The Ta'wiz has a cultural significance for my family and I. The Ta'wiz is a locket that has a sewed black pouch, and inside the black pouch is a paper that has verses from the Koran. Some Muslims wear it around their neck to protect them from any harm. When my siblings and I became toddlers we were each given a Ta'wiz from our parents. It is recommended that the Ta'wiz should remain hidden under your shirt when worn, as a form of concealed protection. Each Ta'wiz can have a different verse from the Koran or any islamic dua (prayer) inside the pouch, not all of them are for the same purposes. You can one get one personally made for you at a Mosque for whatever it is you are going through. When my mother arrived to America to the first time from Pakistan she was wearing a Ta'wiz for protection, so she can have a safe flight and a successful travel. My siblings and I wear a Ta'wiz when traveling to new places just like my Mother did.

– Meryum Mohammad

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