Oral History Interview with Asad Dandia: Muslims in Brooklyn oral histories: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids

Scope and Contents

In this interview, Asad Dandia discusses his experiences growing up in a close-knit Pakistani American community in Brighton Beach, including his involvement in a local mosque. He also talks about his involvement in the volunteer-based Muslims Giving Back charity, the negative impact the New York City Police Department's religiously-motivated surveillance had on Muslim communities throughout the city, and his participation in the resulting class action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility at the CUNY School of Law. In addition, he speaks about his college experiences and involvement in other activist organizations, including a strong focus on both his religious convictions as a Muslim and affinity for interfaith groups and ideas. Interview conducted by Liz H. Strong.

Biographical / Historical

Asad Dandia was born in 1992 in Brooklyn, and was raised by his Pakistani family in the Brighton Beach neighorhood of Brooklyn. While attending Brooklyn College as an undergraduate, he co-founded the nonprofit charity Muslims Giving Back. Over the course of the next several years, he became involved with a number of other activist and religious organizations, including Make the Road New York and the Center for Spiritual Life at New York University (NYU). In 2013, Dandia joined the Raza v. City of New York class action lawsuit that successfully sued the New York City Police Department for its prejudicial surveillance of Muslim communities, including Muslims Giving Back.

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.

Subjects

Organizations

American Civil Liberties Union; Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility. City University of New York; Global Spiritual Life (New York University); Islamic Center (New York University); Masjid Omar (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.); Muslims Giving Back (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.); New York Civil Liberties Union; New York (N.Y.). Police Department

People

Rahman, Shamiur

Topics

Children of immigrants -- New York (State) -- Kings County; Class actions (Civil procedure) -- New York (State) -- New York; Communities -- Religious aspects -- Muslims; Faith-based human services -- New York (State) -- New York; Islamophobia -- New York (State) -- New York; Pakistani Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County; Police-community relations -- New York (State) -- New York; Racial profiling in law enforcement -- New York (State) -- New York; September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001

Places

Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.); Brighton Beach (New York, N.Y.)

Oral History Interview with Asad Dandia, February 16, 2018