This prayer mat represents me and who I am because it shows who I believe in and who I define myself as. I am unique for having beliefs not everyone believes in and follow my culture just the way I was raised to follow. Although I had difficulty embracing who I am when I was younger, I now know and believe that being different from each other makes us so similar and having to share our unique stories about ourselves is what keeps us tied as a community. This prayer mat may not look special at first but if I share my story and views with others, they will understand why I hold this item special to my identity. As a Muslim, I see the prayer mat as the place where I am closest to god, while praying, and this makes me realize that following what I believe makes me the person I am today.

– Muslima Valijonova

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child