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From Average Mohamed to Dissident: Mohamed Ahmed Returns
Mohamed Ahmed—Somali-American, Muslim, capitalist, father, freedom fighter—returns to Derate The Hate with a message that transcends politics and dives deep into purpose. Once known as Average Mohamed, Mohamed built a nonprofit to combat extremism and hatred through dialogue, media, and counter-ideology. But that organization was shut down—not because it failed, but because it worked too well, pushing up against the growing walls of censorship, surveillance, and a weaponized political climate.
Now, Mohamed leads from a new front with Republican People of Color, a PAC devoted to promoting republican values through the lens of liberty, diversity, and non-violence. In his new book, Dissidence in America, he urges all Americans to stand up—peacefully but boldly—for their rights, their beliefs, and each other.
Key Discussion Points:
✅ The political and bureaucratic forces that dismantled the Average Mohamed Organization
✅ The transition from nonprofit advocacy to political action
✅ The philosophy behind Dissidence in America
✅ Why loving your country means questioning your government
✅ Civic engagement as the antidote to apathy and extremism
✅ Mohamed’s view on race, faith, and freedom in modern America
✅ How media, social media, and direct conversation reached over 500 million people
🧠 "It takes an idea to defeat an idea." – Mohamed Ahmed
About the Guest:
Mohamed Ahmed has been recognized as a Citizen Diplomat by the U.S. State Department and Global Ties USA. He is the founder of RPOC.org and the author of Average Mohamed: Freedom Fighter and Dissidence in America. A proud Minnesotan, businessman, and father of five, Mohamed believes in fighting the good fight one soul at a time—with values, vision, and unwavering peaceful resolve.
Watch & Share:
📺 YouTube: Average Mohamed Channel
📘 Facebook: Mohamed Ahmed
📸 Instagram: @averagemohamed
🐦 Twitter/X: @averagemohamed
🔗 LinkedIn: Mohamed Ahmed
Download the Books (Free):
📕 Dissidence in America and Average Mohamed – Available Now
#AverageMohamed #DissidenceInAmerica #PoliticalActivism #PeacefulProtest #RPOC #FreeSpeech #DerateTheHate #MohamedAhmed #CounterIdeology #NonViolence #RepublicanPeopleOfColor
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*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.
Transcript is AI generated and may contain errors...
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:43:15
Wilk Wilkinson
Welcome back, my friends, to the Derate the Hate podcast. I am your host, Wilk Wilkinson, your blue collar sage, calming outrage and helping to navigate a world divided by FOG, and those who would spread that fear, outrage and grievance. Each week I'm sharing stories from my path and using the power of conversation and collaboration with my many great guests.
00:00:43:17 - 00:01:07:23
Wilk Wilkinson
Together, we chart a course toward understanding, bridging divides and fostering a community where wisdom prevails over discord. Friends, it really is about bettering the world. One attitude at a time. We did not create the hate, but together we can Derate the hate. The only good thing about a bad attitude is we have the ability as individuals to change it.
00:01:08:01 - 00:01:31:03
Wilk Wilkinson
For me, it starts with gratitude and personal accountability. I am so incredibly grateful that you have taken the time to join me for another powerful episode. Please remember to subscribe and share the podcast with your network of friends. If you would like to support the show, check out the Support Us page on the Derate the Hate website. With that, my friends, let's get to it.
00:01:31:03 - 00:02:18:14
Wilk Wilkinson
Today I'm welcoming back a truly inspiring and passionate voice for peace, purpose and patriotism. Mohamed Ahmed, who some of you will know as Average Mohamed. He first joined us in episodes 49 and 150 of the podcast, speaking Boldly against extremism and hate through the lens of his nonprofit Average Mohamed organization. Today, in episode 267, Mohamed returns to share the next chapter in his journey why the average Muhammad organization was shut down and how he's pressing forward through a new venture the Republican People of Color Political Action Committee, or our Posse Dawg Mohamed.
00:02:18:17 - 00:02:52:16
Wilk Wilkinson
The voice is one of conviction and clarity. He is a Somali American Muslim, a capitalist businessman, and on apologetic dissident and most importantly, a tireless advocate for peaceful change. His story is one of immense struggle facing censorship, government pressure and institutional pushback. But friends, he continues, the good fight now in the heart of Washington, D.C., with his new book, Dissidents in America, as both a battle cry and a blueprint.
00:02:52:18 - 00:03:02:07
Wilk Wilkinson
In this conversation, we dive deep into what it means to love your country while questioning your government, how faith and freedom can coexist,
00:03:02:07 - 00:03:07:03
Wilk Wilkinson
and why dissent, real, nonviolent, purposeful dissent
00:03:07:03 - 00:03:21:10
Wilk Wilkinson
is as American as apple pie. Whether you're left, right or somewhere in between, Mohamed's journey will challenge and inspire you to think bigger about what it means to truly stand for something.
00:03:21:12 - 00:03:24:19
Wilk Wilkinson
Let's get into it with my friend Mohamed Ahmed. Here we go.
00:03:24:19 - 00:03:33:01
Wilk Wilkinson
Muhammad Ahmed. Hey, welcome back to the Derate the Hate podcast, brother. So good to see you, man. How have you been?
00:03:33:03 - 00:03:40:08
Mohamed Ahmed
Mr. Wilk. Thank you. Congratulation. Happy anniversary. You did good time out there.
00:03:40:10 - 00:03:41:10
Wilk Wilkinson
Yeah, man. It's,
00:03:41:10 - 00:03:42:15
Wilk Wilkinson
Yeah, it's been a while, right?
00:03:42:15 - 00:03:46:21
Wilk Wilkinson
Obviously a lot going on in my world. A lot going on in your world.
00:03:46:21 - 00:03:47:08
Wilk Wilkinson
And,
00:03:47:08 - 00:03:52:09
Wilk Wilkinson
Yeah, we just. It's been too long since we've had a conversation. And,
00:03:52:09 - 00:03:59:03
Wilk Wilkinson
I understand that you got a you've got a new book out. You've been doing all kinds of new things.
00:03:59:05 - 00:03:59:23
Wilk Wilkinson
And,
00:03:59:23 - 00:04:01:21
Wilk Wilkinson
with the new administration,
00:04:01:21 - 00:04:22:18
Wilk Wilkinson
just it's, you know, there's there's just all of these things going on. Mohamed. We haven't talked nearly enough. So what I want to do is, in the in the time that we've got here today, I want to kind of unpack some of these things that you've got going on. So let's start with I understand that,
00:04:22:18 - 00:04:24:01
Wilk Wilkinson
that recently,
00:04:24:01 - 00:04:31:06
Wilk Wilkinson
you know, people who who've been listening to the direct a podcast for a while, you know, that you've been on the podcast a few times,
00:04:31:06 - 00:04:34:01
Wilk Wilkinson
talking about the Average Mohamed organization,
00:04:34:01 - 00:04:35:02
Wilk Wilkinson
talking about,
00:04:35:02 - 00:04:40:20
Wilk Wilkinson
you know, depolarization, the radicalization, working with young folks, trying to
00:04:41:02 - 00:04:48:01
Wilk Wilkinson
to to take folks that are being radicalized and de-radicalize them. But but I've understood,
00:04:48:01 - 00:04:57:19
Wilk Wilkinson
from what I've heard from you recently, that that this is that didn't go quite as planned. So let's start there and kind of see where this thing goes, because,
00:04:57:19 - 00:05:03:20
Wilk Wilkinson
I understand the, the Average Mohamed thing has, has kind of gone away or or have been disbanded.
00:05:03:23 - 00:05:06:00
Wilk Wilkinson
Let's start there. Mohamed, go for it.
00:05:06:02 - 00:05:07:08
Mohamed Ahmed
Well, a little bit of background.
00:05:07:08 - 00:05:12:13
Mohamed Ahmed
Some people know about us. Called Average Mohamed organization. You can Google it.
00:05:12:13 - 00:05:15:07
Mohamed Ahmed
For the last 11 years, we've been working on,
00:05:15:07 - 00:05:19:21
Mohamed Ahmed
as a counter ideology organization, which basically goes against violent jihadists. And,
00:05:19:21 - 00:05:23:11
Mohamed Ahmed
we organically grew into all hate, basically.
00:05:23:11 - 00:05:27:03
Mohamed Ahmed
We became anti-hate because hate breeds all forms of extremism.
00:05:27:08 - 00:05:39:09
Mohamed Ahmed
What is anti Christianity today? As you can see we don't you don't have to understand it. But you can see anti-Semitism Islamophobia as a backlash to all that
00:05:39:09 - 00:05:43:09
Mohamed Ahmed
racism which is as old as America and
00:05:43:09 - 00:05:46:09
Mohamed Ahmed
until it's been at any point and
00:05:46:09 - 00:05:50:23
Mohamed Ahmed
also other forms of hate, you know, and, we were the,
00:05:50:23 - 00:06:09:11
Mohamed Ahmed
idealist who went out and engaged the public with groups of, of, I believe, 500 million people over 11 years, done over 1800 interviews, got highly awarded citizen diplomat by the State Department in 2020, citizen diplomat by global ties that I'm very proud of.
00:06:09:13 - 00:06:11:00
Mohamed Ahmed
In 2018.
00:06:11:00 - 00:06:23:04
Mohamed Ahmed
And also I'm a Bush Foundation fellow, and the goal is to fight radicalization in promotion of democratic principles. American way of life, basically free people power.
00:06:23:04 - 00:06:29:12
Mohamed Ahmed
Fighting hate to fight extremism. And that idea for I believe 11 years.
00:06:29:13 - 00:06:35:07
Wilk Wilkinson
Yeah. Yeah. And I've always admired, you for the work that you've done there.
00:06:35:07 - 00:06:40:10
Wilk Wilkinson
The cartoons reaching out to the young people, trying to meet people where they are,
00:06:40:10 - 00:06:43:03
Wilk Wilkinson
to to fight the hate, fight the radicalism.
00:06:43:03 - 00:06:47:22
Wilk Wilkinson
You and I both know better than, better than most just because of the work that we've been doing.
00:06:48:03 - 00:06:50:10
Wilk Wilkinson
Hate begets more hate and,
00:06:50:10 - 00:06:55:09
Wilk Wilkinson
and hate radicalism. Those things will never win out.
00:06:55:09 - 00:06:59:16
Wilk Wilkinson
So. So tell me then, Mohamed, what's what's what has happened with this? Because
00:06:59:16 - 00:07:03:09
Wilk Wilkinson
you know, I just recently heard the I heard the news that,
00:07:03:09 - 00:07:07:22
Wilk Wilkinson
that Average Mohamed is going away. So if average Muhammad is going away.
00:07:07:22 - 00:07:09:11
Wilk Wilkinson
Number one, I want to know why.
00:07:09:17 - 00:07:16:10
Wilk Wilkinson
Number two, what's going on with you now? If average Muhammad is is going away.
00:07:16:11 - 00:07:25:11
Mohamed Ahmed
Well. Unfortunately, in this country, there exists something called national security paranoia.
00:07:25:11 - 00:07:36:11
Mohamed Ahmed
Let me explain that to you. Being black, Muslim or Republican in the last administration was seen as something negative, especially if you're an activist.
00:07:36:11 - 00:07:36:23
Mohamed Ahmed
And,
00:07:36:23 - 00:07:43:04
Mohamed Ahmed
unfortunately, I encountered a weaponized two tier system, and,
00:07:43:04 - 00:07:55:05
Mohamed Ahmed
We agree to disagree. And unfortunately, being the government and domestic intelligence agency called the FBI,
00:07:55:05 - 00:08:03:16
Mohamed Ahmed
which we tried and we had a good relationship, but in the last administration, things turned, and when I say, turned.
00:08:03:21 - 00:08:07:04
Mohamed Ahmed
I mean it got weaponized. And,
00:08:07:04 - 00:08:09:04
Mohamed Ahmed
the best I can put it is,
00:08:09:04 - 00:08:13:07
Mohamed Ahmed
I got shut down and chased out of town.
00:08:13:09 - 00:08:20:03
Wilk Wilkinson
Okay. So. Okay, so so you're going to have to expand on that a little bit because I know,
00:08:20:03 - 00:08:21:20
Wilk Wilkinson
we hear a lot these days,
00:08:21:20 - 00:08:25:20
Wilk Wilkinson
about the, the judicial system, judicial activism.
00:08:25:20 - 00:08:27:02
Wilk Wilkinson
That the, the, the,
00:08:27:02 - 00:08:28:15
Wilk Wilkinson
different whether it be,
00:08:28:15 - 00:08:32:00
Wilk Wilkinson
the FBI, I know that's one that's that's taken a lot of hits.
00:08:32:00 - 00:08:38:15
Wilk Wilkinson
As having been weaponized against political dissidents.
00:08:38:17 - 00:08:41:05
Wilk Wilkinson
Especially under the last administration.
00:08:41:05 - 00:08:43:02
Wilk Wilkinson
This is not something,
00:08:43:02 - 00:08:55:01
Wilk Wilkinson
that that I've spoke to a lot of people about, especially people who have experienced it. So you're going to have to unpack that for me a little bit, Mohamed, because, I mean that well, when when you talk about,
00:08:55:01 - 00:08:59:10
Wilk Wilkinson
the, the, the FBI being weaponized against you, against your organization,
00:08:59:10 - 00:09:00:20
Wilk Wilkinson
being run out of town.
00:09:00:22 - 00:09:03:04
Wilk Wilkinson
That's something I'm going to need.
00:09:03:06 - 00:09:04:10
Mohamed Ahmed
Background
00:09:04:12 - 00:09:17:08
Wilk Wilkinson
Background. Yeah. Background evidence. We need more than just. I mean, I mean, it's it's one thing to say it, but but tell me, tell me a little bit about about this. What happened? How did this happen? What are you talking about?
00:09:17:10 - 00:09:18:05
Mohamed Ahmed
Excellent.
00:09:18:05 - 00:09:41:23
Mohamed Ahmed
In 2022, I wrote my first book, Average Muhammad Freedom Fighter, and I tried to introduce myself. I call that book introduction. And, what that basically did is are laid out. What I did was Average Mohamed on how I came about as an organization called Average Mohamed. Now, in the last chapter, I say, look, we have a problem here.
00:09:42:01 - 00:09:48:01
Mohamed Ahmed
And that was a polite way of telling people who basically maintained 24/7 surveillance on us and,
00:09:48:01 - 00:10:04:05
Mohamed Ahmed
read all our emails, read all the information, our telephone, and other good things that comes with technology. We need to talk or more or less you need to back off. That message sent people into a rage. And,
00:10:04:05 - 00:10:07:21
Mohamed Ahmed
unfortunately, things got worse from there.
00:10:07:23 - 00:10:34:00
Mohamed Ahmed
When I say got worse, I mean it got worse. So it forced me to write a second book. But what I learned is with free people power, there is always a choice. Now, with me, you understand? I'm a do not comply guy. I want to say I do not comply in the sense that when we fight radicalism, I'm the one who's preaching against violent jihadists.
00:10:34:00 - 00:11:13:03
Mohamed Ahmed
I'm saying don't comply with them. Say no to terror. I'm the one who's saying to the anti-Christian community, don't comply with them. Say no to anti Christianity, anti-Semitism, racism until this big run, until Islamophobia. Wishing no. And we teach people and we go out and engage them. So when your government comes into your life and decides that they're going to be demigods, literal demigods who decide at the edge of a pen and paper and an eraser or a clipboard, what you can or cannot do in America, I go to my natural state.
00:11:13:05 - 00:11:35:14
Mohamed Ahmed
I don't comply. And when you don't comply, there's consequences. In America. There is immediate consequences. These folks don't like it. So I wrote I started a political action committee because I came to the realization that the previous regime was not going to help us out here.
00:11:35:16 - 00:11:37:01
Wilk Wilkinson
Okay.
00:11:37:03 - 00:11:42:16
Mohamed Ahmed
I know and political with it in the sense that I'm a peaceful nonviolence advocate.
00:11:42:16 - 00:11:49:14
Mohamed Ahmed
This is a democracy, and America is one of the first country in the world. I brag about that. And,
00:11:49:14 - 00:12:04:10
Mohamed Ahmed
I'm not saying these people are evil. What I'm saying is they went wrong and double down on their wrong as an institution, as a collective, as an agency, from the top, all the way down to the informant.
00:12:04:12 - 00:12:06:13
Wilk Wilkinson
Okay. So.
00:12:06:13 - 00:12:14:22
Wilk Wilkinson
you keep on saying that the the that the the admin and now are you talking about the, the, the former administration.
00:12:14:22 - 00:12:20:03
Wilk Wilkinson
was censoring you or you say the you say they become a demigod of sorts. And
00:12:20:03 - 00:12:22:10
Wilk Wilkinson
when you say that what
00:12:22:10 - 00:12:28:02
Wilk Wilkinson
was it exactly then, Muhammad, that they were doing to,
00:12:28:02 - 00:12:30:01
Wilk Wilkinson
I guess.
00:12:30:03 - 00:12:31:21
Mohamed Ahmed
It's called censorship.
00:12:31:23 - 00:12:44:10
Wilk Wilkinson
Of or so. Well, first of all, what is it that they they accused you of doing? And what was it that they didn't did in response to what you were doing?
00:12:44:18 - 00:13:08:21
Mohamed Ahmed
I've been asking that question for for years. They don't want to talk to us. They don't want to deal with us, but they want to walk us. That's a big difference. They don't want to talk to us. I mean, I tried that, I even in the first book, I went to the FBI Citizen Academy, invited by one arm of the FBI at the Minneapolis to go to the Citizen Academy for the FBI.
00:13:09:02 - 00:13:16:21
Mohamed Ahmed
But the other arm was shutting me down. It's like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.
00:13:16:23 - 00:13:25:02
Wilk Wilkinson
Okay. So. So you're talking when you say the first book. You mean Average Mohamed Freedom Fighter. The book we talked about a couple of years ago.
00:13:25:02 - 00:13:26:04
Wilk Wilkinson
And. Yeah,
00:13:26:04 - 00:13:28:11
Wilk Wilkinson
so when you came out with this book,
00:13:28:11 - 00:13:38:17
Wilk Wilkinson
and it was obviously, you know, controversial to some and, and, and now I don't think anti radicalism should ever be controversial.
00:13:38:19 - 00:13:52:15
Wilk Wilkinson
I think anybody who's it's just like I've had conversations, you know, I've had conversations with so many people on this podcast, whether I agree with them or not, if I believe that they are doing things to better the world,
00:13:52:15 - 00:13:58:18
Wilk Wilkinson
I'm going to speak with those people. Find out what it is. Maybe we agree on things. Maybe we don't.
00:13:58:20 - 00:14:08:02
Wilk Wilkinson
Typically, we have the same ends in mind. We we may just have different ways of getting there. But and I know you know, your book,
00:14:08:02 - 00:14:18:04
Wilk Wilkinson
Average Mohamed Freedom Fighter. I know how passionate you are because I know you as a person. I know how passionate you are,
00:14:18:04 - 00:14:22:22
Wilk Wilkinson
about, you know, Deradicalization young people, especially young Muslims who
00:14:22:22 - 00:14:29:07
Wilk Wilkinson
have fallen, I guess, victim to the propaganda and the ugliness that
00:14:29:07 - 00:14:32:16
Wilk Wilkinson
Islamist jihadists bring to,
00:14:32:16 - 00:14:34:10
Wilk Wilkinson
to that community.
00:14:34:12 - 00:14:37:12
Wilk Wilkinson
And so I, I know how passionate you are
00:14:37:12 - 00:14:42:12
Wilk Wilkinson
about helping to to work against that,
00:14:42:12 - 00:14:47:09
Wilk Wilkinson
that specifically. And I want to I want to tie into that mostly,
00:14:47:09 - 00:14:51:05
Wilk Wilkinson
because that's that's how I originally became familiar with
00:14:51:05 - 00:14:52:22
Wilk Wilkinson
your work, Mohamed.
00:14:52:22 - 00:15:13:02
Wilk Wilkinson
I, I'm having a hard time understanding why, whether it be the last administration, this administration, any administration, what it is about that work that they would target you for, for,
00:15:13:02 - 00:15:14:02
Wilk Wilkinson
I don't know, I'm just going to say
00:15:14:02 - 00:15:16:07
Wilk Wilkinson
cancellation. Let's just put it that way. Cancel.
00:15:16:10 - 00:15:19:01
Mohamed Ahmed
Cancel culture. Weaponized two tier system.
00:15:19:03 - 00:15:37:11
Wilk Wilkinson
Yeah, yeah. Weaponized two tier system. Explain to me what you mean. First of all, by a weaponized two tier system. But then. Then again, I need to unpack this because I need to understand it. I need to understand what it is. You know, when when you say that they they basically shut you down.
00:15:37:13 - 00:15:51:00
Mohamed Ahmed
What did you think? Shut me down. That's illegal in America. What did did is make sure that no resources come on. Embargo was maintained, censorship was done, electronic means was applied.
00:15:51:00 - 00:15:54:06
Mohamed Ahmed
To more importantly, blacklisting.
00:15:54:06 - 00:16:10:18
Mohamed Ahmed
In your name will not appear anywhere. And everybody gets more or less on your side or against you. So what they do is, is a controlled process.
00:16:10:19 - 00:16:36:21
Mohamed Ahmed
And this basically got applied on me for the last three years on steroids. And I could look and I could see it, And unfortunately no matter what I did or how I came about in the process just got tightened and tightened and tightened. So I started a political action committee because I could see the writing on the wall.
00:16:36:23 - 00:17:02:02
Mohamed Ahmed
Underwriting is the people who are in charge of our democracy and public don't mind this happening to us. They knew about it, but they don't mind it. There was impunity out here. Okay. And with that impunity, if you are a peaceful, nonviolent person, you have a couple of choices. Number one, give up. I'm not known to give up on anything.
00:17:02:04 - 00:17:07:08
Mohamed Ahmed
You know, we Americans, we don't run, we don't hide, and we don't back up. And,
00:17:07:08 - 00:17:35:07
Mohamed Ahmed
the second thing is fight back. Now, how do you fight back? Well, we live in a greatest democracy. We have one of the freest people on this planet. Irrespective of what anybody tells you out there. I know because I've gone coast to coast, run around this country, packed whole synagogues, churches, schools, civic arena with thousands of people, and we share communion.
00:17:35:09 - 00:17:42:16
Mohamed Ahmed
And I've come to the realization that the people are different than our government.
00:17:42:17 - 00:17:43:22
Wilk Wilkinson
Oh, yeah. For sure.
00:17:44:00 - 00:17:44:18
Mohamed Ahmed
You know, and,
00:17:44:18 - 00:17:49:15
Mohamed Ahmed
so I am among the people. I'm a citizen. And,
00:17:49:15 - 00:18:04:21
Mohamed Ahmed
unfortunately, my government is tone deaf, deaf, blind and mute. One man does one thing. I mean, I'm highly awarded. The State Department made me this citizen diplomat. That's an agency of the United States government.
00:18:04:21 - 00:18:06:15
Mohamed Ahmed
In 2020,
00:18:06:15 - 00:18:07:00
Mohamed Ahmed
and,
00:18:07:00 - 00:18:10:05
Mohamed Ahmed
one agency is basically shutting me down.
00:18:10:07 - 00:18:15:20
Mohamed Ahmed
It's like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. Even within the same agency,
00:18:15:20 - 00:18:28:23
Mohamed Ahmed
the FBI one hand doesn't know what the other hand is doing. You know, it's like we have more than one government in America. And that was shocking to me. And,
00:18:28:23 - 00:18:34:09
Mohamed Ahmed
I started a political action committee, and I see this is politics.
00:18:34:11 - 00:19:02:09
Mohamed Ahmed
This has got to be politics. There's no other explanation to it. It's a political understanding of an agency called the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And the politically major decision under national security paranoia, that I'm going to be blacklisted, embargoed and sent. So what I started doing is a started cataloging it without writing it out. And I started looking at the situation, and I started dealing with the informants all the way down to the agents, all the way down to the directorate.
00:19:02:10 - 00:19:30:00
Mohamed Ahmed
And I started engaging them on the low level, and I kept on telling them, please come on out, let's talk. This got to end sometime. Sure. Either charge us with something, put us in jail, deport us, do what you do best or leave us alone. We Americans, we are Americans. You work for us. It's not the other way out as an agency.
00:19:30:02 - 00:19:58:15
Mohamed Ahmed
And that infuriated people. When I say infuriated people. I mean, it's one thing for black and Muslim to say. But under the last administration of Democrats, a Republican to say it is treason. So I went into politics. I started Republican people of color, based on the idea that the regime wanted to fall democratically, peacefully, nonviolently. So I started campaigning, canvasing,
00:19:58:15 - 00:20:04:10
Mohamed Ahmed
for the Republican Party, and I started making messages using the same skill sets to usher to, you know,
00:20:04:10 - 00:20:05:12
Mohamed Ahmed
the unfortunate.
00:20:05:14 - 00:20:23:23
Mohamed Ahmed
I self-funded, just like the other organization. I self-funded 90% of the projects myself because, again, I'm heavily embargoed. So. When the Republicans won, I said,
00:20:23:23 - 00:20:28:18
Mohamed Ahmed
But I'm Hallelujah. I was like, yeah. Now seems like
00:20:28:20 - 00:20:31:20
Wilk Wilkinson
well, I think and I think a number of people did.
00:20:31:20 - 00:20:32:22
Wilk Wilkinson
Okay. So,
00:20:32:22 - 00:20:33:19
Mohamed Ahmed
let's.
00:20:33:21 - 00:20:40:12
Wilk Wilkinson
Kind of rein this in a little bit then. So, so obviously now we're under a different administration then,
00:20:40:12 - 00:20:41:07
Wilk Wilkinson
we've got,
00:20:41:07 - 00:20:52:00
Wilk Wilkinson
Donald Trump in, in the, in the white House. We've got Kash Patel heading up the FBI. You're now in Washington, DC. You've got the Republican,
00:20:52:00 - 00:20:53:10
Wilk Wilkinson
people of color,
00:20:53:10 - 00:20:54:21
Wilk Wilkinson
Republican people of color,
00:20:54:21 - 00:20:57:06
Wilk Wilkinson
political action committee.
00:20:57:08 - 00:20:58:06
Wilk Wilkinson
So what
00:20:58:06 - 00:21:01:00
Wilk Wilkinson
are you seeing now as different because
00:21:01:00 - 00:21:03:05
Wilk Wilkinson
I guess here's what I want to go with this.
00:21:03:05 - 00:21:04:15
Wilk Wilkinson
Mohamed. Because,
00:21:04:15 - 00:21:07:07
Wilk Wilkinson
you know me, I'm a solutions guy.
00:21:07:07 - 00:21:14:14
Wilk Wilkinson
I want to hear about how how people are becoming part of the solution as opposed to part of the problem.
00:21:14:14 - 00:21:18:06
Wilk Wilkinson
I love the fact that that I mean, when you're talking about,
00:21:18:06 - 00:21:44:08
Wilk Wilkinson
you know, nonviolent and and being part of the solution and, and finding ways to, to to get the word out there, without having to go through standard channels where, I mean, kind of going back to what you said, right? It it wasn't that they came in, they chained up your doors and, and were not allowing people to see you.
00:21:44:10 - 00:22:03:21
Wilk Wilkinson
But but they they canceled you. The, back channels in. And then all of a sudden, the parishes you were getting funding before, you're not getting funding anymore and things like that. I understand that I've talked to other people and journalists, influencers who have experienced similar things. I know that,
00:22:03:21 - 00:22:11:15
Wilk Wilkinson
as I understand it, from several people that I've spoken to, that that was pretty standard practice.
00:22:11:17 - 00:22:12:04
Wilk Wilkinson
Under
00:22:12:04 - 00:22:12:22
Wilk Wilkinson
the,
00:22:12:22 - 00:22:14:14
Wilk Wilkinson
Biden administration,
00:22:14:14 - 00:22:15:21
Wilk Wilkinson
unfortunately,
00:22:15:21 - 00:22:29:04
Wilk Wilkinson
you know, but but again, how do we how we react to things that are outside of our control is is what separates,
00:22:29:04 - 00:22:30:15
Wilk Wilkinson
the strong from,
00:22:30:15 - 00:22:42:00
Wilk Wilkinson
from the troublemakers. Right. And the real problem solvers, people who want to be part of the solution, how we react to those things that are outside of our control.
00:22:42:02 - 00:23:08:03
Wilk Wilkinson
How are you reacting? What are you doing right now, Mohamed? To be part of the solution, despite the forces that we know that are out there, that are fighting against what you are doing for whatever reason, don't want to even try to ascribe motives to it. But what are you doing to be part of the solution? Knowing what you know about what the problem is?
00:23:08:05 - 00:23:17:10
Wilk Wilkinson
How are you? I mean, I know one of the things that you've done recently, obviously, is written a new book called Dissidents in America. I want you to unpack that a little bit for me.
00:23:17:10 - 00:23:30:22
Wilk Wilkinson
But what is this timeless fight for justice and change mean to you? What is that? And what are you doing to be part of the solution now, after having experienced what you experienced,
00:23:30:22 - 00:23:33:03
Wilk Wilkinson
in the fight that you were in before,
00:23:33:03 - 00:23:35:20
Wilk Wilkinson
as freedom fighter average Muhammad.
00:23:35:22 - 00:23:45:10
Mohamed Ahmed
When we evolved, we I mean, every day is not the same as good as bad. And this ugly,
00:23:45:10 - 00:24:02:07
Mohamed Ahmed
what happens is, if you are true to America, America will be true to you. African Americans taught you that. And the Native Americans taught me that under European Americans taught me that. And the Asian Americans taught me that this is nothing new.
00:24:02:09 - 00:24:18:01
Mohamed Ahmed
Everybody went through this process. The Irish went through it. The Italians went to the Germans during World War one and World War Two went through it. The Jewish community in the 50s were called communists and they went through it. I guess it's our turn as Muslims and black
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