Those who know Akeel Shaikh call him The Boss. We met him at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the Muslim slums.With a smartphone in one hand and a tablet in the other, he sat sprawled across an entire booth while sending a message out to his friends to assemble for a meeting. Within 20 minutes, 32 Muslim teens arrived by motorcycle from all around Mumbai.

The 19-year-old political organizer runs an activist group called Muslim Youth Group. The group began in 2012 after Shaikh and a few friends created a Facebook page for young Muslims to discuss injustices in their community. The page gained over 1,000 followers in a year and a group formed, which includes nearly 5,000 across India.

“Political leaders have told us that they will make things better, but they break their promises,” said Shaikh. “We get tired of the cycle and stop caring. And the politicians stop really worrying about us. I think that is problem. We need to show our leaders that we must be taken seriously.”

Shaikh saw injustice towards the Muslim community first hand in his neighborhood, Nagpada. He said people lived in fear of the police. Officers would arrest people in their homes and the government would not listen to their cases. 

As the president of group, Shaikh hopes to bring change to the government through the people. He said he does not trust the government and the upcoming election does not bring him much hope. He hopes his group will bring about of people who fight for issues instead of a party.

“Politicians run for office to fight against other politicians,” said Shaikh. “It is a battle that leaves everyone else in danger. I want to live in a world where the politicians fight for us, the people. And that will start when they truly fight for our issues.”