Hannah Mitchell and Arlene El-Amin

00:02 So hi Arlene and Hannah. If you can, please tell each other why you wanted to do this interview today.

00:14 Macedon door in Minneapolis has a long history of interfaith work. We are engaged with a group called The Downtown Council. It's about 15-20 religious entities that we try to do many efforts together. We tried to learn about each other space. We have people from other face come to our groups and speak to us and we go and we speak with them and leave the head joint ventures, though.

00:52 It to me, it just testified that we all have a belief in a higher power and that we have a duty to each other regardless of our faith concept that we

01:09 We need to treat people with respect know that people come on different levels. They have in Old we have people who are very challenging their beliefs. We have people who are not very should I take lukewarm in their beliefs and we have people who have no police but idea is that we all or creatures of the refrigerator and we all have certain inherent rights and we want respect those allow you to have whatever.

01:46 Position you want to take but not denigrate you for that because only God knows what is what and who was who would know this so no, but it's it's it's the opportunity that we're taking in the past and one story called came along. It was just another way that we could interact with people from other supplies and

02:10 Find those commonalities that we agree on things that weekend currently participate in and allow people to live their lives as they choose to live their lives.

02:23 Thank you and Anakin you told Arlene why you wanted to do this interview today?

02:28 Well, I saw him come up and we do we are a member of that interface group. I'm pretty sure I haven't done many things with them whenever I see him. We did go to a mosque in North Minneapolis.

02:51 Lunch, so

03:00 I I just wanted an opportunity to meet someone on a more personal level than coming with a group of people that you know, that was great. But to do that more often would be my goal would be interacting on a personal level and really finding out more about how you how are you feeling?

03:27 Now what what your habits are in your culture II?

03:32 What's your thing? Sounds like from what you said? I brought my little Unitarian Universalist Credo book.

03:51 Some thank you for so now if you can read your partner's vile out loud as written and tell them what in the bayou you would like to know more about you can ask your partner. So Arlene if you can start by reading Hannah's file, I was raised in the bubble and didn't start learning about all religions until I started traveling. I went to New Zealand Australia and then lived in Malaysia for two and a half years. I really don't think any other religions have a claim on being the one true way. I think we are all a part of the planet and the universe including the plants trees excetera. I'm a dancer and physical therapist and a Minneapolis, Minnesota.

04:46 So, what was this bubble you were raised in?

04:54 I will and what should I answer that now? Yeah, I talk to you can answer now or you want you can read the Bible afterwards. It's up to y'all High. I wanna structure the art after that as you read it. I thought oh, I know she can have a question about the race relations this summer in groups that are white quitting each other and the more I thought my God, I was just resting a little

05:54 Course, we had a huge. I mean Montreal we were exposed to that till I went to college. So then I was like we had people from the Barbados and people from all over the world to live in New Zealand Australia indigenous people there and how they lived in what was done to them and it's like I just was like, so

06:40 Isolated from everything real

06:44 That's how I meant that I was raised in the bubble.

06:49 Is that that's quite interesting, you know?

06:52 I was born in Chicago and a point on the North side and

06:58 My entire surroundings or African-Americans? Okay, so we didn't have

07:09 There was a lot of integration in our neighborhood. So we would be exposed to other people with me for have some to the grocery store or when stopping. You didn't mingle, you know as a young child when I was growing up so but it was always the idea of what do others think how do they act, you know, what do they think about me and people that look like me and I think that that was a question that I had earlier, you know, I can not say that I ever experienced.

07:53 Overt racism or but I think

07:58 We knew that there was a difference in then that there was very little

08:06 Chance for us to have friends who were not what it look like that.

08:14 But then the bubble concept is interesting. You know that.

08:20 Everything in and I guess I was in my own bubble because

08:26 People around me were

08:29 Basically Baptist or Methodist and down and we went to church on Sunday and I need to change that. There was some interaction when we went to school. Okay, there was an interaction and but

08:51 I guess we were in an anion bubble and we kind of understood that this is where we are. This is what we do. This is how we act and also that what's up.

09:04 I guess that's how we did it right people that were exactly like us but

09:20 Nothing was ever explained like yes. Yes.

09:29 North American Indian people out there and they live in this area of Montreal an Erasure. I think that that even there wasn't that at all.

10:00 It was just how it was.

10:08 Do you know in the Koran there's a verse where God tells us that he made us tribes and Nations that we would learn to know about each other and I'm not that we would be boring in all this stuff. And I remember when I was traveling.

10:27 My son

10:31 I was in France and I was looking out the window one day and I'm just saying to myself and I see some people walking along and I did talk in French and I'm saying what are they saying? You know and I just want to know about them, you know, it was like I was curious just want to go what are they saying? What are they doing? You know what is a thinking, you know, it became very clear that we all have the same one that lives for ourselves and our children and we want prosperity and you know, we was like, you know, but we don't know what because we're not home and we just don't we don't venture out either because it's not the accepted Norm or there's fear and of the unknown so we don't take that for

11:31 If you know, but that's one of the reasons that I feel these type of settings are great because it does expose us to other people and we find out that people are people and again, we all have similar aspirations in is good to know that and if we could kind of get beyond the biases of our parents and those that surround us we could have a very cohesive world to live in.

12:05 Write what was very good for me quiz 2 and 1/2 years in Malaysia because there's probably 40% muslim. Okay National religion percentage.

12:43 Always always collisions to Kathy one right religion.

13:01 You might try sometimes the differences that we do see we describe them to races are real.

13:33 Absolutely, if it did to you and then you want to put it back in your cup and then you

13:58 I am 75 years old accepted the religion of Islam since the age of 12 attended Islamic Parochial School Organization for the majority of my life.

14:13 On the passing of the leader of the Nation of Islam and its 1975 we changed it was practiced by billion people worldwide.

14:29 Has spoken to many groups including various religious denominations on El Islam. Enjoy meeting and exchanging ideas with people Arlene.

14:43 So the question I had when I read this was so.

14:50 Get where you are at 12 what happens when you worked? Well, you were exposed and then accepted it. Is that something that everyone does like your Christians have confirmation.

15:04 Well, I was around twelve years old when my father first learned about the Nation of Islam and the Nation of Islam was

15:13 A pseudo Islamic group it was more of a black self-help organization when you think about the

15:24 The tenants of what we practice and it was

15:31 It was based.

15:34 Loosely on the tenets of Islam, but we had one particular ideology that

15:41 We learned was.

15:44 Not correct that at one point would be there all white folks for devils and because of the treatment. Yes, absolutely if you and we are clear we didn't have any association with we only dealt with them on a need-to-know basis, you know, we didn't integrate integration was not one of the tenants, you know, we actually stayed together themselves and but it wasn't due for self-organization and it allows people who have little hope of ever succeeding in life to feel good about themselves that they were human beings to regardless of the political climate that we know. We're all living in that.

16:33 If we actually had no standing as human beings or with 3/5 of the Human lyrics it's we were always meant to be subservient to other races and all this stuff. So when my father learned of this and he went to listen to some of the teachings he decided hey, I want this for me and my family so we joined the nation of this time and we me and my siblings be transferred from the Chicago area public school system school and

17:16 So my life is really centered around being a what they called. It was black Muslims or my life was centered around when The Honorable Elijah Muhammad passed in 1975 and his son actually took the leadership of the community did a mass transformation of perhaps a few million people to turn from this.

17:48 Self-help group if you will to actually embracing the tenants of the faith that over billion people around the world practice because

17:59 I think this study says there was one in five persons as a Muslim.

18:04 Americans don't see that because there's not as many Muslims in America, but you saw that in Malaysia and you make sure you saw that there were quite a few and the other places that you travel to it seems like it was like a word in America. So we didn't get a lot of notoriety unless it was negative. You know, we went to the school. I graduated from the school. I began to work for the organization and that was the most of my working life idea when you move to Minneapolis in 1976 and

18:49 When we came my husband was the ministry if you will of the the Temple of the mask that was here in Minneapolis, and we've been here ever since you're not been over 40 years is like almost half a century.

19:13 So that's how I became involved with it as a used but As I Grew Older could have changed my ideology if I want what's it mean to be Muslim? You know how bad I felt a calm level in it and especially in 1975 when are our leader had passed and we try to him and we began to embrace the the tenants of the thing. It seemed really like a natural.

19:50 Conversion if you will that we were not segregated that we were we interacted with people from all walks of life and we found out what we can learn that people love people and

20:04 We are mandated to learn to live together. No matter what we throw in Washington DC last week.

20:17 Let me see you do you want me to go to do math class me see in 1958. I was twelve and 1975. Okay, that's a few years. I don't have my calculator and the weed they they were they were born with me if I'm an ideology and that's their lifestyle, you know, but again if they chose not to that stupid personal thing, but all of my children are grown now as a matter fact my oldest daughter passed last week and she was 51, you know, so I have no babies.

21:17 Amato's old I got I got the game of the people here. Are they all living together?

21:28 Minneapolis or surrounding areas not only have to deliver out of state.

21:35 Are you live on your own in your home?

21:38 Absolutely. I live pretty much independently on my own actually divorced after 40 years of being married and but we can't we were better friends with the friends. You know, we were friends till the end that we we we were going to always be married because we had five children all those grandbabies. So there's no way we can marriage but we go to go our separate ways, but I know he passed away about 3 years ago.

22:36 So you answered one of my second question switch. What was the difference between Islam and Muslim called Muslim religion and Muhammad?

22:54 When I grew up they called it mohammadi. Okay. I remember that it when I was in fourth grade that you can call that. You know what that was about, you know, and then I remember when I first got a chance to go to the school I said, okay. Alright, Maine.

23:20 It was

23:23 It was designated as if worship Muhammad in but that's not true. That was.

23:38 About but we don't worship him under no circumstances.

23:44 So what's the difference between calling you a Muslim and calling?

23:53 Well, as long as a religion that Christianity is a religion for Christians and a person who practices Islam is called a Muslim is the wheel to God's world you how is translated like you would be called a question because you are a follow-up a Christian of Christianity.

24:18 All right. Well

24:27 Saoirse

24:32 I I want to tell you a little bit about

24:37 What I Believe Christian and I guess I would be called pagan.

24:53 Spirit I don't know just because that's

25:15 And I believe it exists in the trees and the plants and on the new moon and the full moon just to kind of acknowledge that were part of the universe.

25:41 And I believe that that's beer isn't everybody so

25:46 I already feel like I'm connected to Spirit you might name it differently. So I had some friends over Hindu I-69. You'll have all these kinds.

26:09 Are you Mom, right?

26:18 So I got that really the same God that just depending what you need. So that was helpful.

26:35 And I think of that so, you know, I think that

26:44 Everyone has the opportunity to

26:49 But we hope everyone has the opportunity to choose their own belief system and I

26:57 I don't.

27:00 Things that should be a barrier for people working together. I hear horror stories of how in some countries they actually fight and kill each other because they say that they're either Muslim or Christian or are there in Hinduism?

27:26 Distressing to hear that you think that your God has given you permission to show me because I don't believe the same way you believe that's a step forward. You know, I dispute you talk about we believe that there is that spirit in you and somebody feed the Holy Spirit somebody we call it. I think I'm chronically God breathed life into us, you know, and now

28:10 I think there's a natural inclination to do what is correct you I think you really have to be.

28:21 Sprained to be cruel to people, you know, I don't think that's your your your god-given information when you born that you're going to be a cool person and

28:34 It's almost like the bully.

28:38 They're on the playground and they can't make a basket. So they take the ball home and everybody else doesn't get a chance to play the game because it's still there. You know, I don't think that in my heart tells me that.

28:54 That is it is not God's way. This is something that

29:00 Man developed over time. They'll this superiority complex and involved. Like you said, there's no such thing as race will when did Greece become a buzzword. You know, I'm bi rid of a few things in this it was like after World War II as a divider, you know, but I think we can go way back when thousands of people have been

29:29 But it was at you.

29:41 You're wrong racism as a way to keep the

29:53 They found it.

30:00 You know push over the system and then they started creating this whole black racing.

30:13 Had this we have lots of history on how it all went wrong. The question. The question is are we going to let it stay that way or are we going to

30:30 Speak up and change it with our hands or with our mouths. You know, what at least hated in the hearts that people don't.

30:43 You go to go go to The Higher Ground if you will learn how they deal with others.

30:54 So I was just jumping in to say there's about 20 minutes left. I didn't want to ask one more question, which is an either you can jump into the gutter started who has been one of the most influential people in your life. And what did they teach you or you could talk about an influential moment and what the moment talk to you?

31:24 What a person or a moment. You something that has been very influential to you.

31:34 I think I probably already answered that question when I talked about Malaysia cuz that was probably the most influential thing just being.

31:47 Exposed and living less people of so many different cultures all the time would be really hard in that situation.

32:05 And what brought you to Malaysia? Did you just go or you can just graduated from college I was out of there so

32:28 He was in the Australian Air Force and they got posted there was right towards the end of the Vietnam War but Australia was not actively fighting.

32:40 Helps maintain plans and Americans came there to the hospital. So yeah, so we were to Malaysia.

32:51 With that Austrian Air Force

32:56 When you're done Air Force Base, but I took a job and a big city near there is working for local wages and all local.

33:13 Hospital so I really wasn't supposed to be there for stuff. I most of us working with

33:22 Country

33:25 Las Vegas language when I went there and then I got there and it's like well, there isn't one language.

33:46 It's like a school language the book language.

33:54 And the people in the Market Spokane, he's mostly so.

34:03 Temporary local dialect

34:11 Britain's retinol sing

34:14 Yeah.

34:17 W what was the most influential play in your life?

34:23 Well

34:25 I

34:28 Often referred to email WD Muhammad who was our religious.

34:36 Leader who assumed the head of the damnation of Islam in 1975 when his father passed because I just feel that

34:49 He had been.

34:54 It's All Odds with the the

35:00 Religious orientation of his father. Okay, and he had to study religions and he knew that this was not quite the way that people should worship God. I think he is guiding us to the prawn and learning the Arabic understanding that some of the

35:28 Some of the ways that we have been taught would really not according to.

35:35 God's word. I really credit him with.

35:41 Inspiring or instilling in me the desire to want to know just what?

35:47 When my world is our role should be in and and how

35:54 How I should live my life and try to raise my children in and to be the best that we could be and

36:05 I feel very strongly that religion is.

36:11 Latest my guideposts on how I live my life and I think everything else.

36:17 Bubbles in line around that

36:21 It's a

36:24 I look at look at situations today and I sit in an inelastic but I talked with other people that have similar ideology as I do and it's amazing that we might refer to something you read in the foot on and how it's not a it's it was like the second guy post on how we should live our lives and we see things happening and even some of the stuff that's been happening in the last few weeks. It's like, oh God, we can actually go to Grand Rapids. What does God want us to do when we are in these situations and I just want to try to

37:10 Make the best of things and

37:13 Live my life and say

37:17 I'm trying to do it the way I think God would want me to do it that he would be pleased with me and that we would.

37:28 And I'm not sure what your feelings about death was here after but that if there is a heaven that I will have done and done enough Good Deeds. Do you get there only about Midas and by his Mercy, you know what happened, but I have to live my life everyday. God was merciful. He didn't we we we recognize that there was a time limit for us when we were born, but

38:00 We have opportunities to do good and

38:07 I just think that living my life as peaceful as I can and

38:15 Bringing back to my my children in my community is very important to me and I really am very grateful to have actually even known them religiously to personally do that that let me come transport. What's the best route to take so I'm very

38:45 He holds a special place in my in my heart in my life. Okay? Well I had occasion to meet Malcolm X I had occasion to meet some other people, but I just feel bad.

39:11 Is the steering that he gave to us to learn what God wants from us and deliver live like that. I think that that's a lesson that I would never forget in knowing.

39:26 And knowing that because we

39:32 Field of the Quran is our way of life that we don't impose that on anyone that is that there is no compulsion to do this to be back. So I think that's important. I have to accept Hannah whatever her belief system is and

39:51 And then we can move on to do things that we both feel and benefit Society.

40:01 I feel like I'm strongly that.

40:05 It doesn't really do a lot of good for me to go out and hold a placard. That's for me personally it you know, I'm an activist.

40:18 Going on but I think if we just live our values examples of those around us and if they're

40:30 Impressed enough they will ask questions and maybe I had this idea to read you a couple of these things from my

40:51 Dogma you know Doctrine but we affirm know that's not different so I bet these are all the same.

41:07 The inherited worth and dignity of each person I believe in

41:12 Yes.

41:13 Justice equity and compassion and human relations

41:18 Yes.

41:20 Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our own congregation.

41:27 Yes, a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

41:35 We have so much in common process within our congregation and Society at Large.

41:57 Yes, absolutely, but we are apart.

42:12 Those are the things that I ferment remote, there's a whole bunch of other things. We are really one big family. We just have to be had a few Renegades that try to pull us apart, but we really want big family.

42:32 Hannah and Arlene, so we are going to be wrapping up soon. So are there any questions that you want to ask why you haven't had the chance to yet?

42:47 Henna in your in your travels and in your travels and you kind of been a worldwide travel here.

42:57 Do you just see people?

43:04 And I see all kinds of people here too, and it doesn't seem to matter what color they are.

43:11 What religion are people who are trying to force their view on me? I get angry, you know, I'm I'm right. You need to believe this.

43:29 Well, I don't know that what was it when it gets to that point where their way is the only way it does it really cloud their judgment and they're only looking at it ask you that and you know, you can't force me to believe like you believe, you know, and you can't say that your way is the way the only way

43:58 God is God over these billions of people in

44:02 Who said who died and made you boss and said that that was the only way if there was only one way it would have been created.

44:12 He would have to created when we all we all would be going that way.

44:24 I thank God for not.

44:28 Putting it in position on on on his creatures.

44:33 We think we had together. We seen some bad stuff. We going to cease we will see some truly bad stuff, you know.

44:40 It's like they are all thought that he was it when we see with when he came to his it was I don't think that was a good bribes. Send them out.

45:01 It has been a pleasure and hopefully one this pandemic is over. We'll have some joint ventures in the Minneapolis area and will get a chance to speak in person. Okay?

45:14 The owner of Magnum