Oral History Interview with Rafiq Mahdi on August 26, 2020

Oral history interview with Rafiq Mahdi conducted by Ayesha Cook on August 26, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Ayesha Cook. Rafiq Mahdi was born in 1951 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to parents who hailed from Oklahoma and Mississippi. Mahdi was raised as a Methodist and attended Sunday school as a child. After graduating from Ann Arbor High School, Mahdi attended Washtenaw Community College in Michigan. He later moved to Georgia, where he pursued studies at the DeVry School of Technology in Atlanta (formerly Bell & Howell). While in Atlanta, Mahdi met his wife, Nafeesa Mahdi, who was then a student at Morris Brown College. Mahdi returned to Michigan with his wife after the couple completed their studies in Atlanta. The couple settled in Inkster, and later moved to Detroit. In Michigan, Mahdi reverted to Islam after being influenced by the teachings of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed. As an active member of the local Muslim community, Mahdi joined with a small group of others to establish Masjid Jase Bell Joshua in Inkster. Mahdi and his wife were also active members of Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad in Detroit and enrolled their children at Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, an Islamic parochial school. Mahdi and his family created Nine United, a group dedicated to community development and recognition of prominent members of the community. In the interview, Mahdi details the different ways that he and his family have been involved in local Muslim institutions and the benefits of commmunity cohesion. He also discusses his wish for Detroit’s African American Muslim community to advance their financial autonomy by establishing and supporting more community-owned businesses.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dream-storytelling-interviews/1028/thumbnail.jp