauseno matter how much I write; these words cannot and will not describe who i am completely.

First; the artsy fartsy description:

Im a poet; Im an artist; Im a dreamer; Im a philosopher. I find beauty and I believe that Allah (SwT) has given me this talent so that I may capture it and use it to bring myself and others closer to him. Growing up, I always looked at the world around me and saw beauty; and for some strange reason I felt oddly connected to it. Sure, it could have been my adonis physique and Grecian good looks; but I felt it on a more metaphysical level..as if there was this beauty in the most simplest of things; be it a rubescent fire hydrant on the street corner or a mustard line dividing the street into segments; and somehow only I wasn’t oblivious to this beauty. As I grew, I began to truly understand this beauty. I realized that Allah has created each and every one of us with a gift, and people in history; scientists, doctors, inventors, masterminds; have used their gift to really make a difference. Allah has given us Aql; and allowed us to progress as a society and race (not like the arian race; this is the human-race folks); and so even a simple red hydrant can be so beautiful when you look at it and realize that someone used the gift that Allah gave him to design every angle, every line, every curve so perfectly. And if the hydrant, which is an invention that has barely changed since its introduction, can be perfect; then its creator must be perfect. And if the creator (Birdsill Holly that is) can be perfect, it can only be because Allah (s.w.t) has created him in perfection, because he himself is the most perfect. And it is my hope that inshallah, I am able to use the Aql and talent which Allah has bestowed upon me to truly make a difference; so I thank you readers for allowing me the opportunity to do so.

Alas; this wouldn’t be complete without some factual information, so in true ‘Zamin’ style, heres a list of some specifics:

1. Born in Dubai, U.A.E; the land of Nissan Patrols, Pajero’s and Al-Mallah Cafeteria

2. My father’s Indian-Paki; my mothers African and Indian; which makes me some sort of strange Pan-Asian American half-breed

3. I moved to the United States when I was 12 and I practically was raised here, which is great because like many of you, I am just as confused as to where Im really from..(not really; but you know what I mean..)

5. For the last 2 years I have studied Graphic Design, and alhamdulillah I have just been accepted into one of the most prestigious private design schools in America with a scholarship where I will be studying Branding, Marketing and Public Relations

6. I dream of owning a gigantic collection of CD cases one day and covering a full wall with them; mostly because I think CD art is pretty slick and probably one of the most under-appreciated modes of design to date..

7. Im addicted to Cream Soda, Fuze Juices and the color turquoise (its the answer to any color dilemma; trust me)

8. Im fascinated by colors. I sometimes spend my days in paint stores just staring at the wall of color swatches…(the paint fumes may have something to do with that..)

9. I have served as MSA Advertising Director, PR Manager, Communications Coordinator for the past year, during which we won Student Organization of the Year

10. You were so busy reading this that you didn’t realize #4 is missing (*Mwahahahaha)

So I guess this is where I ask for your leave. If you feel like discussing politics, religion, the instability of the future of American Muslims and how we can promote positive change, or examine why the Cow did indeed jump over the moon; feel free to shoot me an email anytime. Inshallah I will respond within 24 hours.

Jazaks.

Zamin

zamin@muslimtees.com