Summary: The diversity of Indianarsquo;s Muslim community is reflected in the Muslim Alliance of Indianarsquo;s (MAI) magazine publication, Muslim Hoosier. The magazine first began in 2003 and is one of a number published across that country that caters to Muslims. Articles in the magazine cover everything from the opening of a new halal butchery to the hardships faced by Muslim politicians in Indiana. The purpose of the magazine is twofold to help Hoosier Muslims better understand their community and to educate those outside of the faith about Islam. The dual purpose of the publication is carefully balanced. Editor of the magazine and Executive Director of MAI, Shariq Siddiqui says, ldquo;Wersquo;re trying to create content that would be interesting to both. . .To know one of the reasons why we highlighted [specific stories] was to let people know within the Muslim community that these things are happening, but at the same time this is a way of humanizing who Muslimrsquo;s are in Indiana.rdquo; Identity And Education Several publications that cater to Muslim, most notably the glossyrsquo;s Islamica and Islamic Horizons, have been criticized for ghettoizing Muslims. However, Siddiqui doesnrsquo;t see it that way. ldquo;I donrsquo;t think they ghettoize. I think what theyrsquo;re doing is trying to keep alive a cultural and religious identity. And thatrsquo;s important,rdquo; he states. The Muslim Hoosier, however, is a type of hybrid publication that allows the MAI to accomplish multiple goals. Siddiqui explains that the dual mission of the magazine has raised some issues including the main question theyrsquo;re facing now; how to select who receives the magazine. ldquo;We started out with elected officials. We then moved onto media, to the newspapers and so on. We then moved onto libraries, all the public libraries in the state. Now there are conversations . . . about adding all the public schools in the state onto that list so that their educators would have that opportunity,rdquo; Siddiqui says. The Muslim Hoosier circulation has nearly doubled over the last several years from 10,000 copies to about 20,000. Itrsquo;s also no longer just an outlet for the MAI, but is becoming a tool for businesses wanting to attract Muslim customers. And the final balance the magazine must produce is one in the community. Siddiqui explains, ldquo;Just because wersquo;re Americans doesnrsquo;t mean that we want to lose out on who we are. I think we can be Americans, we can be Muslims, we can be Hoosiers and therersquo;s a balance there that other communities have been able to achieve and we need to work towards as well.rdquo; You can find copies of the Muslim Hoosier magazine as well as information about the Muslim Alliance of Indiana at the grouprsquo;s website, www.muslimalliancein.com
