As the 2014 Boston Marathon approaches, opening a deep wound created by two brothers who rained down terror on an American tradition, Amineh Safi's work only will intensify.
But she's ready with a powerful weapon of her own: Social science.
Safi is a 21-year-old double major in psychology and pre-law at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. The Muslim daughter of a French mother and Syrian father, she moved to the Twin Cities in 2002 and graduated from Eden Prairie High School.
Safi has long been troubled by what she sees as inaccurate and stereotypical media portrayals of Muslims and followers of the Islamic faith as "violent radicals and terrorists."
Such misrepresentations, she said, can create fear that diminishes the likelihood of understanding and respect between cultural and religious groups. Minnesota is home to the largest population of Somalis in the country, making such understanding critical.
Safi worries, too, because hate crimes against Muslims and those who associate with them have increased since 9/11.
"Even if I had a hunch that Muslims were being portrayed in a distorted way, I wanted to do this in a scholarly way," Safi said. "You're not going to be successful acting out of emotion."
In the spring of 2013, Safi took a criminology course with Augsburg Prof. Diane Pike, who saw a budding social scientist in her midst.