For some, there are milestones, important moments in history, or in our personal lives that force people to see themselves in a new light and push them to be more and to do more with their lives. Maybe you lent your voice to a cause that means something to you or maybe you challenged yourself to take on more in order to achieve the change you’ve always hoped to see. Ameer always knew he was going to be a journalist in the modern media world, but it wasn’t until global events occurred that he felt a responsibility to do something about it, and it has paid off ten-fold. Read on to learn more about Ameer, a Hoboken resident that started a media publication from scratch and gained national support for it.
About Ameer
Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh finally moved to Hoboken in August but has been in and out of town for years. “I am very proud and happy to now call this city my home,” Ameer told Hoboken Girl.
As the saying goes, you’ll never work a day in your life if you love what you do, and that is a testament to Ameer’s life. “I feel like what I do for fun is what I do for work! It’s such a blessing to be in a field like media where I can express my creativity freely while also contributing to the greater good. I just can’t stop being on top of my work, whether that is socializing and networking or creating graphics and content! I also am a spontaneous person and love adventure,” he explains.
Ameer loves going on walks and grabbing coffee with strangers because it always leads to a crazy story in his experience. In his free time, he binges YouTube videos and hangs out with friends.
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Like BNRs and new residents alike, there is always a new dish to try, a new restaurant opening in town, and exploring the cuisine in Hoboken is one of Ameer’s favorite things to do when he isn’t working.
“There are lots of places I have yet to try but I do have to say that Alibaba never disappoints! It’s my favorite spot in town and the falafel will always hit no matter what day or time. I actually celebrated my 21st birthday at Alibaba the year before I committed to moving to Hoboken – never knew that it would be my daily go-to grub spot a year later,” Ameer shared.
“I also love stalking the debate posts on the Hoboken Girl FB group on which place serves the best pizza and experimenting with new restaurants through that way,” he said. {So do we!}
How Muslim.co. Came To Be
Muslim.co is a lifestyle-culture media publication and the largest online community for today’s Gen-Z and millennial Muslims.
Ameer founded Muslim.co on February 15, 2019, during his junior year at Rutgers University. He attended the university with the hopes of becoming a writer for culture magazines like VICE or PAPER Magazine but found himself constantly writing about my Muslim identity in all of his journalism classes.
His passion for writing, reporting, and culture was always there but remained unrealized until current events at that time ignited something in him that forced him to tap into all of his creative potential and harness it for a bigger purpose.
“It was the same year of heightened islamophobia with Trump’s election and the Muslim Ban campaign. Instead of writing about Zendaya’s red carpet looks I had to keep defending my identity in my articles, which made me realize there was a deeper issue that there wasn’t a centralized community or publication specifically for Muslims. So I planted the seed which ended up growing into a whole concept for Muslim.co.”
About The Media Publication
“We publish a lot of content regarding the Muslim identity but also heavily focus on breaking news and reporting on issues that impact Muslims. A lot of the time when Muslims are mentioned in the media, we are not included in the conversation which leads to the lack of education on Muslims and portraying us negatively,” he explains. “Muslim.co is shattering stereotypes and dismantling society’s negative perception of our community while also becoming a community hub for Muslims.”
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“It’s crazy to see how fast our presence grew, but at the same time, it feels as though I launched Muslim 100 years ago, he says. “I actually celebrated my one year anniversary of Muslim in Hoboken at Jefferson’s Coffee before the pandemic and told myself ‘this is where I will live’ – a few months later I ended up moving to town!”
A Highlight In His Newfound Career
His media publication may have just taken off recently, but it’s growing faster than Ameer ever could have imagined.
“Oh man, there are so many [mashAllah]! But I think one of the best moments would be when we made a post about Yemen that went viral with three-million shares. It reached many celebrities that shared it, followed us and we began to work with them in relief efforts. Gigi Hadid, Dua Lipa, Halsey, Khloe Kardashian, and many many people that I would not have expected support from came and shared our post and donated thousands to the charities we provided a list for. It was such a beautiful moment where I felt united and saw love to my community,” Ameer shared.
“Another highlight was when we broke the news of Rihanna playing an Islamic hadith in her Savage X Fenty fashion show which became viral. It trended for three days on social media with many outlets covering our report and it prompted an apology from the singer,” he continued. “But mostly – being on Forbes 30 Under 30 in Media literally a few months after graduating Rutgers. It feels so surreal and such an accomplishment that I am still celebrating! I put so much time, love, and consistent work in Muslim.co. I uploaded posts every single day since launching and it feels so great to see all the hard work being recognized on such a notable publication like Forbes. Alhumdulilah.”
The Knight Foundation is a national foundation that invests in journalism and the arts with a goal to foster informed and engaged communities for a healthy democracy. Ameer is a recipient of a Knight Foundation Grant.
“I feel like I haven’t processed it, to be honest. Things have been happening so rapidly and on the whim that It’s like ‘Amazing! Off to the next goal!’, but I am very fortunate and blessed to have won the grant. Especially in a time where niche publications like ours are at the forefront of being impacted the most during this pandemic. Because of the grant, we were able to kick off our very own studio space in Jersey City and provide a higher level of production to our audience. Truly a blessing,” says Ameer.
Although the publication is a community for Muslims, Ameer wants everyone to know that it’s also an educational platform that helps people understand the Muslim community and faith more. “We accept everyone and are always happy to keep everyone informed. So please don’t feel like you have to be Muslim to follow us or stay in the loop!”
