One voice at a time: Bilal Aziz
Bilal Aziz, an unassuming but very determined youth of South Florida’s Muslim community, dreams to see a united, stronger Muslim front to counter internal and external challenges. You may have seen him volunteering at local mosques and Islamic centers or as the lead voice of SoFlo youth groups/organisations. With a bachelor’s degree in Finance and International Business from Florida International University, Mr Aziz is currently in between pursuing graduate studies and looking for a career.
His journey as an active Muslim youth started in 2016 when he was invited to plan a Khateebs’ (Muslim spiritual speakers) workshop.
His participation in this event opened up doors to opportunities of working with youth groups like Miami Gardens Youth Group, Broward College Muslim Student Association, Youth Coalition of South Florida and Florida MSA Council in which he performed roles of volunteer, coordinator and committee/board member. These were more than just titles for Aziz; they helped him better understand South Florida Muslim community and see it in a completely new light. He could see its strengths, weaknesses and gaps, and found a passion in him to contribute in improving them.
But what probably called to him the most was this need of association to his religious roots which he feels was missing while growing up in a non-Muslim majority country. As a teen, he had difficulty fitting in and connecting with kids his age as he feared being viewed ‘differently’. Fortunately, he was able to overcome this fear when he started volunteering and organizing events for local Islamic institutes and youth organizations. He found himself surrounded by people who shared his beliefs, values and understood the fear of being stereotyped or put in a box. Along the way he made great friends and had the guidance of community elders, who he considers his mentors.
According to Aziz, he has tried to channel his passion to every team he has been part of. He calls it his ‘unique energy’ through which he encourages and pushes others to be better. For him, the most stressful event he helped plan and organize, was the 2019 MSA Games, owing to its size and magnitude. ‘During all the chaos, I was able to gather everyone, and do a “pregame huddle” to give us all energy, hype, and more importantly to appreciate that the event we were planning for months was finally here and they truly were the best team for this job.’, he explains.
While appreciating the diversity of the SoFlo Muslim community, Aziz laments a lack of united efforts towards achieving common goals has been a major hurdle in reaching its full potential. Having bigger Isha’a congregations, facilities for youth and elderly, and professional and vocational opportunities at Islamic centers are some of the areas Aziz believes can help narrow the gaps and disconnect within the community. He also emphasizes that if Muslim youth start participating in community events earlier, it will help them both spiritually and socially, and will soon put them in positions where they can be leaders and help bring about the change they feel is needed.
If you are or know someone who may be featured here, please send us his/her contact details at info@soflomuslims.com.
Author: Sana Saif
Program Manager
