Habeba Mahmoud’s parents both came from Egypt independently in 1998, both with a vision of the American Dream. Her father came in the hopes of starting a business after his bakery failed due to the economy. Her mother came as a teen because her family was in search of better opportunities. 

Habeba feels the American Dream is as much about the ability to be yourself and have equal opportunity than it is about upward mobility. This view makes it difficult to feel like her and her family have totally “achieved” the American Dream. Her family has been successful, but they still have financial and cultural pressures, alongside religious discrimination. Habeba talks at length about Islamophobia they’ve experienced over the years, and how Habeba has had to fight, sometimes even by threatening police action, to be respected equally to everyone else.

I asked her if Islamophobia makes it harder to feel American. She said yes, that she can’t feel fully American when she isn’t embraced by people here. At the same time, though, Habeba embraces her New Yorker identity because of the diversity inherent to it. She talks about Steinway Street, which is like walking down the streets of Egypt, and of World Cup watch parties in Astoria attracting people of all backgrounds. She also relies heavily on God and her Egyptian culture. She shares with me a necklace she bought in Alexandria with her name written in hieroglyphics–an example of the culture she will never let be taken from her. 

– Ismaeel El-Shafei

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant