Tamir Khalil has spent his life trying to reach people where they are. Growing up as the child of Egyptian immigrants in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Tamir had to learn how to assimilate from an early age. He found it difficult to reconcile the beautiful role Islam played in his family and community with the way it was talked about at school and how it was portrayed in the media and in film. This struggle and personal journey led Tamir to pursue a role as creative connector in film and music, with the hope that new authentic stories could be told directly by Arab Americans like himself. The ongoing travesty in Gaza is just another reminder of the power of media to shape and exploit the fears of the Western world. It’s been Tamir’s mission these past months to meet people where they are – speaking from the heart, sharing and creating music, and highlighting our common humanity with the hope that all people can someday be free.
