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Oral History Interview with Mohammad Razvi, March 21, 2018

Scope and Contents

In this interview, Mohammad Razvi discusses his upbringing in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, with particular emphasis on the role his family-owned businesses in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn have played in providing support to the local Pakistani community. He talks about founding Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) to protect immigrant and Muslim communities from harassment, arrests, and deportation following the September 11 Terrorist Attacks in 2001. He also elaborates about his work with law enforcement agencies to improve their approach to communities COPO serves and his research about hate crimes. In addition, he speaks about his childhood friendships, his marriage to his wife, and the importance of interfaith and multicultural friendships in both his personal and professional lives. Interview conducted by Liz H. Strong.

Biographical / Historical

Mohammad Razvi was born in 1971 in Pakistan. He immigrated to the United States as a small child in the late 1970s, and his family settled in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn. He started several businesses in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn following his marriage to his wife, and founded the Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) after the September 11 Terrorist Attacks in 2001. Through COPO, engagement with law enforcement agencies, and participation in research regarding hate crimes, he worked to provide support to Muslim and immigrant communities.

Conditions Governing Access

This interview can be accessed onsite at the Center for Brooklyn History's Othmer Library and online at the Oral History Portal.

Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201