Owlspotting

Earlier this year, I worked on a story on the Muslim community of Columbia, Mo. Although the central focus were local Muslims, the effort was meant to integrate their stories in a larger world-wide debate on the future of Islam, and the struggle within the faith between violent elements and ordinary believers.

The story turned into a special section in the Sunday edition of the Columbia Missourian. It was a quiet time if you will in the story of post 9/11 Muslim media exposure. After the July attacks in London, coverage of Muslims returned to the forefront, albeit more thoughtful than in the days following 9/11.

Recent coverage and political decisions to crack down on radical preachers and hate groups convinced me to post the stories I wrote, for context if nothing else. The photographs and graphics are product of many wonderful budding journalists with whom I had the chance of working at the Missourian.