On Tuesday, March 13, KARAMAH invited writer and community leader Salma Hasan Ali to speak about her personal experiences moving to the United States as a child, and how sharing her story has impacted her life and the lives of those around her. Throughout the evening, Ms. Ali gave a reading of her article Pakistan on the Potomac, spoke about her 30 Days, 30 Deeds project, and shared the stories of prominent leaders across the globe who she interviewed.
While Ms. Ali’s experiences and writings cover many topics and span continents, throughout the evening she highlighted the power of sharing personal stories, and “How important it is for us to share what may seem like an ordinary story to us– how it bridges people, and brings people together.” By sharing her family’s experiences in coming to New York City from Pakistan, Ms. Ali personalized the experiences of many Muslim families who made a new home in America, saying “I think that’s what’s really essential. That’s where we connect. It’s over our fears and our fragility, as much as it is over our accomplishments.”
Ms. Ali also shared stories of her meetings with leaders and activists who worked in Central and South Asia, including Todd Shea, Greg Mortenson, and Edhi. She described the compassion and generosity that is inherent in the cultures of those regions, and how these qualities captivated some of her readers so much that they reached out to express how moved they were and how this allowed them to understand a certain culture or religion in a completely new light. She also shared her personal experience being on the receiving end of such openhandedness, receiving gifts and generous hospitality from those with almost no material wealth to give.
By the end of the event, it was clear that while Ms. Ali is an expert in storytelling, her true impact comes in building bridges across seemingly insurmountably large cultural differences by humanizing the people whose stories she tells. As she says, “Our stories are unique to each of us, yet are universal in the emotions and feelings that they stir… It’s hard to hate someone whose story we know.”
To read a Ms. Ali’s article Pakistan on the Potomac click here.
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