Interview with the “Average Mohamed” real name “Mohamed Amin Ahmed”
Mark: Not only America but countries in Europe and in most places around the world we have all felt the wrath of The Taliban and their bloodthirsty and horrific murders done in the name of “Islam”.
My special guest today is “A Worthy Gentleman”, a Semolina immigrant living in Minnesota.
He is married and has four children. He has owned businesses and is now a Manager for a local gas Company.
Mohammed has a diverse background that includes supporting the Primary election of a Muslim woman running for Congress. He has also had a speaking engagement at the national conference for Global Ties US in Washington, DC. Today he was speaking to students at Alta Vista High School in South Tucson. Your website is www.averagemohamed.com which he uses to dissuade youth from joining the Taliban by showing them, in cartoon form, what really happens when someone joins the Taliban or other similar organizations. Apparently, the site went viral and has had a huge impact.
Mohamed immigrated to the States 20 years ago and has been in both Civic and Corporate Worlds. He understands completely what Terrorism does to world business. At the onset of the 911 Crisis, he joined “The Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism” and is still the Chapter President for Minnesota.
Mohamed’s Counter Terrorism Mantra is “It takes an Idea, to defeat an idea”, which is the Mantra of the organization that passionately promotes ideas of “Counter Terrorism” through the use of popular culture…and that’s how “Average Mohamed was born.
In view of the fact that these radical Muslims kill people who in the past have created messages through cartoons, ‘Average Mohamed’ stories are portrayed in cartoon format all over the web and in particular YouTube. In a Nutshell, www.averagemohamed.com was created to talk plainly to humanity – to all.
Issues of race, religion, and “fitting in” affect all of us, especially our youth, so Mohamed’s thought – it’s time we talk about them. The solution to so many of these issues is simple: dialogue. All-too-often, silence leads to misunderstanding and extreme views.
Mohamed waited for a straightforward, logical program that would help youth to understand their unique contribution to society, and appreciate others with different ethnicities, races, and belief systems. Apparently while waiting, and waiting, and waiting, it dawned on him that an average guy can spark these dialogues. If it is an average guy who espouses hate, intolerance, and extremism, all of us average folks need to speak up and challenge this narrative. A fairly logical perspective to the topic!
Mohamed says, “our goal is to give average parents, kids and clergy talking points to counter falsehood propagated by extremists, racists and others who promote intolerance. We hope to share love of country, culture, and democracy with children across the world.”
The organization that brought Mohammed to Tucson is the Southern Arizona Council for International Visitors, under the leadership of the Executive Director for SAZCIV, Pat Watson. SAZCIV is a non -profit that brings quality speakers on relevant subject matter to the community every two months The Core purpose for SAZCIV is the International Visitor Leadership Program which emanates from the Education and Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of State.
