“While New Yorkers of all shapes and colors seemed to come together during the aftermath of 9/11, South Asians and Muslims were singled out and ostracized.”

He's since compiled these images into an Instagram-based photo essay called "DESI," titled after a slang term South Asians use to refer to themselves.

Atif writes:

While New Yorkers of all shapes and colors seemed to come together during the aftermath of 9/11, South Asians and Muslims were singled out and ostracized. I saw how this was effecting my family and community so I began to photograph a variety of South Asians and Muslims in New York City, in an almost desperate attempt to demonstrate that those practicing Islam were not the extremist, fundamentalists that the media wanted people to believe they were.

instagram.com

"This project was mainly shot in the Coney Island/Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn. South Asians tend to flock here because of how available the culture, food, and religion was within these communities. If you want halal meat at 3 in the morning there is a butcher that will provide that for you. Five times a day prayers are held at one of the biggest mosques in Brooklyn on Coney Island Ave — in fact there were three mosques within a few block of where I lived. Indian/Pakistani, music and DVD stores, supermarkets, immigration lawyers, doctors...you name it and you could find them here. It's a small home away from the homeland and provided comfort for people who may feel displaced."

instagram.com

View Entire List ›