Founder/ Curator

Karimah Rahman (she/her) is the founder/curator of The Muslim Indo-Caribbean Collective (MICC) and The Muslim Indentureship Studies Center (MISC).

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The Muslim Indo-Caribbean Collective

(Instagram: @muslimindocaribbeancollective) 

www.muslimindocaribbeancollective.com

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The Muslim Indentureship Studies Center

(Instagram: @muslimindenturestudiescenter).

www.muslimindentureshipstudiescenter.com 

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Muslim Indo-Caribbean and Muslim Indentured Labourer Descendant voices are marginalized, silenced and invisibilized in Indo-Caribbean, Indentured Diasporic, Indian, South Asian, Caribbean and West Indian spaces. She founded MICC and MISC in 2020 in order to create a space where the marginalized intersectional voices, truths, lived experiences and positionalities of Muslim Indo-Caribbeans and Muslim Indentured Labourer Descendants can be shared and unpacked.

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She is currently pursuing her PhD in Policy Studies at Ryerson University in the Immigration, Settlement and Diaspora Policy Stream. Karimah’s research focuses on the intersectional marginalization, lack of representation and Anti-Muslim Racism towards Muslim Indo-Caribbeans (and marginalization of Indo-Caribbeans) in policy (India’s Diaspora Policy and Ontario’s 2001 South Asian Heritage Act, 2001) as well as Indo-Caribbean, Indentured Diasporic, Indian and South Asian spaces due to problematic ‘purity/authenticity’ politics. The legacy of Muslim Indo-Caribbean resistance to colonization and journey of learning, unlearning and decolonizing.

 

Karimah’s research includes the marginalization of Indo-Caribbeans and the Indentured Diaspora by Mainland South Asians/ Indians from an intersectional perspective. This is predominantly within a Canadian context such as in the 2001 South Asian Heritage Act that Indo-Caribbeans can be attributed to lobbying/ grassroots mobilizing for but invisibilized in its implementation in South Asian Heritage Month. She has coined The South Asian/ Indian Hierarchy of 'Authenticity/ Purity' Theory to unpack this marginalization using intersectionality.

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She coined the following terms to unpack this intersectional marginalization and structural oppression of Muslim Indo-Caribbeans:

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The South Asian/Indian"Authenticity/Purity" Hierarchy Theory

• Mainland South Asian/Indian

• Mainland South Asian

• Mainland Indian

• Mainland South Asian/Indian Supremacy

• Mainland South Asian/Indian Privilege

• Mainland South Asian/Indian Gaze

• Mainland South Asian/Indian Fragility

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The Indian(Indentured/Indo-Caribbean)“Authenticity/Purity” Hierarchy Theory

- Hindu Indian/Indentured Diasporic/Indo-Caribbean Privilege 

• Hindu Mainland Indian Privilege

• Hindu Indentured Diasporic Privilege

• Hindu Indo-Caribbean Privilege

- Hindu Indian/Indentured Diasporic/Indo-Caribbean Supremacy

• Hindu Mainland Indian Supremacy

• Hindu Indentured Diasporic Supremacy

• Hindu Indo-Caribbean Supremacy

- Hindu Indian/Indentured Diasporic/Indo-Caribbean Gaze

• Hindu Mainland Indian Gaze

• Hindu Indentured Diasporic Gaze

• Hindu Indo-Caribbean Gaze

- Hindu Indian/Indentured Diasporic/Indo-Caribbean Fragility

• Hindu Mainland Indian Fragility

• Hindu Indentured Diasporic Fragility

• Hindu Indo-Caribbean Fragility

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Other terms she coined:

- Muslim Indentureship Studies

- Muslim Indo-Caribbean Studies

- (Radical) Muslim Indo-Caribbean Feminism

- (Radical) Muslim Indentured Diasporic Feminism

- Muslim Indo-Caribbean Heritage Day (October 11 annually)

- Muslim Indo-Caribbean (popularized the term)

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Karimah looks at the legacy of Muslim Indo-Caribbean resistance to colonization, journey of learning/unlearning, intergenerational trauma (rooted in Indentureship, colonization, white supremacy, Hindu supremacy, Hindutva ideology, Brahmin supremacy, Anti-Muslim Racism and Mainland South Asian/Indian Supremacy etc.), decolonizing (including Decolonizing Mental Health).

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She as well focuses on the mental health impacts of Muslim Indo-Caribbean (Indo-Caribbean) marginalization in Indo-Caribbean, Indentured Diaspora, Indian, South Asian, Caribbean, West Indian and Muslim spaces. Decolonizing Mental Health is essential to unpacking all these forms of Muslim Indo-Caribbean marginalization and structural oppression in Indo-Caribbean, Indentured Diasporic, Indian and South Asian spaces. 

 

Her Masters in Political Science at York University specialized in the marginalization of the Muslim South Asian Diaspora in Trinidad and Guyana, which included field research in Trinidad.

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Karimah is a published author/writer, spoken word artist with work ranging from academic, community work to spoken words, art, talks, interviews, podcasts and workshops on the topics mentioned earlier.

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She is currently working in an upcomming Documentary film and upcomming Book Anthology, both entitled Unapologetically Muslim Indo-Caribbean in order to unpack "What being Muslim Indo-Caribbean means to you?", based on the multiplicity and nuanced wide range of your intersectional identities, positionalities and lived expereinces in order to amplify Muslim Indo-Caribbean voices, written/filmed by Muslim Indo-Caribbeans for Muslim Indo-Caribbeans.

 

She is the Managing Editor of the Identity Politics and Belonging cluster of The Migration Initiative that publishes peer-reviewed articles (https://www.themigrationinitiative.ca/editorialboard). 

 

She is co-founder of the South Asian Diaspora Collective (SADC).

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