Tahera Rahman is a trailblazing journalist who made history as the first hijabi TV news reporter in the U.S. Committed to amplifying underrepresented voices, she has dedicated her career to reshaping media narratives and advocating for authentic representation. Through her work in broadcast journalism, she has navigated the challenges of breaking barriers in the industry while staying true to her identity and principles. Beyond the newsroom, Tahera engages in public discourse on diversity in media, the power of storytelling, and the importance of challenging stereotypes. Her journey continues to inspire aspiring journalists and changemakers striving for a more inclusive and representative media landscape.
Below is a full transcript of her talk & discussion at Nuun Collective on December 15, 2024.
00:00:00 Introduction
Mustafa Syed:
Asalam Alaikum, Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.
Insha'Allah, I hope you guys are all doing well.
Welcome to Nuun Collective! We're very excited to have you all here for our fourth event. We just got started, and we've had a lot of fun along the way. Insha'Allah, we have an amazing program for you tonight.
One thing we're very passionate about at Nuun is sharing perspectives that might not be traditional or very common. Our speaker tonight works in an industry where we don't really see a lot of Muslim representation. At Nuun, we really want to highlight different perspectives and ideas to help us think deeper about the kinds of problems we see in the community.
So with that, I think we'll go ahead.
We'll start with our recitation, insha'Allah, by Hafidh Muaaz, and then we'll go through that.
00:01:05 Qur’an Recitation
Hafidh Muaaz:
أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّـيْطٰنِ الرَّجِيْمِ
I seek refuge in God from Satan the accursed.
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of God, the Benevolent, the Merciful.
Quran 9:38
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ ٱنفِرُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ أَرَضِيتُم بِٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا مِنَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۚ فَمَا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ
O believers! What is the matter with you that when you are asked to march forth in the cause of Allah, you cling firmly to ˹your˺ land?1 Do you prefer the life of this world over the Hereafter? The enjoyment of this worldly life is insignificant compared to that of the Hereafter.
Quran 9:39
إِلَّا تَنفِرُوا۟ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا وَيَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُّوهُ شَيْـًۭٔا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ
If you do not march forth, He will afflict you with a painful torment and replace you with other people. You are not harming Him in the least. And Allah is Most Capable of everything.
Quran 9:40
إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ثَانِىَ ٱثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِى ٱلْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَـٰحِبِهِۦ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَا ۖ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُۥ بِجُنُودٍۢ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلسُّفْلَىٰ ۗ وَكَلِمَةُ ٱللَّهِ هِىَ ٱلْعُلْيَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
˹It does not matter˺ if you ˹believers˺ do not support him, for Allah did in fact support him when the disbelievers drove him out ˹of Mecca˺ and he was only one of two. While they both were in the cave, he reassured his companion,1 “Do not worry; Allah is certainly with us.” So Allah sent down His serenity upon the Prophet, supported him with forces you ˹believers˺ did not see, and made the word of the disbelievers lowest, while the Word of Allah is supreme. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.
Mustafa Syed:
Alright. Jazakallahu Khairun Muaaz for that amazing recitation, mashallah.
Before we get started, I want to give a quick shoutout to our coffee vendor, Beeso. If we could give them a round of applause.
I think it's fun how they put logos on the coffee. I think it's really interesting—I don’t know, I never saw that before. It’s amazing, alhamdulillah.
I also want to introduce our newest member of the Nuun team, Naba, who's been doing amazing work with all our social media and logos—like that new logo is from her! So give her a round of applause.
I'll hand it off to Kamran for some introductions insha'Allah.
00:03:55 The Third Door
Kamran Kazmi:
So, on the fly—how many of you guys saw The Third Door thing? Like, in a world of two doors, there's a third door. Okay? Who knows what that means?
Fantastic. Okay.
This is real quick, just for context. I was with a mentor the other day, and he was telling me, "Man, when I was younger, I had so many goals and dreams. I wanted to do this, I wanted to do that. But as you get older, you start saying, 'I'll do it later.'
He told me, "When I was 25, if I had just started then, I would have achieved my goals three times over. But now I'm 40, and I’ll probably keep saying this for another 20 years."
We were talking about regrets on the deathbed. And that's heavy, you know?
Have you guys ever seen Three Idiots?
Okay, if you haven't, you guys have to watch that movie. There's this scene where he says, "Man, if I just had the courage..." It’s like, the gate was open, the ticket was in my hand, but if only I had taken that little step forward.
At Nuun, we believe that the antidote to that regret is the concept of The Third Door.
The first door is the main entrance—the one everyone waits in line for, hoping to get in. The second door is the VIP entrance—people who have connections might get in that way.
But the third door? That’s when you go around the back, climb through a window, and make it happen yourself. You take action.
And today, we have a great example of that right here with us.
Let’s get started.
00:05:56 Breakthrough in Journalism
Naba Yasir:
Hello guys salam! I am so excited for today's talk. We have Tahera Rahman—the first Muslim hijabi news reporter in the U.S., mashallah.
So, we’re going to get straight into it. In 2001, you were nine years old, and something happened that changed the trajectory of your whole life. What was that? Take us back there.
Tahera Rahman:
Well, first of all—don’t be math-ing right now!
But yeah, 9/11. I was obviously just a little girl. And I think for most people who grew up as American Muslims, we have in our minds a pre- and *post-*9/11 world. It was very different.
At the time, I was going to an Islamic school. If anyone's familiar with the Chicago area, you’ll know Universal School—it’s one of the biggest private Islamic schools.
After 9/11, we were off school for a few days. When we came back, everything had changed overnight. Suddenly, we had security officers, our principal had to talk to us in an assembly, and the neighbors who had been around the school for years started threatening us, telling us to go home, that we weren’t welcome anymore.
Even in my safe spaces, I saw the backlash—Muslims were suddenly treated as enemies. And then, every time we turned on the news, it was always people who looked like me—my family, my community—being portrayed as the enemy. It became an us vs. them mentality.
I was only nine, but I remember feeling overwhelmed and thinking, If I were on the news, I wouldn’t say that.
It was a very naive and simplistic way of thinking, but that’s how the seed was planted. I thought, If I could just be on the news, I would tell the truth, and everything would be okay.
From that point on, I believed I had two career options: journalism or law. For some reason, I thought those were the only two ways to change the world when I was nine years old. And that’s what sparked my interest in both fields.
Naba Yasir:
Wow. At nine years old, that’s really incredible—not only recognizing a problem but also seeing yourself as part of the solution.
So many people saw those same reports, those same stereotypes, but you looked at them with a completely different perspective. That’s really powerful.
Did you have people around you who helped nurture that sense of agency and responsibility?
Tahera Rahman:
Alhamdulillah, in our community, the most common professions you’ll find are doctors, engineers, and then maybe lawyers.
I talked to a lot of Muslim lawyers because I was curious about what they did and how they worked. But, I could not find any journalists. My parents didn’t know any. It was a very rare profession in our community.
Of course, it’s not like I was constantly thinking about it at nine or ten years old, but it was just something I was aware of. But by middle school, high school, and then college, I started really searching for role models in journalism.
In high school, I took a couple of classes, but in college, the coursework was much more intense. I was going out in the field, putting together stories—and I loved TV reporting. That really solidified my decision.
But I still didn’t know how to break into this competitive field. I didn’t have anybody to ask how to get into a field that is already so competitive. You have people who want to be journalists but also people who just want to be on TV, for the fame of it. Because of that, it is a very competitive role to be a reporter. I remember just straight stereotyping at that point. Every time I saw a Muslim-sounding name in newspapers or on the radio, I would just reach out to them. And I got pretty lucky subhanallah. I met a few women that were so helpful.
There were a couple of people who never responded, of course, but there were a few women who did and also offered advice. And they weren’t necessarily in TV journalism, but they were in the media, and they had a perspective to offer.
One woman was a producer at ABC in Chicago, so she had insight into how things worked behind the scenes. That was kind of my way of trying to get agency and confidence.
That gave me the confidence to take the leap.
I hesitated until the last possible moment to declare my major—second semester of my sophomore year. My parents were paying for college, and my dadi (grandma) was already encouraging me to get a master’s in something else.
But my mom supported me.
And eventually, I took that leap. I said, Okay, I’m declaring journalism as my major. Let’s do this.
00:13:06 How did Tahera adopt the Third Door mentality?
Naba Yasir:
That’s amazing. When you decided to take that leap, you weren’t given a blueprint—you created one yourself. That’s exactly the third door concept we’re talking about, where you take charge of your own passions and dreams—and reach out, network, and figure it out.
What were your emotions prior to making the decision to go all in? Once you were in, what were the mindset shifts you had to keep thinking about to stay consistent and to sustain that drive in you.
Tahera Rahman:
Little did I know that the drive would have to be sustained for a very, very long time until I actually became a reporter. But those foundations were laid early on.
It’s funny because, for some people, when they hear rejection, it’s easy to become complacent. That’s the easier route, right? Even in college, I remember my TV broadcast professor, who had decades of experience in TV news. She was a Caucasian woman—looked the part, right? Perfect hair, always dressed sharply. She told me my options were either Al Jazeera or reporting in Detroit because of the large Arab American and Muslim American community there. And I thought, So there are no Muslims anywhere else that I can represent? It didn’t make sense to me. But it was because she couldn’t picture it either.
At the time, I was interning at CBS in Chicago, and one of my producers was helping me put together my reel. He asked me, If CNN offered you your dream reporting job, but they said you had to take off your scarf, would you do it?
I didn’t have to think long. Right away, I said no. But later, I reflected on why I responded so quickly. It was because—why would I work so hard for something and then forsake the one entity that made it possible? God. It just didn’t compute. So in my mind, I thought, If I don’t get there, it just means it wasn’t in Allah’s plan for me. I needed to either try, trust, and pray—or try, and if it didn’t work, be content knowing it wasn’t meant for me. That’s the concept of istikhara, right?
So at first, I was hesitant. But once I declared my major, I knew I had to make it happen—because everyone kept saying it was impossible. But why was it impossible? It didn’t make sense. This was the 2000s, and they were telling me that a Muslim hijabi reporter wasn’t feasible? People couldn’t stomach that?
At first, it was defiance. But then, it became a greater purpose. What sparked my drive in the first place was the post-9/11 narrative. I thought, We’re never going to get out of this angry Muslim stereotype if we don’t have a seat at the table. If we’re just passive viewers and not active participants in shaping our own narratives, nothing will change.
And it’s not just about the stories that are told—it’s even about the words used in those stories. We’ve all seen it, especially in the last year since October 7th. The words used to describe one side versus the other. In the industry, I’ve realized that a lot of it is just regurgitation. It doesn’t always come from a bad place, but people don’t understand the impact it has on communities of color.
So my mindset shift was realizing this wasn’t just about me. It was about the greater purpose—about us as a community.
00:24:58 Handling societal rejections
Naba Yasir:
So you really focused on your "why" to keep going—wow. Once your journey started, I’m sure you received a lot of pushback. You mentioned your professor, but I imagine your family and community may have also tried to deter you. How did you handle that? Because for a lot of people pursuing their passions, dealing with that kind of pushback is really difficult—especially doing it from a place of compassion and understanding.
Tahera Rahman:
It’s funny—I still get pushback from certain elders in the community. They’ll ask, "Oh, are you going to do something else?" And I’m like, No, I’m in a top-five TV market. I think I’m good. This is my career.
Yes, there was pushback from the community along those lines—even from family members. And I get it. Our grandparents came here to provide a better life for us. They built the masjids, the Islamic schools. They created safe spaces for their kids and grandkids.
But for my generation—Gen Z and younger—it’s about making an impact. It’s about making it clear that we are American Muslims. And I love seeing that shift today—people aren’t afraid to embrace both identities. I am an American Muslim. Deal with it.
That’s the shift that’s driving real change. And that’s what I tried to explain to those who pushed back. Yes, becoming a doctor would have been a more stable path. But what change would that bring? None. We’d still be relying on other communities to give us a voice. We’d have no agency in our own stories.
Once my family understood that, it clicked for them. They saw my purpose.
For me, there was never a question of going back. Once I figured out my purpose, I stuck with it. That’s why, after graduation, I took a radio job—just to get some experience. Then, I took a TV producing job. All the while, I was applying for TV reporting jobs and getting rejected over and over. I sent out hundreds of reels.
I remember one time I got really far in the hiring process—down to the last two candidates for a reporting job. This was in North Dakota. I was willing to go there just to be a reporter. After my third interview, the manager called and said, "I’m so sorry, but we decided to go in a different direction."
I was devastated. I thought, This is it. I’m done.
Fast forward—years later, after I finally got on air, that same manager messaged me on Facebook. She wasn’t at that station anymore, which is probably why she felt comfortable telling me this. She said, "I’m so glad you never stopped pursuing this. You were one of the best candidates I ever interviewed. But that decision was made by the men in suits above me."
And I thought, I knew it! I’m not crazy.
This kind of thing happened constantly for years. Eventually, I took a TV producing position just to get my foot in the door. I told my managers and the general manager of the station, "I’ll be fully transparent—I don’t want to be a producer forever. I’m going to keep applying for reporting positions." They were fine with it, as long as I committed to producing for at least a year.
So, I settled in. At this point, I was in the Quad Cities—on the Illinois-Iowa border. It’s a small town, not a big city. But it was only a two-and-a-half-hour drive from home, so my parents were happy. And for me, it was finally a step forward. I was in the TV industry. I could see hope again.
Naba Yasir:
You know, the fact that you were so persistent with your goal and kept going regardless of the fear, the "no's," and all of that—that in and of itself is such a massive success. I feel like the concept of success is not just the destination but the journey itself, right? The sheer fact that you stayed committed to your goal and kept moving forward—did you feel successful in those moments before you became a reporter on screen?
Tahera Rahman:
I think it was a rollercoaster. But when I got the TV producing job, I was like, "Wow, I did it." I thought, "Yeah, this is happening. This is going to happen next year, inshallah." I was seeing my dream right in front of me.
But then I got rejected three more times. I kept applying for reporting jobs. The first two times I didn't get the job at my own station, I started thinking, "Okay, what am I doing wrong? How can I be better so they don't pass me up? What am I missing here?" So I started coming in on weekends.
I was a full-time producer, working Monday through Friday, and then I would come in on weekends just to shadow reporters. I would help them out, write my own scripts, and edit my own stories just to stay on top of it. Then, when an opening presented itself, I tried again. And when I didn't get it that time, that was the moment when I thought, "This is a sign. This is from Allah—this is my destiny."
You tell yourself you're going to accept whatever Allah's fate is, but it still hurts. It still stings when you think that's what's happening. I remember pushing through my day, producing, and then on my way home—it was late, maybe 10:30 or almost 11 PM—I was driving, and it just hit me. I was a mess. I had to pull over in the middle of cornfields in Iowa, pitch black, and I couldn't stop crying.
I called my mom. She's the best. I told her what had happened, and she was quiet. She let me cry for a while. Then she said, "Well, you're going to get back up. When another opening happens, you're going to apply again. And if you don't get it, you're going to keep applying. This is what you want, and you're going to keep trying until you get it."
She could have said anything at that moment. Especially as a Muslim mom, knowing there were so many other fields I could go into where I could climb the ladder more easily. She could have said, "Okay, yeah, this is the time. Give them your notice, come home." But she didn’t. For some reason, she believed this was going to happen for me. SubhanAllah.
I didn’t bounce back immediately. I went home, took a few weeks, but then I went right back to it. I tried again. And when I applied, I had no hope. At this point, it was my fourth time. I thought, "I've been Employee of the Year at this station. If I don’t get it now, they just don’t want me."
Then the general manager, the owner of the TV station, called me into his office. I was dragging my feet, talking to everyone on my way there, just delaying. I remember Tiffany, the anchor and co-anchor at the time, saying, "Why are you taking forever? Just go." And I told her, "Because I’ve been here before, and I don’t want to have that conversation again in his big office and then try not to cry for four hours on my way home."
She said, "No, just go."
So I thought, "What does she know?" And I went in.
That’s when he told me I got the job.
I didn’t even realize I had been holding my breath. I let out this huge breath and said, "Oh my God, really?" My news director came in, and they were all really happy. They got a lot of publicity out of it, too, so it was a win-win for them.
But at that point, so much had happened that I didn’t even know about. SubhanAllah, when I think about it now, we always say, "Allah is the best of planners," and this was exactly that.
If I had gotten the job when I wanted it—right out of college, one, two, three years out—I wouldn’t have been half the reporter I was at that moment, with all the experience I had gained. Imagine the whole world watching me while I was still bad at my job. I was the first, and I needed to be good.
So subhanAllah, this all came at the exact right time for a reason. At that point, I felt confident. I felt ready. I had been watching reporters, correcting their scripts, internalizing what I liked about how some people presented stories and what I didn’t like. I had a lot of context and background before I went on air—context I never would have had if things had happened sooner.
A couple of months after I got the job, I found out that the two main anchors at my station had actually gone to management and vouched for me. Even if I had asked someone to vouch for me, they wouldn’t have done it like that. SubhanAllah, all this was happening without my knowledge, just because I was dedicated to improving myself.
Of course, I was coming home every night, praying, making du’a for 25 minutes, crying—not just to be a TV reporter, but asking Allah that if this wasn’t meant for me, to send a sign and put it far from my heart. Because when you’re constantly trying for something and not getting anywhere, it takes an emotional toll.
Part of my du’a sequence was, "If it's not meant for me, just make me not want it anymore."
Naba Yasir:
I love that.
Tahera Rahman:
Alhamdulillah.
00:33:01 How was Tahera’s first experience on air?
Naba Yasir:
And I feel like that’s a really consistent theme with people who choose to follow their passions. A really beautiful gift is that deep connection with Allah—that constant conversation, the du’as, the tahajjud. You’re being provided with so many opportunities to truly connect with Him.
And going back to your story about your mom—wow. You really only need that one person to say, "Keep going." And you took that and just kept at it.
So, how was it when you were on air for the first time? What was going through your mind—your thoughts, your emotions?
Tahera Rahman:
It makes me want to cry thinking about it because it was so long ago, and I’ve come so far, subhanAllah. But I still remember it.
There was a lot of build-up. Tiffany, the anchor who vouched for me, pulled me into my boss’s office and said she wanted to do a story about this herself. She wanted to follow me around leading up to my first day of reporting. She even had my family drive in to watch my first live newscast. She was going to put a story together. So there was a lot of extra pressure—for no reason.
I was nervous because my family had waited just as long as I had. And on top of that, my bosses—who were really nice—hired a security guard for me. They said, "We think everyone will be receptive, but it only takes one crazy person for something bad to happen." So the company had someone follow me everywhere for a few weeks.
It was different from what the job is on a day-to-day basis.
But when I actually started doing the work—conducting interviews, writing my scripts, editing at the computer—everything just flowed. I was in the zone.
Then, when I had to get mic’d up for my first live shot, I started getting nervous again. This was it. The camera time. The moment everyone would see me.
Watching that first clip now, I can tell how nervous I was, but hopefully, in general, no one else noticed.
And oh my God, it was so hard to get that mic through my hijab. I did not think about that.
00:36:56 Prompt #1: What is a goal/passion that you have been putting off or that you want to pursue and why is it meaningful to you?
Naba Yasir:
What a story. Allahumma Barik.
So we just heard this incredible journey, and I want us all to take a moment to reflect. Before we move into the next segment, I think what's so inspiring is that now Tahera is able to look back without wondering, What if? She took the plunge and pursued her passion.
Whatever that goal is for you—big or small—we’re going to take five minutes to reflect on it. Write down your thoughts, and then we’ll have a discussion.
00:48:56 Discussion on Prompt #1
Attendee #1:
I’d love to share. One of my biggest goals in life is to become a professional voice actor. We’re seeing more Muslims enter the film and TV industry, but I haven’t seen anyone break into voice acting, especially in video games.
One of my favorite voice actors voiced Batman for almost 30 years—he passed away two years ago. I grew up listening to him, and he gave me hope that I could be a voice actor, too. With everything changing in the industry, I decided I wasn't going to just sit around and wait—I was going to make it happen.
So, over the last two years, I’ve reached out to people in the industry, met some relatively well-known figures, and asked for advice. They all told me the same thing: You need to know someone to get in. But none of them discouraged me. They said, You can make it—it’s just going to take some time.
Tahera Rahman:
That’s awesome! You’ve already taken the initiative and found mentors. You’ve already taken the door. You went out of your way to find people to advise you and that’s the goal. That’s exactly what we want to encourage here. Keep the fire and keep going!
For me, it took five years from when I started pursuing this field to when I finally broke into it and became a reporter. So, if people are telling you it’s going to take time—believe them. Stay persistent, because that breakthrough moment will come.
You will have ups and downs, you won’t be as confident every single day, but I think as long as you have that foresight and you believe in it. And that's awesome, you’re already thinking of the big picture. Like what if I can be that voice for other kids. And imagine how pumped a little kid would be to find out your background.
I'm in my 30’s, I see a hijabi on tv and I’m like “LOOK LOOK!”. So that would be awesome if you become the next batman voice and a muslim kid finds out its a muslim guy, they are gonna be like woah - so that’s awesome.
00:53:46 Discussion on Prompt #1
Attendee #2:
Assalamu alaikum. Sorry, guys. I was trying not to volunteer because I, like, lost my voice, so you guys are going to have to, like, bear with me on this one. I'm just going to read from my paper if that's okay.
Okay. So I had two goals, but I think I'm going to do the second one. So one of my goals is to slash audit the Islamic studies curriculum in Western universities through a whole reform movement, taking scholarship of proper Islamic scholars and embedding them as consultants or contractors to audit or improve the curriculum, moving away from dissecting Islam and religion as a concept and moving toward a more deep appreciation and understanding of the classical science.
It would be sort of like a blend of, like, Qalam, Medina University, Zaytuna, Al-Huda curriculum, Dar-ul-Uloom also, and it's meaningful to me because I feel like it defeats the purpose/significance of the concept of religion whenever, like, right now, in, like, Islamic studies or religion in general as a degree, and so the absolute beauty of Islamic studies becomes sort of lost. And I want to revive that in Western academia, but also use it as a platform of Dawa to non-Muslims.
And there's a lot of non-Muslim individuals who even contributed so much to the Arabic language, and one of the biggest dictionaries that we utilize—I actually go to Qalam Seminary, I'm a seminary student, I think you guys could tell—is a dictionary called Hans Wehr. And Hans Wehr was a German. He was a Nazi. And he understood Fussha, like, the Arabic language, better than any Muslim did. And that's the dictionary we use in our schools.
So I guess, what are the consequences of Michael remaining unshared with the world? Currently, there's basically this fuel to the fire of Islamophobia and the concept of religion, because the more people who don't care about religion, God, or a higher power, or an afterlife, the more people will be invested in the dunya. And the more that the people are invested in the dunya, the top 1% slash, you know, the people who actually control the politics and government, et cetera, have more control over society, and they can get people to do what they want.
So an example of this is, like, the use of psychologists in marketing to fuel the fire of increasing this capitalist economy using algorithms and TikTok shops and all that stuff. So that's one example. And then the other example is, like, the people they can't control, like the Ghazan people, because religion is so important to them. They've analyzed it so much that no matter how much torture they can do, the Muslim people are still content, and they know that they're, like, going to be taken care of in the afterlife.
So I think the world is missing out on unlocking the potential of reorienting the narrative of the concept of religion and, more specifically, the beauty of actually understanding Islam. It doesn't necessarily have to be, like, my goal, 'cause, like, I'm an insignificant person. Like, I can be replaced by a baboon who's been trained by AI. Like, I'm insignificant in all of this. But whoever Allah blesses with his tawfiq to do it, then, like, I think it could change the world.
Tahera Rahman:
I don't know what to add to that because that's like a whole plan for changing the entire world, so that's way bigger than me too. But SubhanAllah, it's such a good idea because we are seeing that a lot, and there's so many people too, including myself. Like when you are in these regular secular colleges, and you see these courses, and you're in those courses, it's just not it, right? They're so superficial, and they take a turn or turns that make you feel uncomfortable as a Muslim in this Islam 101 class at X or Y university, right?
So that's also another concept of having a seat at the table—why are other people teaching our religion or about our religion or trying to share our stories if they don't understand where we're coming from? And I think that is, at its heart, what this starts as, right? So that's awesome.
00:58:36 Prompt #2: What is one small, actionable step you can take right now to honor your true interests, even if it feels uncomfortable? Who is one person you could reach out to today that might support or guide you towards your dream?
Naba Yasir:
Yeah, the next one. Now we're going to move on to prompt two. So we talked about the concept of the third door and taking action, doing something differently to achieve your passions and your goals. And that can mean something different to every single person.
So, what is that one small, actionable step you can take right now to honor your true interests, even if it feels uncomfortable? Who is that one person you could reach out to today that might support or guide you towards your dream?
Listening to your story, you were really able to focus on the solution and the actionable steps rather than your fears and the blocks, right? And so that's a consistent cycle of making yourself focus on, "Okay, now what's that next step I can take?" That small step, and those small steps that add up to you actually reaching the destination that you're trying to get to.
So let's take another five minutes and reflect over this prompt, and we'll do the same discussions again after that.
1:05:55 Discussion on Prompt #2
Attendee #3:
Okay, I'll start off by just mentioning the first prompt. It's nothing as life-changing as the other two people, but I've been trying to learn Arabic because I always wanted to study Islam formally in an institute, and that's always the first step.
So, that's a goal I've been having and something I've always wanted to do. I guess some of the barriers for that are just not being as consistent. I was pretty consistent, but my teacher actually became a father recently. So I guess that was one of the reasons why we slowed down.
But to answer this prompt, I guess a step I could take is to not be that reliant—I could try to find other resources. I mean, I have other friends that study Arabic, I could try to learn with them. So I guess not being as reliant and also kind of taking matters into my own hands—I could use YouTube. I was just talking to a few guys here, and they were telling me about resources. So I guess to answer the prompt, I could just be doing stuff a bit more on my own and not being as reliant on other people.
Tahera Rahman:
I do just have one quick thing—that's similar to one of my experiences. I shared with the Nuun team earlier.
So, I imagine I've reached out to a bunch of people, and it's funny because there was a family member who actually knew a CNN reporter. He happened to be roommates with him in college. And I was like, oh my God, I was so excited to meet him.
We met at a coffee shop that we're now boycotting, but this was a long time ago, a random coffee shop. I was so excited, I was so nervous, I had my little resume.
And he talked to me, and I just got the vibe that he wasn't that interested in helping me. He just thought I was kind of like a little girl or whatever.
And when he was leaving and I was watching him, thinking, Man, that was kind of a bummer, he also dropped my resume. And it was floating in the wind.
And it landed really sadly on the floor. And I was like, hmm, that about sums up this experience.
But I share that because it's not an inspiring story.
I share that because even though that didn't work out, it was a personal connection that didn't work out. But all those cold emails I sent—80% of those worked out.
So, like, Mariam Sobh was a radio reporter, and she was able to show me around. And the ABC producer I mentioned—she gave me a tour and helped me film some of my stand-ups.
So you never know—just cast a wide net. You can learn from several different people.
1:09:09 Discussion on Prompt #2
Attendee #4:
I think one of the biggest obstacles that I've always had when it comes to my goals is I get really caught up, and I get too caught up in the bigger picture of where I want to be and where I currently am and how far that distance is.
I think that makes me really upset a lot, because I'm like, why am I trying if it's so far away? I get it if it's within arm's reach. I get it if someone could just tell me, "Try 20 times," and then I know at the 20th time, I'll get it.
But I keep on trying, and I just don’t know how far I am... I think that has always made me really demotivated.
Another thing is, I'm the type of person who thinks if you want to get something, you have to put a hundred percent of your effort in a hundred percent of the time.
But the thing is, that's not sustainable, and that's how burnout happens so quickly. You try for so long and then afterward, it just fiddles away. One actionable step I need to take is being okay with my effort not being 100%.
It could even be 1%, but I'm okay with that. Even though this is my goal, and I know I need to do this, and even though today, I’m not doing it to the best of my ability, it’s still better than not doing it at all. I think just internalizing that and realizing that even though it feels so far away, doing something is better than doing nothing.
I think it's because I’ve always seen this applied to other people and not to myself. Just realizing that I am no different from anyone else, I just need to be more consistent with it. Consistency starts with doing something that you didn’t do yesterday and having that mindset for a long period of time.
Tahera Rahman:
Okay, three quick things.
One is, yes, I totally feel you on that, and you’re 100% not alone. I think probably most people have a goal where they’re in the same position as you.
One thing I did is—I don’t know what your goal is, but I had to unfollow some people on social media, and it wasn’t because of jealousy, but because it was a constant reminder that I wasn’t there yet.
So that’s one actionable thing you can do: don’t just say, “I’m not going to compare myself,” because when you're seeing it on your feed all the time, you're comparing yourself. So just unfollow and take a break from that.
The second thing is try to put in small wins. If I can get here, that’s a big accomplishment. You don’t necessarily always have to focus on the bigger dream that seems out of reach. If I can get a response from this person in the next month, that would be awesome. If I could speak with this person over coffee, that would be amazing. Small wins along the way will help you feed off of yourself and keep going.
The last thing is, yes, you're correct. You don’t have to give 100% every day. After college, I remember at a certain point—I was back home—literally, my mom was like, "Are you okay?" because I was on the couch for three days, not doing anything. And I was just taking my time. I said, “I’m going to enjoy not being in school right now.” She asked, "Do you want to hang out with your friends?" I said, "No, I just needed to rest for a while."
And I think that’s okay, especially when you talk about burnout. Just take care of yourself too, because imagine getting to that point, achieving your dream, and then being so exhausted that you can’t give your all anymore. You’re on the right track.
01:13:55 Discussion on Prompt #2
Attendee #5:
I just wanted to share something I picked up today in class at the Qalam Seminary.
We were going over Surah Yusuf, particularly when Allah (SWT) was talking to Yusuf A.S. and telling him that we planned this for you. This whole idea of we’ve sent you to Yusuf A.S. and we have established you in that land; it was planned by Allah (SWT).
I want to talk about the relationship between human effort, the effort we put in, and reliance on God. These are things we need to balance. This is something Sister was also touching on—how far you might feel from your goals and where you are now.
One thing we learned was that effort is what we can focus on. It’s our mode of salvation because it’s our Dean; it’s a win-win Dean. Whether or not we achieve the outcome, we still win; we still get the reward. Our religion isn’t like the car salesman who only earns commission if they sell a car. In our religion, it’s about the effort you put in, not the outcome.
So I wanted to get your perspective on this: when you set your goals, say as a 9-year-old, how much of that were you thinking? How has that analogy shaped where you are today?
Tahera Rahman:
That's exactly the mindset you need.
It’s also the model of Istikhara, right? You’re going to try your best, tie your camel, and then leave the rest in God's hands. That’s easier said than done, especially when you really want something and you're actively trying to get it. But reminding yourself of Allah's promise—that He will give you something better—is key.
I thought the best thing in the world would have been being on air right out of college, but He gave me something better. I now have a career, alhamdulillah, and I’m in a spot where people, Muslim or not, people of color or not, many strive to get to. I don’t think that would have been possible if I had sacrificed anything along the way or compromised my religion.
I had 100% certainty that whatever happened would be the best for me. I just had to trust that. That applies to all goals, like career goals, marital goals, anything like that. I can 100,000% vouch that committing to this concept has worked out for me in all aspects of my life.
SubhanAllah, just keep reminding yourself of this. It’s good that you’re going to classes that remind you of this, but if you’re not, you need to remind yourself. Allah’s plans are better than what we imagine, and sometimes that means taking an entirely different route than we expected.
If it wasn’t this, if it wasn’t TV reporting, He would have opened another path. But you just have to trust that this is the best path for you. Either way, we win, right? Because if we don’t achieve the goal, we gain Taqwa from it.
01:19:28 Closing Remarks
Kamran Kazmi:
Thank you, alhamdulillah for an amazing event.
Okay, so we were talking about their door, right? A few examples I forgot to mention earlier. Steve Jobs, before he was Steve Jobs, at 12 years old, he hit up the CEO of HP, he responded after being messaged.
Another example: Steven Spielberg. Does everyone know who Steven Spielberg is? World-famous movie director. He ended up getting off a tour car at Universal Studios, sneaking through a door, and telling everyone he was an intern. He just stayed there and became a ghost.
Tahera Rahman here did the same thing.
We would love for you to have a person in mind, reach out to them, tell them about your goals and what you are trying to do, even if that is Tahera Rahman.
We have an email that will go directly to her; taherarahmanxnuun@gmail.com.
Break down the THIRD door.
Disclaimer: Material published by Nuun Collective is meant to foster inquiry and rich discussion. The views, opinions, beliefs, or strategies represented in published media do not necessarily represent the views of Nuun Collective or any member thereof.
Note: This transcript has been slightly edited for readability.
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