Mountain Muslims

 
"I can tell absolutely nothing about you but that you're Muslim," I said to Sakeenah, 36, her 3 year-old daughter Amatullah by her side. She and her husband and six children relocated from New Jersey to Stone Mountain two months ago, because they'd heard about the thriving Muslim community in the area, especially that it offered better opportunities for her children. The stay-at-home mom was raised Baptist, but converted to Islam ten years ago, becuase she said she felt a void. She permitted me to only photograph her from the side but completely surprised me when she said filming her was okay. "The eyes are the soul...," she spoke into the camcorder. Earlier that day another Muslim woman, whose name was not given, but permission was, allowed me to photograph her only from behind as she headed up the mountain talking on her pink cellphone.