These images, taken from December 2023 through May 2024, document the Muslim community of Oxford, Mississippi, and their friends from nearby Memphis, Tenn. As many University of Mississippi students began protesting against Israeli genocide in Palestine in October of 2023, I began documenting their efforts, as did many photojournalists in their own communities around the country and the world. I heard many of my fellow students wonder aloud why the United States should care about something happening to people thousands of miles away. Through this work, I sought to show that those people aren't actually thousands of miles away at all. They are classmates and coworkers and friends. The title of this project comes from a conversation I had with several women sitting on the grass outside the Oxford masjid. We are all from many countries and many cities, from Lahore, Pakistan to Gaza to Memphis, TN, USA, yet at that particular time, we all called Oxford, Mississippi, home.
Minahil Iqbal (right) eats Suhoor with her aunt Fouzia Awan (left) at their mutual friend Mahdia Yari's apartment in the early morning of March 25, 2024, in Oxford, Miss. Suhoor is the morning meal eaten by Muslims fasting during Ramadan. The meal is eaten before sunrise. Minahil is a native of Lahore, Pakistan, in her sophomore year studying at the University of Mississippi. She said that fasting during Ramadan was more difficult for her while living in the student dorms, but the month is one of her favorite times of the year because it allows her to focus more on her spiritual health.