Mohammad (Moe) Alhasan Oral History

Mohammad Alhasan, who goes by the name Moe, currently serves on the board of directors for the Majdal Center, formerly known as the Khaled Bakrawi Center, and was a leading member of the grassroots organization, the Arab Youth Collective (AYC). Moe is a Syrian-Palestinian double refugee born in Bulgaria but grew up in Syria, then explored higher education in Jordan and later in the United States where he applied for asylum and became a permanent resident of San Diego. His path towards political activism was inspired by both his and his friends and family’s experiences with the Syrian Revolution, refugee resettlement, COVID-19, and his dual-status yet also stateless identities. This interview tracks the social and political dynamics of life in Syria and community organization during Arab migration and resettlement in San Diego as well as the formation and history of the Majdal Center. This interview was conducted via Zoom in order to practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and was conducted by Milikaloni Chandra, a second-year Sociology major at UCSD who is interested in ethnic studies, community organization, political activism, and Arab resettlement.