First Light, the Skylarks Sing

Fahad, Emma & Samia, 21, 20, & 10 years

Arif, 41 years

Hiba, 11 years

Hafsa, 30 years

Raza & Farid, 6 years

Ahad, 4 years

Risham, 14 years

Navin, 7 years

Jarra, 40 years

Mehr & Andaleeb, 17 & 7 years

Salman, 19 years

Minaa, 7 years

Neelam, 36 years

Saima, 14 years

Jeanette & Idrissou, 10 years

Rubab & Sanam, 15 years

Munaf, 6 years

Abeer, 41 years

Mostafa, 16 years

Samar, Dina & Rania, 15 years

First Light, The Skylarks Sing
(2017 - present)

Theoretically it seems easy to immigrate for various political, social and economic reasons. Immigrants all over the world, make the difficult decision to leave their homes for an alien country, often to escape poverty, oppression, and religious persecution, and to make better lives for themselves and their families. But in reality, it is a rough verdict to cut off your roots and start life in a new place. The personal and social upheaval of immigration is then exacerbated by becoming an outsider in a new land where people are met with stereotypes and discrimination due to their race, religion, culture, etc. perfectly exemplified by the treatment of Muslim-Americans in the wake of the September 11th attacks in New York City.

The portraits in this project are meant to subvert stereotypes and to start a dialogue about changing discriminatory perceptions of immigrant populations. These photographs portray people in their everyday lives, people who do not want to be outsiders, people who are mothers, who are friends, who are students, who are daughters, who are Muslims.