'Great American Road Trip' is in Amarillo for PBS special
A PBS production features part of Amarillo as they travel across the nation and visit major cities along Route 66. In the second episode of "The Great Muslim American Road Trip" titled "A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Tulsa to Albuquerque, New Mexico," set to premier on Panhandle PBS at 9 p.m. Tuesday, a Millennial Muslim American couple travels through Tulsa, Oklahoma; Amarillo; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Gallup, N.M. to learn Islamic history across the states and what it is like to be a Muslim American in different parts of the nation today.
"The Texas Panhandle is another unexpected destination for a surprisingly steady stream of Muslim immigrants," a news release about the TV production noted.
While in Amarillo, the couple, Mona Haydar and her husband Sebastian Robins, met with the Catholic Charities of the Texas Panhandle and similar organizations that welcome and support refugees seeking asylum in the United States, including Muslims from Burma, Ethiopia, Kuwait, Egypt, and more recently Afghanistan. In the episode, the couple speaks to Amarillo native Lokaman Rahim, a Burmese Muslim who settled in Amarillo after obtaining his first job, and listen as he explains how the city and his hard work has given him the opportunity to support his family.
In the episode, Haydar expressed her surprise for the diversity of the Amarillo community and number of refugees who have settled in Amarillo.
"I actually found out that there is a really large Burmese Muslim population here in Amarillo. There's refugees from Burma, Ethiopia, Somalia and so many other places. You just wouldn't expect it coming to Amarillo, Texas," Haydar said.
In the episode, the couple also takes a closer look at the blue-collar immigrants and how the local meat packing industry has allowed these individuals a way to support their families and offer their children access to higher education.
"We were excited to help them connect with local individuals and allow those refugees to share their stories," said Jeff Gulde, Executive Director for Catholic Charities of the Texas Panhandle "We are very fortunate to live where we live, and there are unfortunately people in the world that sometimes just being born in one place versus another are in harms way. Resettlement of refugees and immigrants commonly is because they were living in unsafe environments in their country, so they come here to the U.S. and Amarillo, where we can help them create a new life and raise their families."
In the second episode of the three-part documentary series, the couple also learns why so many African Americans converted to Islam in the early 20th century, and how Muslims contributed to modern jazz in Tulsa. Haydar and Robins learn why Catholics and Muslims share an affinity for the Virgin Mary in Santa Fe, and later, they meet young Muslim robotics students aiming to solve big challenges with technology in Albuquerque. The couple then celebrates their anniversary on the mountaintop where they met, and they learn the story of a legendary encounter with the first recorded Muslim in North America, in Gallup.
The second episode is set to premiere live this Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Panhandle PBS and again on July 14 at 2 a.m. For more information on the series or to see the first episode, visit Panhandlepbs.org.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: PBS 'Great American Road Trip' spotlights Amarillo refugee community
