Saideh Jamshidi began by photographing more than 100 Madison-area Muslim women.
This was in August at the local Eid al-Fitr celebration, the large gathering of Muslims that annually marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month.
Jamshidi, an Iranian native who now lives in Madison, had attended her first local Eid celebration the year before, where she was struck by the joy and beauty around her. It was a vision of Islam so different from what often has been portrayed in the media since Sept. 11, 2001, she said.
I couldnt take my mind off the fact that it would be impossible to call any of these people terrorists, said Jamshidi, 41, a freelance journalist and entrepreneur.
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