in Hartford, along with her three siblings.
dream.
cultures meet and dance,” Salama wrote on
Monkush’s father is from Bangladesh. He
The thought behind their clothing extended
his Web site. “Oklahoma is a hybrid of south-
came to the United States in 1971 to stay with
to their choice of a name. “Eva is the name of
ern, western, and Native American culture,
a cousin in West Virginia. Monkush’s mother
Fatima’s maternal grandmother,” Hashmi ex-
and thanks to my mother's insatiable desire to
met him while visiting a friend, and she, too,
plained, “and Khurshid is my dad’s mother’s
songWriter
learn and experience new things, she made
converted to Islam before the two married.
name.” Like their designs, it marries the two
sure that I and ever yone in my family was im-
cultures.
kAreem mersed in it.”
Hashmi and Monkush aren’t quitting their
pAth to the FAshion WorlD
s
day jobs just yet, but they’re hopeful their
AlAmA
After public high school, Monkush went
FAith AnD musiC
collection will fill a need in the industr y. “We
to the University of Connecticut and Central
At the same time, Salama's parents didn’t
want to be the biggest and best in what we’re
For Kareem Sala-
Connecticut State University, where she ma-
neglect his Muslim religious training. Despite
doing,” Hashmi said. “This is not like any oth-
ma, home is the
jored in art. After graduation she moved to
er brand.”
his distinctive southern accent and American
American South-
New York City and shared an apartment that
music style, he is serious about his faith and
west, where coun-
first summer with Hashmi,
draws on its rich religious and cultural heri-
tr y music pro-
who was a student at the
tage in his compositions.
vides much of the
Fashion Institute of Technol-
His songs are neither overtly political nor
soundtrack to daily life. But home also meant
ogy (FIT).
religious, but they do reflect his remarkable
growing up in a devout Muslim household and
Armed with a bachelor’s
background, which the Web site altmuslim.
degree from FIT, Hashmi
studying the rich textures of classical Arabic
com calls “a living dichotomy” on the Ameri-
found a job creating wom-
literature and poetr y.
can musical landscape.
en's sweaters for noted Is-
So when Salama, 30, started writing and
In one song dealing with the theme of
raeli designer Elie Tahari.
singing his own songs, it was quite natural
tolerance, for example, Salama quotes the
Monkush, too, has been
that he would combine a sensibility rooted in
proverb of the noted Islamic scholar and poet
working in fashion, first
his Muslim faith with a compelling voice and
Imam Shafi’ee: “I am like incense — the more
with Coogi, which makes
a distinctive southern accent — even if others
you burn me, the more fragrant I become.”
hip-hop urban menswear,
find the combination startling.
He acknowledges how his father's example
and then with Married to the
shaped both his outlook and music: “He lives
Mob, an edgy streetwear
oklAhomA AnD musiC
the maxim ‘Be hard on yourself, but easy on
label for women, where she
Salama's parents are Egyptians who moved
others.’”
is today.
to Oklahoma, where they raised him along
Hashmi and Monkush
He finds the songwriting process deeply
with two brothers and a sister. As a child,
have been working in the
intertwined with his faith. “I pray before and
Salama traveled to rodeos, county fairs, and
evenings and on weekends
after I write a song,” he said in a University
Indian powwows, and he was exposed to tra-
to put together their fledgling collection. It’s
of Iowa inter view. “I choose each word care-
Above, Fatima Monkush, second from right,
ditional bluegrass and countr y music in plac-
a struggle — Hashmi lives in Queens and
fully. I tr y to be ver y honest and hope that
gathers with other young Muslim fashion designers
es like Branson, Missouri, and the legendar y
Monkush lives in Brooklyn with her husband
God brings this song into people’s hearts.”
at a photography session for Elan magazine.
Grand Ole Opr y in Nashville, Tennessee.
42
43
Country ConneCtions
ences in the United States and Europe, ac-
He is now working on a commercial debut
Salama's perspective on countr y music
companied by Mihalopulos on the guitar.
album that will feature the best material from
can be surprising, especially for those famil-
With his trim good looks, conser vative hair-
the first two albums and several new songs.
iar only with the dominant commercial strain
cut, and countr y-classic black cowboy hat,
But Salama is not focusing exclusively
that leans toward lyrics celebrating the open
Salama recognizes that people may come for
on a singing career. Having completed law
road, honky tonk bars, and lost loves.
the novelty of a Muslim countr y-music singer.
school, he is preparing for the licensing (bar)
television
“There is a kind of soul in countr y music
JournAlist
... something that comes
from deeper down. ...
kIrAn
You can still hear some-
thing ver y old and ver y
khAlId
traditional,” Salama said
in an altmuslim inter view.
As a child, accord-
In fact, Salama is draw-
ing to her moth-
ing on a much older tra-
er, Kiran Khalid
dition that hearkens back
used to sit inside
to the roots of so-called
a cardboard box
bluegrass from the Appalachian region of the
facing outward —
southeastern United States.
“so that I was lit-
Salama also studied English literature, es-
erally in a TV, if not on it,” Khalid said. Since
pecially a celebrated spiritual poem by John
then, Khalid, 35, has pursued a career as a
Donne (1572-1631), “A Valediction: Forbid-
television journalist, news broadcaster, and
ding Mourning,” for which he wrote a melody
producer that has taken her from local news
to help himself memorize it.
He hopes they’ll stay because they find his
examinations and is interested in practicing
reporting to covering major national and in-
songs compelling.
patent law.
ternational news events.
Composing AnD perForming
He may be succeeding. On his summer
He summarizes some of his thoughts about
“I was the first Pakistani-American woman
Salama wrote songs and lyrics while earn-
2008 tour in Europe, Salama played to enthu-
his music on his MySpace page: “My hope is
in broadcast news in the United States,” she
ing an engineering degree at the University of
siastic Muslim and non-Muslim audiences in
that my words will fall upon ears and hearts
said. “If I’m wrong about that, I would love to
Oklahoma and then attending law school at
London, Berlin, Paris (at Euro Disney), Rome,
that may be seeking the same thing I am seek-
meet the true pioneer because as far as I’ve
the University of Iowa, where he met musician
Genoa, and Amsterdam.
ing … the inspiration to live a virtuous life
been told, my road was untraveled.”
Aristotle Mihalopulos.
Salama's first album, Generous Peace, ap-
that is pleasing to God.”
In a quintessential American moment, the
peared in 2006, followed by This Life of Mine
groWing up in texAs
sons of Egyptian and Greek immigrants de-
a year later. His song “A Land Called Paradise”
Khalid’s father was born in New Delhi, In-
cided to collaborate on American countr y
provided the soundtrack for an award-winning
dia, and her mother in Karachi, Pakistan, but
Above left, the cover for Kareem Salama’s sec-
music. Over the next several years, Salama
music video celebrating the diversity and vital-
Khalid herself grew up in suburban Houston,
ond CD release, This Life of Mine. Above, in
performed before predominately Muslim audi-
ity of the American-Muslim community.
concert in Berlin, Germany, 2008.
Texas, where her father was a land developer.
44
45
Corpus Christi provided many news oppor-
FreelAnCing
and I knew it was now or never to be part of
tunities — storms, drug smuggling, and im-
In 2005, Khalid reported on the grim lives
the stor y.”
migration — but the station had antiquated
of subsistence farmers threatened by famine
Fluent in Urdu, she traveled to Pakistan and
equipment, which made work difficult.
in Niger and Mali. Her documentar y, The
became one of the first Western journalists
“Still, I enjoyed the work, being in front
Hunger Gap, was a finalist in a United Na-
to report from inside the Pakistani religious
of the camera,” she recalled. “I just knew I
tions film festival.
schools, or madrassahs, that many accused of
could be good at this.”
In the United States, Khalid worked as
encouraging terrorism.
At another TV station in Lake Charles,
a field producer for a ver y different kind of
In 2007, Khalid returned for her most dan-
Louisiana, Khalid found the reverse situation:
news operation, Court TV, which covers major
gerous assignment, to film a documentar y,
state-of-the-art equipment but a relatively qui-
criminal and civil trials.
called We Are Not Free, on media censorship
et news environment. “I worked hard and be-
Khalid also became an active member of
and attacks on journalists by the Musharraf
came the weekend anchor,” she said.
the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA).
government in Pakistan.
She focused on journalism early in life. “My
She also became something of a local ce-
In an inter view with AsiaMedia, she said,
interest was ignited through a love of writ-
lebrity. “Walking into the mall would be like
“The thing that really struck me was how brave
ing,” she said. “I was often busy writing short
walking on stage,” she said with a laugh.
they were ... willingly to put their safety at
stories growing up.”
“Ever ybody seemed to recognize me.”
risk in order to pursue what they think is a
Khalid, like her two brothers and her sister,
In Mobile, Alabama, Khalid was on the air
noble calling.”
excelled in school. The siblings’ high perfor-
as many as four or five times a day, but she
Since Januar y 2008, Khalid has been
mance helped them overcome the strain of
found herself exhausted. “I felt I was just go-
working as a producer for one of television’s
being the only minority family in their small
ing in circles.” She decided to tr y the riskier
most popular news and feature programs,
community.
but freer life of a freelance journalist.
ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA).
“It was often a situation where you simply
Looking back, “the most gratifying as-
“I like the intensity of the work,” she said,
accepted that that’s the way the world was,”
pect of local news is consumer investigative
which may mean preparing a stor y on gas
she said, “and I’m grateful for those early
reporting,” Khalid said. “Holding shady busi-
prices one day and one on the 2008 presi-
encounters because they prepared me for the
nesses and people accountable for their ac-
dential campaign the next.
post-9/11 backlash.”
tions through the glare of a television lens is
“GMA has afforded me the opportunity
a community ser vice local news provides that
to write and produce stories that are seen by
l
is often overlooked.”
“I’m ver y proud of my role on SAJA’s board,”
millions,” she said. “In 10 years I hope to still
o C A l tv n e W s
Khalid graduated with a major in jour-
She added, “The pressures are often im-
Khalid said. “I love working with an organi-
be working on stories that are relevant and
mense as more and more news outlets value
nalism from the University of Texas in Austin,
zation that does so much for young journal-
ser ve a greater purpose.”
the breaking-news model over the virtue of
where she said she fell “for the immediacy of
ists, such as mentoring and scholarships.”
substantive, thoughtful reporting.”
television, the idea of being on the air with
breaking news.”
pAkistAn AnD AmeriCA
Above left, Kiran Khalid stuck in mud on as-
In 1996, she went to work for the local
Following the September 11 terrorist at-
signment in Africa, 2005. Above right, inter-
CBS station in Corpus Christi, Texas, a job
tacks in 2001, Khalid quickly recognized that
viewing singer John Mayer at the annual Save
that she found both exciting and frustrating.
“Pakistan was going to be a central player,
the Music Foundation Gala, 2007.
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