[This post is part of an ongoing Profile of a Contemporary Conduit series on Jadaliyya that seeks to highlight prominent voices in and from the Middle East and North Africa.]
Jadaliyya: What do you think are the most gratifying ..
Nasser Weddady is a native of Mauritania, and grew up in Libya and Syria, traveling extensively through the Middle East, before coming to the US as a refugee in 2000. A few days after the September 11 attacks, he was falsely detained by the FBI because of his ethnic appearance.
Nasser has been a long-time activist in the struggle to end slavery in his homeland, he has also organized conferences for young activists across the Middle East; published in the International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and Baltimore Sun; appeared on Fox’s Hannity & Colmes, BBC World Service, Al Jazeera, and Radio Liberty; and testified to Congress’ Human Rights Caucus.
Currently, he is the Outreach Director with American Islamic Congress (AIC) and works on the Hands Across the Middle East Support Alliance initiative (HAMSA) and also the chair of AIC’s New England Council.