Word to the Wise | Sahir Muhammad

by India Crowe

At the crossroads of identity and inquiry stands Sahir Muhammad, a second-year graduate student whose academic journey has been shaped as much by self-discovery as by research. A graduate of Temple University, Muhammad’s newfound passion for politics and sense of purpose led him to Howard University’s Graduate School. In pursuit of a Master’s degree in Political Science and Government, Muhammad’s work considers political science not only as a discipline to study political institutions, but also as a tool to better understand power, representation, and lived experience. As a Black Muslim scholar himself, Muhammad utilizes his passion for political science to explore and challenge the position of Black Muslim Americans in the American political landscape, a subject that remains underexplored in scholarly literature. In this interview, Sahir Muhammad shares insights from his academic path and reflects on how his lived experiences have led to his advocacy-driven scholarly pursuit.

The Sway (TS): Can you tell us about your background and academic journey?

Sahir Muhammad (SM): I was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and that city helped shape a lot of the ways I view the world today. Philadelphia has this combination of history, grit, diversity, and resilience that forces you to grow up with an awareness of community, that has translated into my adult life. I come from a household where education was heavily emphasized as important. My father is a psychologist, and my mother has been an elementary school teacher for the last 30 years, even teaching me in elementary so learning, curiosity, and discipline were always constant parts of my upbringing. As the first child, the expectations always felt high, even if they didn’t explicitly put any pressure on me, but these “pressures” were also rooted in love; my parents wanted me to have opportunities they didn’t.

Even though academics were always important to me, my path wasn’t linear. In undergrad, I majored in marketing. I thought it made sense at the time, a degree that led to a “stable” job and a career path that looked successful from the outside. After graduating, I accepted a 9-to-5 position in sales, and it took only like a week for me to realize how unfulfilled I felt. I get bored easily. I remember sitting at my desk one day thinking: Is this really what I want the next 40 years of my life to look like? Once again, I hate being bored so I just walked out of the job and never came back.

I didn’t have a plan yet, but I knew I needed a life with purpose, meaning, and freedom. That led me to apply for an internship with the Muslim Public Affairs Council, an opportunity that places young Muslims into political offices and advocacy environments in Washington, D.C. That experience completely transformed my life. I went from knowing almost nothing about policy or political structures to feeling like I had discovered a part of myself I didn’t know existed. I realized that learning about politics felt natural to me, like something I should have always been doing. I love research, it keeps the mind active. That’s what ultimately brought me to pursue a master’s degree in political science. I wanted to invest in this new passion, deepen my understanding, and commit myself to work that aligned with who I am and what I care about.

TS: Any moment that got you interested in political science?

SM: There’s one experience that really stands out. During my MPAC internship, I was assigned to write an op-ed on Narendra Modi. At the time, I barely knew anything about Indian politics, or politics at all for the most part. I wasn’t familiar with the historical background, the current political environment, or Modi’s role on the global stage. It was interesting to see how everything occurs at the same time around the world and we only receive the knowledge we choose to seek. What started as a simple assignment turned into hours of research, reading, and diving into political histories I had never been exposed to.

What amazed me wasn’t just the research itself, it was the realization that learning about different political systems wasn’t intimidating. It was exciting. It made me feel connected to the world in a new way. I found myself becoming fascinated by how politics shapes everyday lives. I found joy in figuring out how things worked. I wanted to know everything: different cultures, different viewpoints and perspectives, different systems. I think the research and learning comes from my mother and the psychoanalyzing of the mind and why things happen comes from my father.

Another thing that pushed me was the environment I was in. Everyone around me just knew things. They knew every senator, every member of Congress, random historical facts, and global political trivia like it was second nature. At first, I felt behind. But instead of discouraging me, it motivated me. I wanted to join those conversations. I wanted to build that same level of knowledge. That’s when I knew political science wasn’t just interesting to me, it felt like a field where I genuinely belonged.

TS: What was about the HBCU grad school experience that drew you to HU? Any differences from your undergraduate experiences?

SM: Grad school itself is a different universe from undergrad. Many people assume it’s simply “harder,” but for me, it’s different in terms of responsibility and mindset. As a graduate student, you are an adult with a deeper purpose. You manage your own time, your own pace, your own learning process. Professors aren’t there to hold your hand, they’re there to guide you if you take initiative. You’re treated like a scholar, not a student.

At Howard specifically, there’s a sense of purpose that’s hard to articulate. It’s a different sense of purpose and pride that I did not receive in undergrad. One thing I tell people that in comparison to most schools I know (that aren’t Ivy League), Howard is hard. Howard is literally a mini Ivy League to me. It forces you to push yourself and work for the degree. And that’s okay because you’re also  surrounded by a community who care deeply about studies and building black spaces, their identities, and the impact they want to have in the world. That kind of energy pushes you. It forces you to think beyond yourself.

TS:  What drew you to your field of study? What does the study of political science mean to you? What is its significance and role in society?

SM: Initially, I thought I wanted to pursue international relations. I wanted to travel, learn about different countries, and maybe work in diplomacy or humanitarian aid. But as I continued my graduate program, I realized how much work still needs to be done domestically, right here in our very own country. That realization hit me deeply, especially to my experience and identity. Being a Black Muslim in America is a very specific experience. We face dual marginalization: anti-Blackness from broader society and sometimes marginalization within Muslim spaces that are predominantly Arab or South Asian. Politically, our needs often fall through the cracks. Our voices are overlooked. Our experiences are misunderstood. There’s very little scholarship that centers us despite our long history in this country.

So political science became more than a field of study for me, it became a tool. A way to challenge structures. A way to advocate for my community. A way to make sense of the systems that often ignore us. Political science helps me analyze power, who has it, who doesn’t, and how we can shift that balance. For me, the field isn’t just academic; it’s personal. It’s a path toward liberation.

TS: What kind of research do you do? Focus?

SM: All of my work right now focuses on Black Muslim political identity and representation in the United States. It’s a community that sits at the intersection of multiple forms of marginalization, yet we’re still expected to participate in systems that don’t acknowledge us.
My research looks at several key questions:

    - Why are Black Muslims politically underrepresented? How does dual marginalization shape our political behaviors and attitudes?
    - What policy priorities matter most to Black Muslims, and how do they differ from other Muslim groups?
    - Why has mainstream Muslim political organizing failed to fully represent Black Muslim concerns?

I explore how structures outside our community and dynamics within Muslim spaces both contribute to political invisibility. My goal is to contribute scholarship that can lead to real advocacy, building frameworks, policy agendas, and representation strategies that center Black Muslims rather than treating us as an afterthought.

TS: Any challenges you have faced and how have you overcome them?

SM: One of the biggest challenges is balancing life and graduate school at the same time. Life doesn’t pause because you have a paper due or because you have hundreds of pages to read. There are moments where everything feels like it's happening at once—work, family, personal matters, responsibilities, expectations.

The only way I navigate it is through discipline, sheer discipline and willpower, and most importantly, faith. I try to work harder than whatever challenge is in front of me. I stay consistent. I pray. I remind myself that every struggle has prepared me for the next version of myself. Grad school tests your endurance, but it also strengthens it.

TS: What do you hope to do once your Master’s degree is completed?

SM: Right now, I’m open to multiple paths. I’m considering pursuing a PhD because I genuinely enjoy research and would love to continue seeking knowledge. I want to contribute new knowledge to the field, especially around Black Muslims in politics. I also have some interest in working in government, or advocacy spaces, or any space where I can directly support marginalized communities. Hey, maybe even become president who knows.

I don’t have one fixed answer yet, and I’m okay with that. What I do know is that whatever path I choose, it will involve helping shape the American political landscape in a way that is more honest, and more representative of communities like mine, not just my community, but all communities.

TS: Any general career advice for others?  

SM: The biggest piece of advice I have is: don’t limit yourself. The career you’re pursuing right now doesn’t have to be the career you pursue forever. Your passions can evolve. Your purpose WILL shift. You are allowed to pivot into something completely new and unexpected, as long as it's true to who you are becoming.
Be open to opportunities that don’t look like part of your plan. Take risks. I took a risk and it completely changed my life. Just follow the things that light a fire in you, no matter what it is or how outlandish it feels. If something feels out of reach and you feel too short to reach it, just buy a step stool. And don’t be afraid to walk away from something that no longer aligns with your purpose. Your career shouldn’t feel like confinement, it should feel like growth. Change is scary but can also be good.