ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA
53RD ANNUAL CONVENTION
TUR NING POINTS: Navigating C hall enges , S eizing O pportu nities
Speakers’ Biographies SEPTEMBER 2 – 5, 2016 DONALD E. STEPHENS CONVENTION CENTER 9291 BRYN MAWR AVE • ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS
www.isna.net
Speaker Bio Book
ISNA 53rd Annual Convention
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Rafik Beekun .................................................... 11
Table of Contents
Ghalib Begg ...................................................... 11
Farha Abbasi ....................................................... 4
Khalid Beydoun ................................................ 12
Umar F. Abd-Allah .............................................. 4
Zahra Billoo ...................................................... 12
Nazeeh Abdul-Hakeem ....................................... 4
Kamran Bokhari................................................ 12
Jamiah Adams..................................................... 4
Maher Budeir ................................................... 12
Atiya Aftab .......................................................... 5
Rukhsana Chaudhry ......................................... 13
Kiran Ahmad ....................................................... 5
Rabia Chaudry .................................................. 13
Ambreen Ahmed ................................................ 5
Owaiz Dadabhoy .............................................. 13
Muzammil Ahmed .............................................. 5
Makram El-Amin .............................................. 13
Sameera Ahmed ................................................. 5
Salma Elkadi Abugideiri .................................... 13
Sawssan Ahmed.................................................. 6
Tarek El-Messidi ............................................... 14
Madihha Ahussain .............................................. 6
Sara Elnakib ...................................................... 14
Muhammad A. Alam........................................... 6
John Esposito ................................................... 14
Abdalla Idris Ali ................................................... 6
Ubaydullah Evans ............................................. 14
Ahmer Ali ............................................................ 7
Dalia Fahmy...................................................... 15
Salman Ali ........................................................... 7
Yasir Fahmy ...................................................... 15
Salam Al-Maryati ................................................ 7
Mohammed Faris ............................................. 15
Zainab Alwani ..................................................... 7
Tamara Gray..................................................... 15
Tahani Amer ....................................................... 8
Latifah Hameen ................................................ 16
Tanvir Arfi ........................................................... 8
Hugh Handeyside ............................................. 16
Mazen Asbahi ..................................................... 8
Abdul-Basit Haqq ............................................. 16
Jasser Auda ......................................................... 8
Mehdi Hasan .................................................... 16
Nihad Awad ........................................................ 9
Hesham Hassaballa .......................................... 17
Hussam Ayloush ................................................. 9
Larycia Hawkins ................................................ 17
Azhar Azeez ........................................................ 9
Altaf Husain ...................................................... 17
Sahar Aziz ........................................................... 9
Marium Hussain ............................................... 17
Jamal Badawi .................................................... 10
Rashad Hussain ................................................ 18
Ihsan Bagby ...................................................... 10
Khalid Iqbal....................................................... 18
Naeem Baig ...................................................... 10
Bushra Islam ..................................................... 18
Hazem Bata ...................................................... 10
Namira Islam .................................................... 18
Afsha Bawany ................................................... 11
Sherman Jackson.............................................. 19
Hatem Bazian ................................................... 11
Ameena Jandali ................................................ 19 1
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Abdul Nasir Jangda ........................................... 19
YaQutullah Muhammad ................................... 27
Jamillah Karim .................................................. 19
Ibtihaj Muhammad .......................................... 27
Mohammad Karim............................................ 20
Precious Rasheeda Muhammad....................... 27
Saleem Khalid ................................................... 20
Alaa Murabit .................................................... 28
Wardah Khalid .................................................. 20
Zarinah Nadir ................................................... 28
Abdul Khayum Khan ......................................... 20
Rami Nashashibi ............................................... 28
Fahad Khan ....................................................... 21
Ahmad Nassar .................................................. 28
Ghazala Khan .................................................... 21
Mona Negm ..................................................... 29
Khizr Khan......................................................... 21
Rashed Nizam................................................... 29
Muqtedar Khan ................................................ 21
Salah Obeidallah............................................... 29
Nouman Ali Khan .............................................. 21
Manal Omar ..................................................... 29
Saeed A. Khan ................................................... 22
Catherine Orsborn ........................................... 30
Samia Khan ....................................................... 22
Reyhana Patel .................................................. 30
Amal Killawi ...................................................... 22
Sajid Patel......................................................... 30
Amany Killawi ................................................... 22
Maisha Pesante ................................................ 30
Heather Laird-Jackson ...................................... 22
Albert Pless ...................................................... 31
Waliya Lari ........................................................ 23
Muslema Purmul .............................................. 31
Omar Lateef...................................................... 23
Yasir Qadhi ....................................................... 31
Farhan Latif....................................................... 23
Habeeb Quadri ................................................. 31
Khalid Latif ........................................................ 23
Ash-har Quraishi .............................................. 32
Syeda Madani ................................................... 23
Sameera Qureshi.............................................. 32
Hind Makki ....................................................... 24
Rasheed Rabbi.................................................. 32
Mariam Martinez.............................................. 24
Tahera Rahman ................................................ 32
Ingrid Mattson .................................................. 24
Tariq Ramadan ................................................. 32
Sam Miller ........................................................ 24
Kameelah Rashad ............................................. 33
Shabana Mir ..................................................... 25
Ebrahim Rasool ................................................ 33
Dalia Mogahed ................................................. 25
Sabeeha Rehman ............................................. 33
Sabina Mohammed .......................................... 25
Sonia Rehman .................................................. 34
Sohaib Mohiuddin ............................................ 26
Hamid Rezapour............................................... 34
Farrukh Mohsen ............................................... 26
Mansoor Sabree ............................................... 34
Hadia Mubarak ................................................. 26
Abdulaziz Sachedina......................................... 34
Humaira Mubeen ............................................. 26
Taher Saif ......................................................... 34
Bahiyyah Muhammad ...................................... 27
Maryum Saifee ................................................. 35 2
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Ayaz Samadani ................................................. 35
Marwa Zohdy ................................................... 43
Lori Saroya ........................................................ 35
Adnan Zulfiqar .................................................. 43
Linda Sarsour .................................................... 35 Shahid Shah ...................................................... 36 Zulfiqar Ali Shah................................................ 36 Munir Shaikh .................................................... 36 Riyad Shamma .................................................. 36 Gloria Shareef ................................................... 37 Samuel Shareef................................................. 37 Maggie Siddiqi .................................................. 37 Muzammil Siddiqi ............................................. 37 Nadeem Siddiqi ................................................ 38 Anthony Simpkins ............................................. 38 Ermin Sinanović ................................................ 38 Charles Swift ..................................................... 38 Labib H. Syed .................................................... 39 Sarah Syed ........................................................ 39 Tayyaba Syed .................................................... 39 Mariya Taher .................................................... 39 Anam Tariq ....................................................... 40 Asad Tarsin ....................................................... 40 Jihad Turk ......................................................... 40 Wakar Uddin..................................................... 40 Mustafa Umar .................................................. 41 Naushad Virji .................................................... 41 Dawud Walid .................................................... 41 Aliredha Walji ................................................... 41 Michael Wolfe .................................................. 41 Mohammed Yousuf .......................................... 42 Tayyab Yunus.................................................... 42 Omer Zaman..................................................... 42 Shireen Zaman.................................................. 42 Adeel Jehan Zeb ............................................... 43 3
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Farha Abbasi Farha Abbasi is a clinical assistant professor in the department of Psychiatry at Michigan State University and staff psychiatrist at the university’s student health center. In January of 2009, as an American Psychiatric Association SAMSHA minority fellow, she created awareness about cultural competency; to redefine it as not just tolerance for others, but rather acceptance. Additionally, Dr. Abbasi focuses on publicly addressing the barriers that stigmatize and silence mental health issues within the Islamic community. She has established the Muslim Mental Health Conference and is the managing editor for Journal of Muslim Mental Health being hosted at Michigan State University.
Umar F. Abd-Allah Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah (Wymann-Landgraf) is an American Muslim, born to a Protestant family in Columbus, Nebraska, and raised in Athens, Georgia. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Missouri and entered Cornell University in Ithaca, New York to pursue a PhD program in English literature. After embracing Islam he subsequently altered his field of study and transferred to the University of Chicago, where he studied Arabic and Islamic studies. In 1984, he was appointed to the Department of Islamic Studies at King Abdul-Aziz University in Jeddah, where he taught Islamic studies and comparative religions for several years. During the time he spent in Jeddah, Dr. Abd-Allah was able to study with a number of traditional scholars. He then returned to the United States in 2000 under the auspices of the Nawawi Foundation. He is currently engaged in independent research, writing and teaching activities with institutions across the United States, Europe and Africa with a focus on Islamic Theology.
Nazeeh Abdul-Hakeem Nazeeh Zul-Kifl Abdul-Hakeem was the principal founder of Jamaat Ibad Ar-Rahman, Inc. and its President for 12 years. He was project leader for establishing Masjid Ibad Ar-Rahman on Fayetteville Street and the Durham Muslim Cemetery. Nazeeh became a Muslim in 1979 while working as a city planner in Durham, North Carolina. Nazeeh has made several major and minor pilgrimages to Makkah and Madinah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he has visited Masjid AlAqsa in Jerusalem. He has also traveled to many Muslim countries and numerous destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. Shortly after he retired, he spent nearly two years in Cairo, Egypt studying Arabic. Nazeeh has been happily married to Olaiya Abdul-Hakeem, formally known as Catherine Johnson of Brooklyn, NY since October 1982.
Jamiah Adams Jamiah Adams is a strategic communications leader in the world of advocacy and campaigns. Her past work includes production of educational, advocacy, campaign and documentary media for the internet, television and film. In 2012, Jamiah was asked to train Muslim journalists in Kosovo and Macedonia as part of a special U.S. State Department program that deployed American Muslims to teach digital media. She uses her knowledge of production, coupled with executive experience, to consult for advocacy, faith and policy organization to improve the lives of working Americans and others who need their cause amplified.
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Atiya Aftab Atiya Aftab, Esq. is an attorney who represents non-profit corporations. Atiya is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers University and teaches “Islamic Law and Jurisprudence” and “Islam and Muslim Institutions.” Atiya has been a member of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey’s Board of Trustees and Overseers for almost 20 years and was the first woman chair of its board. She cofound the New Jersey Muslim Lawyer’s Association. She is also a member of the Islamic Society of North America’s Masjid Development Committee and a co-founder of the Shia Sunni Alliance of NJ. Atiya is involved in interfaith work and is co-founder of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, a non-profit organization that promotes Muslim Jewish women’s interests. Atiya is currently chair of the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University, whose mission is to convene the Muslim Chaplaincy at Rutgers University.
Kiran Ahmad Kiran Ahmad always had an interest in bringing change in the disability community. American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP)'s program EnabledMuslim has given her the opportunity to do that by being an online community for Muslims with disabilities. Some projects that she has been involved with include SMILE Canada's hashtag campaign during Ramadan, hosting a special webinar in Ramadan for those with disabilities, and AAPD voting accessibility for those with disabilities. She looks forward to moderating an ISNA panel on the topic of disability sensitivity training in masjids and community centers.
Ambreen Ahmed Ambreen Ahmed is the executive director of FAITH Social Services in Herndon, VA. She has been an advocate for domestic violence victims and has established direct services for DV victims and survivors. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Islamic studies from Pakistan. She is the project director for FAITH’s publication What Islam Says About Domestic Violence: A Guide for Helping Muslim Families. She represents FAITH on multiple teams in the multicultural community, including the Fairfax County Fatality review team, Domestic Violence Policy and Prevention Coordinating Council and Fairfax County Faith Communities in Action DV task force.
Muzammil Ahmed Muzammil Ahmed is chairperson of the Michigan Muslim Community Council which is a coordinating body for Michigan's Islamic communities and organizations; and is co-founder and board member of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, which focuses on generating research and data that can empower and strengthen the American Muslim community. He also serves on the boards of the Council of American Islamic Relations-Michigan and The Muslim Observer.
Sameera Ahmed Sameera Ahmed is director of The Family and Youth Institute, an organization that empowers and strengthens others through educational programs that integrate empirical research with Islamic values and beliefs. She holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and a master’s in Biology. She also serves as a clinical assistant professor at Wayne State University and an associate editor for the Journal of Muslim Mental Health. Dr. Ahmed’s research interests include: youth development, strengthening marriages, effective parenting, and mental health promotion. She has presented 5
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lectures and workshops across the nation in both academic and community settings. In addition, she has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, and co-edited Counseling Muslims: Mental Health Issues and interventions. She has been active in the American Muslim community for more than 25 years at both the local and national organizations through MYNA, MSA National, and MAS.
Sawssan Ahmed Sawssan R. Ahmed, PhD, is an assistant professor in the department of Psychology at California State University, Fullerton; a research associate at the Family Youth Institute; and a licensed clinical psychologist. She completed her graduate work in clinical psychology and postdoctoral training in developmental issues and health disparities. Her research focuses on the role of sociocultural risk and protective factors in physical and mental health, with a special interest in Arab Americans, adolescents and refugees.
Madihha Ahussain Madihha Ahussain serves as a staff attorney at Muslim Advocates and plays an essential role as a member of the legal team focusing on anti-Muslim hate issues. She was honored by the State Bar of California with the Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services for outstanding community service during her law school career. Ms. Ahussain joined Muslim Advocates as a legal fellow in 2012. Ms. Ahussain was a recipient of summer public interest fellowships from both the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California and the Hastings Public Interest Law Foundation. She interned with U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen of the Northern District of California, the Asian Law Caucus, and the ACLU of Southern California. Ms. Ahussain also worked part-time in a small law firm during and after college.
Muhammad A. Alam Dr. Muhammad A. Alam is Jai N. Gupta professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University at West Lafayette. His research focuses on the physics and technology of semiconductor devices. Prof. Alam enjoys teaching -- more than 100 thousands students worldwide have learned some aspects of semiconductor devices from his web-enabled courses.
Abdalla Idris Ali Abdalla Idris Ali served as imam and director, and founded the first full-time Islamic school in Toronto, Canada. He served as the principal of ISNA Islamic Community School for 17 years. He also served on ISNA's Executive Council, Majlis Ash-Shura, Youth and Education Committee and as president of ISNA for two terms. He is the chair of the Islamic Media Foundation, a member of NAIT Board, a founding member of CISNA, and chair of ISNA Education Forum. Sheikh Abdalla was appointed director for CIENA in Kansas City, Missouri. He served on the board of trustees of IBERR, which serves minority communities. He is currently working as the executive director of ISNA Canada.
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Ahmer Ali Dr. Ahmer Ali is a current clinical neurophysiology fellow at the University of Chicago. Later this year, he will be starting a one year sleep medicine fellowship at Northwestern University. Dr. Ahmer Ali completed medical school at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI and completed adult neurology residency at the University of Chicago. He has worked on and published research in topics in stroke and epilepsy. He has also worked with IMANA in 2014 and 2015 for the health fair at the ISNA National Convention.
Salman Ali Based in Northern Virginia area, Salman Ali is a regional manager for Guidance Residential, the nation’s leading provider of Shariah-compliant home financing. Salman Ali is responsible for the company’s sales production for the Mid-Atlantic division in the U.S. He is in charge of hiring, training and developing sales associates throughout the division. Salman Ali has been in the banking and finance industry for over 15 years, with 11 years at Guidance Residential. Since 2005, he has been the top sales producer in the entire organization consecutively for over a decade and produced over $250 million in financing. He established strong relationships with various community leaders, held educational seminars, and traveled throughout the country promoting Islamic Home Finance.
Salam Al-Maryati For the past 24 years, Salam has had the opportunity to speak to congregations at communitysponsored events, temples, synagogues, churches, high schools, and college campuses. He has written extensively on Islam, human rights, democracy, Middle East politics, the Balkan Crisis, and the Transcaucus conflict. His articles and interviews have appeared on such prominent newspapers as The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The LA Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle and USA Today. He has appeared on radio and TV talk shows, including The Dennis Miller Show, Tonight with Deborah Norville, Politically Incorrect, and has been featured on C-SPAN and NBC. Salam served as co-chair of the Interfaith Coalition to Heal Los Angeles. Salam also works as an advisor to several political, civic and academic institutions seeking to understand the role of Islam and Muslims in America and throughout the world.
Zainab Alwani Dr. Zainab Alwani is the founding director of the Islamic Studies at the Howard University School of Divinity (HUSD). She is associate professor of Islamic Studies and the chair of Master of Arts (Religious Studies) program at HUSD. Her research focuses on Quranic studies, Islamic jurisprudence, the relationship between civil and religious law in the area of family, women and gender, and inter-religious relations. She has a wide variety of publications, and has been involved in curriculum development, departmental communication, program design and implementation. She is the first female jurist to serve on the board of the Fiqh Council of North America, currently serving as ViceChair.
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Tahani Amer Tahani Amer started working at NASA in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Branch. Then, she landed an opportunity in one of NASA’s wind tunnels to conduct pressure and thermal sensitive paint experiments in support of the NASA’s aeronautical research efforts. She has experienced the excitement of working with large CFD computer codes and climbing up the ceiling of a wind tunnel to install a velocity probe. Dr. Amer has invented and patented a system to measure the thermal conductivity of a thin film. This measurement is used in the thermal modeling of several techniques for determining boundary layer transition location on models being tested in wind tunnels. Dr. Amer holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, a master’s in aerospace engineering, and a doctoral of engineering from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
Tanvir Arfi Tanvir Arfi is a business transformation leader with over twenty years of experience in supply chain, operations and general management. Arfi is currently a Managing Director at Solera Holdings which recently went through the largest automotive tech transaction in history valued at over $6.5 Billion in partnership with Goldman Sachs, Koch ventures and Vista Equity Partners. Arfi has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore University and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wichita State University.
Mazen Asbahi Mazen Asbahi, Esq. is a partner at Roetzel & Andress, where he specializes in the areas of healthcare, corporate and nonprofit law. Mazen represents healthcare providers, entrepreneurs, investors and businesses on a wide variety of transactional and regulatory matters. Mazen also provides counsel to charities, schools, social service and religious organizations on issues of governance, structure and operations. He is also deeply involved in the American Muslim, South Asian and Arab-American communities, having served as a board member of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding and the Mecca Center and as legal counsel to dozens of other organizations. In 2008, Mazen served as outreach director to the Muslim and Arab-American communities for the Obama Campaign. As a Syrian-American, he has spent much of the last few years working with a variety of Syrian-American organizations on humanitarian and political matters.
Jasser Auda Jasser Auda (PhD) is Al-Shatibi Chair of Maqasid Studies at the International Peace College South Africa, the executive director of the Maqasid Institute, and a visiting professor of Islamic Law at Carleton University in Canada. He is a founder and board member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, member of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, fellow of the Islamic Fiqh Academy of India, and general secretary of Yaqazat Feker. He has a PhD in the philosophy of Islamic law from University of Wales, and a PhD in systems analysis from University of Waterloo. He memorized the Quran and studied fiqh, usul and hadith in the halaqas of Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo. He lectured and trained on Islam, its law, spirituality and ethics in dozens of other universities and organizations around the world. He wrote 25 books in Arabic and English, some of which were translated to 25 languages.
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Nihad Awad Nihad Awad is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest non-profit Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. In 1997, Mr. Awad served on Vice President Al Gore’s Civil Rights Advisory Panel to the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. In 2004 he was named one of National Journal’s more than 100 Most Influential People in the US. Mr. Awad is a regular participant in the U.S. Department of State’s “International Visitors Program” which welcomes foreign dignitaries, journalists and academics who are currently visiting the President of the United States. Mr. Awad has testified before both houses of the U.S. Congress on matters involving Muslims in America. He is a member of the United States Institute of Peace’s Advisory Committee on US-Muslim Relations and currently enjoys the position of U.S. Representative of the Vatican-affiliated International Committee on Muslim-Christian (Catholic) Dialogue.
Hussam Ayloush Hussam Ayloush is the executive director of the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in 1998. Through his work at CAIR, Hussam engages elected officials, law enforcement, media, and the public to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice. As an expert on American Muslim issues, Hussam regularly appears on local, national and international media; and frequently speaks at schools, Islamic centers, churches, conferences, and universities. Hussam is a member of the West Coast Muslim-Catholic Dialogue and the Abrahamic Faith Peacemaking Initiative. He is an elected delegate and Executive Board member for the CA Democratic Party. He is currently serving as the national chairman of the Syrian American Council. Hussam holds a BSc degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin and an MBA degree from California State University, Fullerton. He is married and has 5 children.
Azhar Azeez Azhar Azeez was born in Hyderabad, India and moved to the U.S. in 1995. He has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Osmania University, an MBA, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Islamic studies. He currently serves as the Senior National Director of Islamic Relief USA - one of the largest Muslim charities in the world. Azhar Azeez is the president of ISNA, has served as member of ISNA Executive Council since 2002, and was elected as the Vice President of ISNA in 2010 & 2012. Azhar Azeez is the past president of the North Texas Islamic Council, and is the founder and the past president of the Islamic Association of Carrolton. He is a public and a motivational speaker who travels regularly around the U.S. for various local, regional and national Islamic organizations. He has been interviewed by many local and national TV stations, newspapers, magazines and radio programs. He is married, has two kids and currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
Sahar Aziz Sahar F. Aziz is an associate professor at Texas A&M University School of Law and a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Doha Center. Prior to joining Texas A&M, she served as a senior policy advisor for the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and an associate at Cohen Milstein Sellers and Toll PLLP in Washington, D.C. where she litigated class action civil rights lawsuits. Professor Aziz’s scholarship is at the intersection of national security and civil rights law with a focus on how post-9/11 counterterrorism laws and policies adversely impact racial, ethnic, and religious minorities.
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Jamal Badawi Dr. Jamal Badawi is a professor emeritus at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada, where he taught courses in the areas of management and Islamic studies. The university granted him an honorary doctorate, citing his promotion of a better understanding of Islam and civil society. He completed his graduate degrees at Indiana University. Dr. Badawi is author of some books, book chapters, articles and a 352-segment television series on Islam. His research interest includes apostasy, Muslim-Christian dialogue, gender equity in Islam and commonly misunderstood Qur’anic verses on topics such as jihad and the normative just and peaceful co-existence between Muslims and other communities. He is a member of the Fiqh Council of North America, the European Council for Fatwa and Research, and the International Union of Muslim Scholars.
Ihsan Bagby Ihsan Bagby is currently an associate professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky. He obtained a PhD from the University of Michigan in Near Eastern studies (1986), focusing on classical Islamic studies and more particularly Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh). His dissertation reviewed the classical legal theory of maslahah (the overall purposes of the Law). His research for the last 20 years has focused on Muslims in America. In 2000 and 2010, Dr. Bagby conducted two comprehensive surveys of mosques in America. He produced from the 2000 survey a monograph entitled “The Mosque in America: A National Portrait.”
Naeem Baig Naeem Baig is the president of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). He is also the chairman of the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms (NCPCF) and the American Muslim Taskforce (AMT), an umbrella body of 10 national American Muslim organizations. He currently serves on the board of Interfaith Workers Justice and co-chairs the National Muslim-Christian Initiative. He is also a member of the Taskforce on Global Initiative on Faith, Health and Development. He additionally worked as a consultant on the “Study on Christian-Muslim Relations,” sponsored by the Department of Interfaith Relations of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Hazem Bata Hazem Bata is the secretary general of ISNA. Bata is a lawyer and activist making outstanding contributions to the American Muslim community. He holds a juris doctor (JD) degree from West Virginia University School of Law and a master of laws (LLM) from Washington University in Saint Louis. He practiced law in Florida and was a partner in Bata & Associates, P.A. working in real estate development and business law. Prior to joining ISNA, he served as operations manager for Bank of America where he managed the Mortgage Resolution Team. Bata previously served as an executive council member of the Islamic Center of Morgantown for several years while in West Virginia. He was a legal intern with the Arab-American Anti- Discrimination Committee and was active with various other American Muslim organizations in Florida. He also served as executive director of the Orlando chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations from 2008-2009.
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Afsha Bawany Afsha Bawany is the communication director for UNLV’s Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, and oversees the college’s public relations programs, including media relations, marketing, event planning and social media. She produces and distributes news about the Urban Affairs’ college students, faculty, research, and initiatives, and secures coverage in local, regional and national media. She assists her local Muslim community by publicizing a positive image of Muslims through media, working with Muslim youth and promoting the importance of higher education. Afsha served as the first communication director for the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals and created the Munir H. Bawany Memorial Scholarship in honor of her father. Afsha graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science.
Hatem Bazian Hatem Bazian is a co-founder and professor of Islamic law and theology at Zaytuna College. In addition, he is a lecturer in the departments of Near Eastern and ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley. In spring 2009, Prof. Bazian founded at Berkeley the Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project at the Center for Race and Gender, a research unit dedicated to the systematic study of othering Islam and Muslims. In addition to academic work, Dr. Bazian is a weekly columnist for the Turkish Daily Sabah Newspaper, Turkey Agenda online magazine and Al-Jazeera English. He is the founder and national chair of American Muslims for Palestine, board member of the Islamic Scholarship Fund, Muslim Legal Fund of America, president of Dollar for Deen Charity, and chair of Northern California Islamic Council.
Rafik Beekun Rafik Beekun (PhD) is professor of management and strategy and former chair of the managerial sciences department at the University of Nevada. He obtained his MBA and PhD from the University of Texas, his BA and MA from Columbia University, and is a former Fulbright Senior Scholar to Mauritius and to Turkey. He specializes in strategic management, business ethics, and leadership. Dr. Beekun has published in many academic journals and has also published several books. Dr. Beekun is a past president of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS) (20032007), past member of the board of advisors of the North American Islamic Trust, as well as the Majlis Shura of the Islamic Society of North America. He is a trustee of the Minaret Business Association, a global Muslim chamber of commerce. He consults globally.
Ghalib Begg Ghalib V. Begg is a very successful entrepreneur and accomplished community leader. He operated a chain of furniture stores in Metro-Detroit, now spends much of his time in community service and as a Muslim activist at the local and national levels. Begg co–founded the Council of Islamic Organization of Michigan (CIOM) in 1988 and served as Chairman for 4 years. He is a co-founder of the Muslim Unity Center masjid in Bloomfield Hills. In 2000, Begg was elected to a 4-year term on the Bloomfield Hills Board of Education. Begg holds an MBA from the University of Detroit.
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Khalid Beydoun Khaled A. Beydoun is an associate professor of law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He also served on the faculties at the Barry and UCLA School of Law. A critical race theorist, Professor Beydoun is an expert on Arab and Muslim American identity, national security and civil liberties. His work has been featured in top law journals, including the California Law Review, the UCLA Law Review, and the Columbia Law Review. He is also a frequent public commentator, featuring his work in Al Jazeera English, Salon, and the Washington Post.
Zahra Billoo Zahra Billoo is the executive director of CAIR San Francisco Bay Area. In her work at CAIR, she frequently provides trainings at mosques and universities as part of CAIR’s efforts to empower the community, while building bridges with allies on civil rights issues. Zahra’s efforts have been highlighted in local and national media outlets including KTVU, MSNBC, the Christian Science Monitor, the San Jose Mercury News and NPR. She is a 2014 recipient of the National Lawyers Guild SF Bay Area Chapter's Unsung Hero Award and a 2013 recipient of the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California's Trailblazer Award. Zahra graduated Cum Laude from CSU Long Beach with degrees in Human Resources Management and Political Science. She earned her JD from UC Hastings College of Law, and is licensed to practice law in California.
Kamran Bokhari Kamran Bokhari is a CVE specialist with the Security & Policy Institute at the University of Ottawa where he teaches national security & foreign policy to Canadian military, intelligence, law enforcement and other government officials. Bokhari is also a fellow with George Washington University's Program on Extremism. He consultants with The World Bank; the UK-based firm, Unitas Risk; and is a senior analyst with the intelligence firm, Geopolitical Futures. Bokhari is the author of Political Islam in the Age of Democratization (Palgrave Macmillan, December 18, 2013).
Maher Budeir Maher is a founder and a trainer in Balanced Leadership Institute (BLI), a consulting firm dedicated to provide professional leadership, planning, and financial management training to Muslim nonprofits. Maher has over 20 years of experience working with nonprofits at all levels. He is currently working with several mosques and schools across the county to address organizational issues, conduct professional board training, and strategic planning sessions. His experience includes developing concepts to establish new schools, mosques, and other service organizations. He served on the board of trustees of several mosques, and as the revenue director and executive director of several organizations. He is a frequent blogger on the subject of masjid governance at MuslimSI.com and other sites. Maher also served on ISNA's Masjid Forum, and presents at the ISNA Education Forum.
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Rukhsana Chaudhry Rukhsana M. Chaudhry received her master’s in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University, and her doctor of psychology from the George Washington University. She is also a graduate of the Harvard University Global Mental Health Program specializing in trauma and recovery. She completed her residency at Saint Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, DC in 2010 where she provided care to a multicultural, urban, and underserved population. She completed advanced training in clinical psychotherapy practice at the Washington School of Psychiatry, participating in the in-depth study of contemporary psychodynamic theory and application to multiple modalities of psychotherapy.
Rabia Chaudry Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, a Jennings Randolph senior fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, an international security fellow at New America, the co-producer and co-host of the podcast "Undisclosed", and public advocate of Adnan Syed, the wrongfully convicted man at the center of the hit podcast "Serial". Rabia is also the author of the new book published by St. Martin's Press, Adnan's Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial.
Owaiz Dadabhoy Owaiz Dadabhoy has worked in the financial services field for 20 years and is currently Director of Islamic Investing at Saturna Capital, which is home to the Amana Mutual Funds. Mr. Dadabhoy is founder and president of UPLIFT Charity, co-founder of Crescent food bank, and president of the Muslim Charities Association of Southern California. He enjoys speaking on topics related to financial awareness and empowerment, and philanthropy. He is married with two children and resides in Southern CA.
Makram El-Amin Imam Makram El-Amin’s commitment to service and civic leadership has earned him a reputation for reaching across religious and ethnic divides. As imam of Masjid An-Nur in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he’s led a fast-growing, culturally diverse congregation to the forefront of interfaith dialogue and neighborhood outreach. A current Bush Fellowship recipient, El-Amin imagines a new narrative of Muslim life and leadership, one that has at its core a vision for social change and justice. As spiritual advisor to Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, El-Amin was tagged by The New York Times as the ‘congressman’s imam’ and an emerging young leader for religious tolerance and Muslim participation in the public square. He was a 2012 American Muslim Leadership Institute fellow at the University of Southern California and was recently appointed a chaplain for the Minneapolis Police Department.
Salma Elkadi Abugideiri Salma Elkadi Abugideiri is a licensed professional counselor in private practice in northern Virginia with over 20 years of experience providing mental health services and marriage counseling to the Muslim community. She is also a trainer and consultant for Peaceful Families Project, a national non-profit dedicated to ending domestic violence in Muslim families. She provides training and has authored several publications on the issues of domestic violence, mental health, and healthy
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relationships. She co-authored What Islam Says about Domestic Violence, and most recently, she co-authored Before You Tie the Knot: A Guide for Couples.
Tarek El-Messidi Tarek El-Messidi was listed among 2012’s 500 Most Influential Muslims worldwide. In 2001, he co-founded Fast-a-thon, an event that raises money to feed the hungry when non-Muslims try fasting for one day. It has raised $1.5M among 300 universities. After earning an MBA and working at Procter & Gamble, Tarek founded CelebrateMercy, a non-profit that teaches about Prophet Muhammad through webinars and films. CelebrateMercy now has 2M video views and Facebook followers. In 2012, after U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed by Muslim extremists, Tarek mobilized Muslims to "respond to evil with good" by writing condolences to Stevens’ family. 7,700 letters were written from 115 countries. After the Chapel Hill shooting, Tarek directed FeedTheirLegacy where 300 Muslim groups across 30 states collected 200,000 meals for the hungry. And in December, he helped raise $215,000 for the San Bernardino victims – a campaign that President Obama highlighted in the Baltimore Mosque Speech.
Sara Elnakib Sara Elnakib has worked in the community nutrition field for over 7 years. As a founding member of the Muslims in Dietetics & Nutrition (MIDAN) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics she has a strong interest in health and wellness in the Muslim community. She has joined the Rutgers Cooperative Extension in the department of Family and Community Health Sciences as an assistant professor in January 2015. Prior to this faculty position at Rutgers University, she was the health and nutrition manager for a Head Start program in Montclair, New Jersey, as well as an adjunct professor at Montclair State University. Sara is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in the Rutgers School of Public Health. She earned her bachelor of science from Rutgers University in nutritional science and a master of public health in education and behavioral science from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
John Esposito John L. Esposito is the founding director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding as well as a professor of religion and international affairs and of Islamic studies at Georgetown University. Esposito has served as consultant to the U.S. Department of State and other agencies, European and Asian governments and corporations, universities, and the media worldwide. He is a former president of the American Academy of Religion, the Middle East Studies Association of North America, and of the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies. His more than 45 books and monographs include: Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (with Dalia Mogahed), World Religions Today, and Religion and Globalization (with D. Fasching & T. Lewis).
Ubaydullah Evans Ubaydullah Evans is the first scholar-in-residence for the American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM). He converted to Islam while in high school. Upon conversion, Ustadh Ubaydullah began studying some of the foundational books of Islam under the private tutelage of local scholars while simultaneously pursuing a degree in journalism from Columbia. Since then he has studied at Chicagoland’s Institute of Islamic Education (IIE); in Tarim, Yemen; and Al-Azhar University in
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Cairo, Egypt, where he graduated from its Shari’a program. Ustadh Ubaydullah is also an instructor with the Ta’leef Collective and the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN).
Dalia Fahmy Dr. Dalia Fahmy is an assistant professor of political science at Long Island University where she teaches courses on U.S. foreign policy, military and defense policy, international relations, causes of war, politics of the Middle East, and Islam and democracy. Dr. Fahmy’s current research looks at the changing role of Islamists in the democratic future of the new Middle East. She has published several articles focusing on U.S. Foreign Policy towards the Middle East, Islamophobia’s effects on U.S. Foreign Policy, and democratization and authoritarianism in the Middle East.
Yasir Fahmy Shaykh Yasir Fahmy was born and raised in Northern New Jersey. At the age of seventeen, he travelled to Amman, where he spent a year studying at the Islamic University of Jordan. Upon his return to the United States, Shaykh Yasir completed a bachelor’s of science from Rutgers University and worked for three years in corporate America. He returned to the Middle East to enroll at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. During seven years of intensive study in Egypt, he completed a degree from Al-Azhar University and attained numerous ijazas in the subjects of fiqh, hadith, aqida, usal al fiqh, sirah, tazkiyyah, mantiq, Arabic grammar (nahu), morphology (sarf) and rhetoric (balagha). In 2013, Shaykh Yasir became the first American Azhari to teach in the renowned Al-Azhar mosque.
Mohammed Faris Mohammed Faris is an internationally sought speaker, coach, and author who spearheaded the niche of productivity in Islam. His most notable accolade is as the founder of ProductiveMuslim.com, the popular online platform and productivity training organization that serves the “e-Ummah” worldwide. Popularly known as “Abu Productive,” Mohammed has delivered talks and trainings at numerous events and seminars across the world. In 2014, the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre added him to the World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims list. Mohammed Faris recently authored the book, The Productive Muslim: Where Faith Meets Productivity.
Tamara Gray Tamara Gray is the founder of Rabata, an organization dedicated to promoting positive cultural change through individual empowerment, spiritual upbringing of women by women, and the revival of the female voice in scholarship. She lived in Syria for twenty years, studying sacred knowledge and traveling along the road of tarbiya (spiritual upbringing). Anse Tamara studied a full curriculum of Islamic sacred texts and subjects including: Shāfiʿī jurisprudence (fiqh), Islamic theology (ʿaqīda), Quranic sciences (tafsīr and tajwīd), Arabic grammar (naḥū), geography of the Muslim world, Islamic civilization and culture, Islamic history and classical methods of spiritual growth (tazkiya).
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Latifah Hameen Ms. Hameen is a certified life and relationship coach, self-talk trainer, author, poet, educator and public speaker. Ms. Hameen started Healthy Positive Choices in 2007. It is a non-profit organization which is used as a preventive tool to educate teens and young adults on the dangers of domestic violence, while advocating healthy relationships. Ms. Hameen holds various degrees, including a master of art in human behavior & development, bachelor of science in community education, associates of arts in general education. Ms. Hameen is a published author of 5 books. She is the recipient of many awards, including “Woman of the Year” in May, 2012 by the South Central Dallas National Association of Business and Professional Women for her work in education on domestic violence. She also implemented a host of seminars and public speaking events on various topics: motivation, self-esteem, selftalk for success, communication, and domestic violence awareness.
Hugh Handeyside Hugh Handeyside is a staff attorney in the ACLU’s National Security Project where he works on issues related to government watch listing, racial and religious discrimination, due process, and border-related practices. He is a graduate of Stanford University, the London School of Economics, and the University of Michigan Law School. Mr. Handeyside previously worked for several years on complex litigation matters at Perkins Coie LLP and Corr Cronin Michelson Baumgardner & Preece LLP. From 2011-2012, he clerked for the Hon. John C. Coughenour of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Prior to law school, Mr. Handeyside worked for two years at the CIA, where he was an analyst in the Directorate of Intelligence and the Counterterrorism Center.
Abdul-Basit Haqq Abdul-Basit Haqq is currently the secretary of the NIA Masjid & Community Center of Newark, NJ, a position he was first elected to at the age of 21. His introduction to the labor movement came when he turned to his union, Local 1037 of the Communications Workers of America, for assistance regarding the Eid holiday. Haqq quickly became involved with his Local, becoming a shop steward, taking part in labor actions, voting registration drives and being a co-founder of 1037’s NextGeneration Caucus, a program to train young activists and leaders within the labor movement. In March 2015, Haqq joined his Local as a staff representative and is responsible for representing 700+ state workers.
Mehdi Hasan Mehdi Hasan is an award-winning British political journalist, commentator and broadcaster, now based in the United States, where he hosts a weekly current affairs show for Al Jazeera English called 'UpFront'. He has interviewed presidents and prime ministers from across the globe, has been included in the annual list of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world, and was also selected as one of the 100 most influential Britons on Twitter. Mehdi is a former political director of the Huffington Post UK, a former columnist for the Guardian and the New Statesman magazine, and the author of two books. He is a graduate of Oxford University; his debate-winning speech at the Oxford Union on Islam and peace in May 2013 went viral, amassing almost 2 million views on YouTube and millions more on Facebook.
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Hesham Hassaballa Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago physician, specializing in pulmonary and critical care, and a writer. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global. In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio. Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam, and his essay, “Why I Love the Ten Commandments,” was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam. His latest book, Noble Brother, is now published in its second edition. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. Hassaballa Charitable Foundation and serves as its executive director.
Larycia Hawkins Dr. Larycia Hawkins is a visiting faculty fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. Her research engages the intersections of race/ethnicity, religion, and politics. She received her undergraduate degree from Rice University and her MA and PhD from the University of Oklahoma. At the institute, Hawkins will be part of the Race, Faith, and Culture Project and the Pluralism Project. Dr. Hawkins’ recent publications include “Prophetic and Priestly: The Politics of a Black Catholic Parish” and “Jesus and Justice: The Moral Framing of the Black Agenda”. She previously founded and directed the Peace and Conflict Studies program at Wheaton College, where she served for 8 years as an associate professor of political science.
Altaf Husain Altaf Husain is a native of Cleveland, Ohio; and a double alumnus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, having earned his BSc in biomedical engineering and his MS in social work. He received his PhD in social work from Howard University in Washington, DC. Dr. Husain's research interests include the mental health and integration of immigrant and refugee families, and especially Muslim adolescents, in the United States. He serves as the vice president of ISNA, member of the board of directors of MSA National, and an advisory board member of the Peaceful Families Project- dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence. His past service to the community includes serving as a two-term national president of the MSA and an executive committee member of the Muslim Alliance in North America. Dr. Husain and his family reside in Northern Virginia.
Marium Hussain Dr. Marium Husain is the Chair of the Student/Resident Committee for IMANA. She grew up and studied in Dayton, and went to Ohio State University for medical school. She did her internal medicine residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital. She now works as an oncology hospitalist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She has been a part of IMANA for 6 years, actively involved in the student/resident issues as well as women's health for IMANA.
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Rashad Hussain Rashad is an attorney who currently serves as U.S. Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the second largest intergovernmental body after the UN, with 57 member states, and as U.S. Special Envoy for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications. As a Muslim of Indian heritage, he has also served in the White House Counsel's Office and on the National Security Council as a political appointee of the Obama Administration. He has worked in the Department of Justice as a trial attorney and as a criminal prosecutor. In his role as OIC Envoy, Hussain has advised the Administration on policy issues related to the Muslim world. He has traveled to numerous countries and international conferences, and has met with foreign leaders and Muslims around the world.
Khalid Iqbal Khalid Iqbal is a mechanical engineer by profession. For the past 20 years, he has dedicated himself to nonprofit work. His passion for family development led him to the creation of Rahmaa Institute, which is dedicated to the issues of Muslim marriage, conflict resolution, divorce and social issues. He is a writer, speaker and khateeb. He has developed a comprehensive premarital counseling course delivered in five sessions, and a book is a result of over three years of research on the subject of domestic violence and anger. By the will of Allah SWT, the last 1-1/2 years were spent on the application of the 16 week course on dozens of individuals with positive results. He has been on the board of several nonprofit and professional organizations such as ISNA, Human Concern International (HCI) and American Society for Metals (ASM). He also served as director for CAIR, ADAMS and now with Muslim Family Services.
Bushra Islam Bushra Islam is a registered dietician with a BSc degree in nutrition and medical dietetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. For the past 4 years, she has been residing in Maine working for the City of Portland, providing nutrition education to the refugee and immigrant population. In summer 2014, Bushra introduced the USDA's Summer Food Service Program at Islamic Society of Portland Maine (ISPM) to provide free and healthy meals to students enrolled in summer school. Bushra has been an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and serves as chair of Muslims in Dietetics and Nutrition. She is also a contributor at Portland's Food Security Committee. Alongside with her professional experience, Bushra also serves as a facilitator to "Slim Peace Group", aiming to unite women of diverse faith and cultural backgrounds while making healthy lifestyle changes together.
Namira Islam Namira Islam is a Bangladeshi-American lawyer and graphic designer. She is the co-founder and executive director of MuslimARC (the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative), an Islamically-grounded racial justice education and training organization. She has practiced in poverty law providing legal services to low-income individuals in Flint, MI, and has worked in prisoners’ rights litigation and interned at the trial and appellate levels in international criminal law and war crimes for the United Nations in The Hague, The Netherlands. She is currently based in the Metro Detroit area and tweets @namirari.
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Sherman Jackson Dr. Sherman Jackson is the King Faisal chair of Islamic thought and culture, professor of religion and American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California, and the author of several books. He was formerly the Arthur F. Thurnau professor of Near Eastern studies, visiting professor of law, and professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Michigan. Dr. Jackson received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and he has taught at the University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University, Wayne State University, and the University of Michigan. He is a co-founder, core scholar, and member of the board of trustees of the American Learning Institute for Muslims. He was also a former member of the Fiqh Council of North America, former president of the Shari'ah Scholars' Association of North America, and a past trustee of the North American Islamic Trust. Dr. Jackson is listed among the top ten experts on Islam in America and was named among the 500 most influential Muslims in the world.
Ameena Jandali Ameena Jandali is a founding member and content director at Islamic Networks Group (ING) where she co-designs and develops ING’s educational presentations and cultural competency seminars. Through ING, Ameena has delivered hundreds of presentations in schools, colleges, universities, churches, and other venues on Islam and related subjects. She has also appeared on many news outlets, speaking on issues relating to American Muslims. Ameena team teaches a class on Islam at San Francisco City College. She received her MA in Near Eastern studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and BA in history from the University of Illinois.
Abdul Nasir Jangda Dallas born and raised, Abdul Nasir Jangda began his studies in Karachi at age 10 to memorize the Qur’an, and again after high school for the 7 year Alim course at Jamia Binoria, while concurrently completing a bachelor’s degree; and he has a master’s degree in Arabic and Islamic studies. He is a founding member and chairman of Mansfield Islamic Center, an instructor at Bayyinah Institute, and the founder and director of Qalam Institute. Through his weekly seerah podcasts, annual intensive programs on an array of subjects, and the full-time seminary, Shaykh Abdul Nasir teaches and personally mentors students, professionals, and families in an environment catered for them. His newest project is QalamNow. Qalam's effort is to provide practical Islamic knowledge from the scholars you trust at your fingertips.
Jamillah Karim Jamillah Karim is an award winning author, lecturer, and blogger. She is co-author of the new book Women of the Nation: Between Black Protest and Sunni Islam. Her first book, American Muslim Women, was awarded the 2008 Book Award in Social Sciences by the Association for Asian American Studies. She is former associate professor in the department of Religious studies at Spelman College, where she taught courses in the study of Islam for six years. In 2010, Karim traveled to Malaysia where she began her blog “Race+Gender+Faith”. As an independent scholar in Atlanta, she presents her research to scholarly communities and lectures frequently within Muslim communities. She occasionally contributes articles on spirituality for Azizah Magazine. In 2014, she was highlighted as a young faith leader in the African American community by JET magazine. Karim holds a doctorate in Islamic studies from Duke University.
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Mohammad Karim Mohammad Karim is an electrical engineer, scientist, provost and executive vice chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. His major research interests focus on electro-optical systems, optical computing, and pattern recognition. Dr. Karim serves on the NABIC Board of Regent and has served in the past on the boards of Virginia Coalition for Community and Justice; the Center for Christian, Jewish, and Muslim understanding in New York; Dayton Islamic School, Inc., in Ohio; Islamic Council of Ohio; Islamic Education Foundation of Knoxville in Tennessee; National Conference of Christians and Jews in Ohio; NABIC Board of Directors; and Avicenna Academy in Bronx.
Saleem Khalid Imam Saleem Khalid was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan and attended Wayne State University. He began his professional career with Bank of America, eventually serving as vice president and loan officer, while he took shahada and completed an imam training program. He served as director of operations for a private firm on behalf of the City of Detroit; executive director of the Detroit Alliance for Fair Banking; and director of economic development for New Detroit, Inc., the nation’s oldest and largest race relations coalition. Later, as a part owner of a consulting firm, he consulted in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He represented Islamic Relief USA as community affairs representative, and currently supports new Muslims as the executive director of the Muslim Enrichment Project.
Wardah Khalid Wardah Khalid is a Scoville fellow at the Friends Committee on National Legislation Education Fund (FCNL), focusing on Iran nuclear diplomacy, non-violent policy to counter ISIS, and how U.S. militarism undermines locally-led peacebuilding in Iraq, Syria, and Israel/Palestine. Prior to FCNL, she was a CVE consultant in Houston and created a community plan to counter violent extremism in the local Muslim American community. Wardah has worked with various UN agencies including UNRWA, UNDP, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate. Wardah holds a master’s in international affairs from Columbia University, a BBA and MS in Accounting from Texas A&M University, and is a certified public accountant.
Abdul Khayum Khan Director General with the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Telangana State, an IPS Officer, a gold medalist in Chemistry, awarded with the Indian Police Medal in 1998 and the President Police Medal in 2007. In 35 years of service, he has held various positions in law enforcement departments including that of a Commissioner. He is the current Chairman of Telangana Minorities Residential Institutions Society, an initiative of the Telangana government to provide high quality education to minority students free of cost. This project has established 70 schools and admitted 14,000+ students in the span of just 5 months!
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Fahad Khan Dr. Fahad Khan has a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and holds two Masters degrees, one in Clinical Psychology and the other in Biomedical Sciences. He is also a Hafiz of the Qur'an and has studied Islamic Studies with various scholars in the Muslim world and the U.S. Dr. Khan has conducted his doctoral research studies on help-seeking attitudes of Muslim Americans as well as the effects of Acculturation & Religiosity on Psychological Distress. The focus of his clinical training has been with children and adolescents suffering from serious mental illnesses and he has had a broad range of experiences dealing with individuals from all age groups and cultural backgrounds.
Ghazala Khan Ghazala Khan was born in Pakistan. She attended Punjab University and Oriental College for her postgraduate degree in Persian literature. She taught at a women's college until she was married to Khizr Khan and moved to the UAE with her husband, and again later in 1980 to the United States where she has been the full time foundation of the family. She is beloved mother of three children, including CPT Humayun Khan and grandmother to four.
Khizr Khan Khizr Khan was born in Pakistan, where he attended Punjab University and University Law School. He was licensed to practice law in 1974, moved to the UAE, and later to the USA where he attended Harvard Law School for a LLM degree. He is licensed to practice law in New York and Federal District Courts in Southern and Western Districts of New York. He is a member of the American Bar Association and New York State Bar Association. He specializes in Commercial Civil Litigation Electronic Discovery and HIPAA Compliance. With Ghazala Khan he is the proud parent of three, including CPT Humayun Khan and four grandchildren.
Muqtedar Khan
20 countries.
Muqtedar Khan is a scholar at ISPU and an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware. He founded the Islamic studies program at the University of Delaware and was its first director from 2007-2010. He has been the president, vice president and general secretary of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists. Dr. Khan frequently comments on BBC, CNN International, FOX and VOA TV, Bridges TV, NPR and other radio and TV networks. His political commentaries appear regularly in newspapers in over
Nouman Ali Khan Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan was recently listed among the top 500 most influential Muslims in the world. He is the CEO of Bayyinah Institute, which furthers the cause of Qur'an awareness and Arabic education throughout the world. With several million followers in social media, Ustadh Nouman continues to leverage his world-wide reach to promote a better understanding of the Qur'an based on rigorous research, yet easy to understand language. He has already completed a video translation of the entire Qur'an, and is dedicated to completing an exhaustive tafsir over the next few years. He respectfully asks for your prayers in order for him to complete this noble mission.
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Saeed A. Khan Saeed A. Khan is a lecturer of Near East & Asian studies at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, where he teaches Islamic and Middle East history, politics and culture, and where he also is a fellow at the Center for the Study of Citizenship. He is also honorary fellow at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, Australia. His primary area of research is the identity politics of Muslim diaspora communities in the U.S., U.K. and Europe. In addition, he is a founding member and a senior research fellow at the Institute for Social Policy & Understanding: a Michigan-based think tank promoting the study and analysis of U.S. social and domestic policy.
Samia Khan Samia Khan has earned a bachelor in English literature and a master in education. She teaches honors and AP English to sophomores and seniors at a public high school in the suburbs of Chicago, starting her 9th year of teaching this fall. Her vision is to give voice to American Muslims in a time where a positive image of this group is dissenting from many. Fortunate enough to teach in a school where her students are void of these prejudices, she is mindful that this isn't the case in many other places. In efforts to spread awareness and unity, her hopes are to bridge this gap. Samia is a devoted mother and wife, using her little daughter as an inspiration to write children's books.
Amal Killawi Amal Killawi is a clinical social worker licensed in Michigan and New Jersey. She serves as a research fellow and community educator with The Family and Youth Institute and scholar with the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. She earned her bachelor’s in psychology, master’s in social work, and certificate in sexual health from the University of Michigan. Amal has worked as a counselor with college students and domestic violence survivors, researched and published on family and health challenges in the American Muslim community, and served as an online counselor and writer for VirtualMosque.com.
Amany Killawi Amany Killawi is the co-founder and COO of LaunchGood, a global crowdfunding platform to support Muslims raise funds for their projects. She is a graduate of the School of Social Work at Wayne State University, and founding member of the Detroit Minds and Hearts Fellowship (a program of MAS Youth Detroit), a social incubator where she works with Muslim youth to help them develop and launch their own community initiatives for social justice. As a youth organizer and macro social worker, she loves the big picture and brings an interesting mix of experience to her work and community.
Heather Laird-Jackson Heather Laird works to reduce the stigma in perceptions of how mental illness is accessed and understood in all underserved communities. She has an online program, “Muslims and Mental Health”. She is a doctoral candidate in psychology, holds an MPA, and has a master’s degree in clinical psychology, with a specialization in marriage and family therapy. She was an AAMFT doctoral fellow in the Minority Fellowship Program and an Albert Schweitzer Fellow. She was awarded the Global Psychology Award twice. And she received the Community Partnerships
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Award for her work with the LA County and Orange County Department of Mental Health. Her patients include many underserved minorities, such as Arabs, Latinos, African-Americans, Asians, South Asians and LGBT clients.
Waliya Lari Waliya Lari is an award-winning and highly recognized television news producer. Her accolades include Emmys, a Murrow and Associated Press awards. Currently she's the executive producer at WRAL News, one of the most watched local news channels in the country. Her duties include managing and running a 120-person newsroom that puts on the air nearly 10 hours of live news a day, and overseeing special news programming. A proud Texan and University of Texas at Austin alum, she lives in Raleigh with her husband.
Omar Lateef Dr. Omar Lateef, DO, is the chief medical officer and vice president of Rush University Medical Center. Dr. Lateef, a pulmonary and critical care medicine specialist, is associate professor of pulmonary medicine and former associate dean of medical sciences. As Rush’s senior physician leader, Dr. Lateef helps design, implement and ultimately oversee the organization’s clinical quality, patient safety and performance improvement initiatives. Dr. Lateef has been associate chief medical officer since 2009, senior vice chair of the Department of Medicine since 2012, and the associate dean of medical sciences in Rush Medical College since 2013.
Farhan Latif Farhan Latif is the president of the El-Hibri Foundation, a DC-based private foundation focused on promoting inclusion and community building through collective action, and capacity building. He is former COO and director of policy impact at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. He is an Aspen Scholar and a fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute. He received an MA from Harvard University with a focus in social entrepreneurship, philanthropy and education. He also holds a degree in business management and marketing, and completed graduate work in nonprofit management at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Khalid Latif
in the West.
Khalid Latif was appointed the first Muslim chaplain at NYU in 2005. At NYU, Khalid initiated his vision for a pluralistic American Muslim community, rooted on campus and reaching out to the city. In 2006, Imam Latif was appointed the first Muslim chaplain at Princeton University. In 2007, Imam Latif's position was fully institutionalized at New York University, and so he committed himself to the building of a Muslim life institution at NYU. Today's Islamic Center is a leader among American Muslim organizations, uniquely shaped to contribute to the future of Muslim practice
Syeda Madani Syeda M. Madani is an attorney with Amal Law Group, LLC where she practices health law, estate planning/probate, contract law, and commercial law. This past July, she was appointed to the Glendale Commission on Persons with Disabilities which advises the City Council on legal issues affecting the city’s disabled population. Passionate about her work and educating others, she has written legal columns for the Muslim Journal and the Chicago Crescent, given talks on radio 23
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programs, and carries a steady presence on the firm’s blog. Atty. Madani graduated from The John Marshall Law School where she earned two academic scholarships.
Hind Makki Hind Makki is an interfaith educator who develops and delivers workshops on active citizenship and community empowerment. An internationally recognized speaker, she has spoken on the subjects of interfaith cooperation, civic integration, and developing Muslim women’s leadership throughout the United States and Western Europe. Hind is also the founder and curator of Side Entrance, a website that documents women's prayer spaces and experiences in mosques, and she serves on the Islamic Society of North America's Mosque Inclusion Taskforce. Her work is focused on challenging misogyny, racism and sectarianism in Muslim communities across the country, and has been featured in a wide variety of media including ABC News, Al Jazeera English, National Public Radio, and The New York Times. Hind is an alumna of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute and holds a degree in international relations from Brown University.
Mariam Martinez Mariam Martinez holds a bachelor degree in humanities and liberal arts from the College of Mount St Joseph; she also has specialized training in second language Waldorf education, has trained on Parents as Teacher's curriculum and multiple aspects of early education and detection of at risk issues in children and families. Ms. Martinez has a long history of work with distinguished non-profits known for their best practices (Public Library of Cincinnati, Museum of Natural History and Science, Catholic Social Services and Red Cross). Her work revolves around family services and education with a multicultural approach (W.E.B. Dubois Academy--inner city school, Su Casa Hispanic Ministries, Woodford Paideia). With over 24 years of experience, she currently works at the Institute of Youth Development and Excellence developing special programming for Muslim children 4 to 11 years old.
Ingrid Mattson Dr. Ingrid Mattson is a scholar of Islamic studies, an expert in interfaith relations, and a Muslim religious leader. Since 2012, she has held the London and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic studies at Huron University College in London, Canada. Previously she was professor of Islamic studies at Hartford Seminary where she developed and directed the first accredited graduate program for Muslim chaplains in America. From 2001-2010, Dr. Mattson was elected and served as vice-president, then president, of ISNA. Her writings focus on Quranic studies, theological ethics and interfaith engagement. Dr. Mattson is a senior fellow of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman, Jordan and has served on many boards, including the Interfaith Taskforce of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the Council of Global Leaders of the C-100 of the World Economic Forum and the Leadership Group of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project.
Sam Miller Sam Miller is the fair lending counsel in the Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In this position, he provides expert legal advice regarding the Bureau’s oversight and enforcement of federal fair lending laws, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. Sam previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, 24
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and worked as a litigation associate at the law firm of Jenner & Block. Earlier in his career, Sam also served as a law clerk to district court Judge Suzanne B. Conlon, and worked as a research assistant in the International Finance Division of the Federal Reserve Board. Sam is a graduate of Northwestern University and the University of Chicago Law School.
Shabana Mir Shabana Mir is the author of the award-winning book Muslim American Women on Campus: Undergraduate Social Life and Identity. The book has received the Outstanding Book Award from the National Association for Ethnic Studies and the Critics’ Choice Award from the American Educational Studies Association. Dr. Mir has over thirteen years’ diverse teaching experience. Dr. Mir earned her PhD in education policy studies and anthropology, with a concentration in comparative education, from Indiana University, Bloomington. She received the Outstanding Dissertation Award for her doctoral dissertation from the American Anthropological Association’s Council on Anthropology and Education (2006). She conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the Washington, DC area, as a visiting researcher at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University. She also has an MA in English literature from Punjab University, Pakistan and an master of philosophy degree in education from Cambridge University (UK).
Dalia Mogahed Dalia Mogahed is the director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. Mogahed is former executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. With John L. Esposito, she coauthored the book Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think. President Barack Obama appointed Mogahed to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in 2009. She was invited to testify before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations about US engagement with Muslim communities, and she provided significant contributions to the Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Countering Violent Extremism Working Group recommendations. She is a frequent expert commentator in global media outlets and international forums. She is also the CEO of Mogahed Consulting.
Sabina Mohammed Sabina Mohammed is a certified public accountant (CPA) in Ernst & Young's Financial Accounting Advisory Services practice. She has five years of experience in various industries including retail, technology and oilfield services. Sabina also has a passion for serving the community in various capacities. Most recently, Sabina is a co-founder and counselor for Muslim Youth Serving Society (MYSS), a community service-based youth group designed for high school-aged Muslim girls to find a space to grow into the future leaders of our community. Sabina received her bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin – “Hook ‘em!” Although her consulting role takes her to various locations, Sabina is based in Houston, TX.
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Sohaib Mohiuddin He currently lives and practices in Kansas where he resides with his wife, Dr. Sana Malik and their two children. A former Fulbright Scholar during medical school, he has always been passionate about education and leadership, as he was awarded "Teacher of the Year" during his transitional year internship at MedStar Harbor Hospital and was elected as one of the few residents to serve on the Graduate Medical Education Committee during his radiology residency at Kansas University-Wichita. Active on various community boards, he directs several health care initiatives focused on improving access to high-quality health care in rural communities through his expertise in the field of telemedicine. In the past, Dr. Mohiuddin has served on the editorial board of the Journal of the Islamic Medical Association and also has been an advisor for the IMANA Student/Resident committee.
Farrukh Mohsen Farrukh Mohsen, PhD, is a senior managing engineer in Exponent’s Environmental Sciences practice. He provides expert opinions in litigations involving contamination primarily in ground water. Since 2004 he has been involved with Computer Literacy Program (CLP) with a mission to empower underprivileged youths through computer literacy. As of 2012, the program has established nearly 200 Computer Literacy centers in rural Bangladesh. Fifteen of these centers were sponsored by NABIC. CLP has now introduced smart classrooms where mainstream subjects are taught using computer animation on large screen monitors.
Hadia Mubarak Hadia Mubarak serves as an adjunct professor of religious studies with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Davidson College. She completed her PhD in Islamic studies from Georgetown University, where she specialized in modern and classical Qurʾanic exegesis, Islamic feminism, and gender reform in the modern Muslim world. Mubarak previously worked as researcher at the Gallup Organization’s Center for Muslim Studies, where she contributed research for Who Speaks for Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. In 2006, Mubarak joined the Islam in the Age of Globalization initiative. Mubarak authored an analysis of the questionnaire findings in the Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization. In 2004, Mubarak was the first female to be elected as president of the Muslim Students Association National. Mubarak received her master’s degree in contemporary Arab studies with a concentration in women and gender from Georgetown University. She received her bachelor’s degree in international affairs and English from Florida State University.
Humaira Mubeen A Washington DC native, Humaira is the co-founder and CEO of Ishqr. Ishqr is an online dating platform to connect millennial Muslims. Humaira has a background in psychology and international affairs and is also on the board of PakathonDC and Refugees Welcome USA. She graduated from The George Washington University in 2012 with a degree in psychology and international affairs and is currently attending the Pratt Institute for a master’s degree in design management in New York City. Her interests include entrepreneurship, startups, mental health and the Muslim American Identity.
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Bahiyyah Muhammad Bahiyyah Muhammad, PhD, is an assistant professor of criminology at Howard University. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She received her doctorate from Rutgers University’s School of Criminal Justice. Previously, Dr. Muhammad served as Director of the College Bound Consortium, a prisoner degree-granting program. Dr. Muhammad’s major research interests are mass incarceration, familial imprisonment and youth reentry. Focusing specifically on those issues pertaining to children of the incarcerated and Muslim families. Most recently, Dr. Muhammad was honored by SMILE, Inc., for her innovative work inside correctional facilities around the world with Islamic families.
YaQutullah Muhammad YaQutullah Ibraheem Muhammad MS, RDN LD received her Bachelor’s degree in nutrition and Masters degree in Health Sciences and Nutrition from Georgia State University in Atlanta Gerogia. Mrs. Muhammad has also studied in Egypt and Malaysia. YaQutullah is a member of Muslims in Dietetics and Nutrition (MIDAN), a member interest group of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is certified in adult weight management. As part of the primary care team, she provides nutrition education to veterans and their families at the Carl Vinson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dublin, Georgia. She also contributes writings for Azizah Magazine, a magazine that provides the world a view to Muslim women in North America and the world as well as (The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America) IFANCA’s Halal Consumer Magazine.
Ibtihaj Muhammad A five-time Senior World team medalist and 2014 Senior World Team Champion, Muhammad made history in Rio as the first U.S. woman to compete in the Olympic Games in hijab. She earned the bronze medal as part of Team USA, becoming the first female Muslim-American athlete to earn a medal at the Olympics. Ranked as high as No. 7 in the world during the 2015-16 season, Muhammad has won both individual and team medals on the World Cup circuit. Muhammad trains in New York City at the Peter Westbrook Foundation. Muhammad, a three-time AllAmerican, graduated from Duke University with a dual major in international relations and African studies, and a minor in Arabic. In 2014, Muhammad launched her own clothing company, Louella, which aims to bring modest fashionable clothing to the United States market. She also is a sports ambassador, where she serves on the U.S. Department of State’s Empowering Women and Girls Through Sport Initiative. She has traveled to various countries to engage in dialogue on the importance of sports and education.
Precious Rasheeda Muhammad Precious Rasheeda Muhammad is an independent scholar of Islam in America. She’s widely recognized for her original research contributions, including her discovery of a forgotten autobiography of an African of Muslim heritage who served in the U.S. Civil War; her “Presidential Engagement with Muslim Communities” exhibit for the U.S. Department of State, and her “Muslims and the Making of America” special report published by MPAC which was widelydistributed to hundreds of policymakers, including members of Congress and White House officials. Precious brings nearly 20 years of commitment to interfaith work, including chaplaincy at a 770-bed hospital, and significant roles in planning and implementing the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions. She is currently writing two books with a focus on the history of Islam in America. 27
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Alaa Murabit Nicknamed “The Libyan Doogie Howser” by Jon Stewart, Alaa Murabit is a medical doctor, UN High-Level Commissioner and one of only 17 Sustainable Development Goals Global Advocates appointed by the UN Secretary General. A champion for inclusive peace processes, Alaa founded VLW at the age of 21 and her programs are now replicated internationally. She acts as advisor to numerous international security boards and organizations and as a trustee for International Alert and Keeping Children Safe. An Ashoka fellow, Murabit is the youngest Marisa Bellisario International Humanitarian Award recipient; New York Times “International Trust Women Hero”; Newsweek’s “25 under 25 to watch”; a BBC “100 Top Women”; and SAFE Global Hero. Her TED Talk, “What my religion really says about women” was “Talk of the Day” and one of four “moving TED Talks to watch right now” by New York Times. Alaa was most recently elected an MIT director’s fellow.
Zarinah Nadir Zarinah Nadir is an Arizona attorney, a former public defender, and a longtime community activist particularly concerned with youth and women's empowerment. She's the Secretary of the Islamic Social Services Association-USA, a national non-profit addressing the need for Muslim sensitive social services and co-founder of Al-Mu'minah which instills activism and leadership skills in young Muslim women. Her research interests focus on marital and inheritance rights in Islam and their enforceability in the U.S. Zarinah is also a social entrepreneur and focuses on access to justice for Americans and Canadians through LegalShield.
Rami Nashashibi Rami Nashashibi has served as the Executive Director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) since its incorporation as a nonprofit in January 1997. He has a PhD in sociology from the University of Chicago and has been an adjunct professor at various colleges and universities across the Chicagoland area, where he has taught a range of sociology, anthropology, and other social science courses. Rami has lectured across the world on a range of topics related to American Muslim identity, community activism and social justice issues, and is a recipient of several prestigious community service and organizing honors.
Ahmad Nassar Ahmad Nassar, is president of NFL Players Incorporated, the licensing and marketing arm of the NFL Players Association. He oversees all operations of the company including commercial negotiations with the NFL and key partners such as Electronic Arts, Nike, Fanatics, Uber, ESPN and others. Ahmad also teaches sports law at Georgetown University and speaks at conferences and conventions nationwide. Ahmad received his juris doctor from the University of Chicago School of Law and graduated with bachelor's degrees in economics and Near Eastern studies from the University of Michigan. Following law school, Mr. Nassar served as a law clerk to the Honorable Denise Page Hood, United States District Judge in the Eastern District of Michigan. Prior to joining the NFLPA, he counseled clients in a variety of practice areas, including white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations, antitrust and intellectual property issues, and a wide range of matters affecting labor unions.
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Mona Negm Mona Negm has worked for 40 years in the field of aging, working in areas of policy, research and practice, at the local, state and national level. One early volunteer experience began from her work with the Pump House community, seeing the need for outreach, education and community engagement to low income African Americans. She has been the consultant for the World Bank on North African Women Development, the chair of the Muslim Community Center Senior Program, and established the first Muslim senior program in Montgomery County. She is currently the chair of Montgomery Country Muslim Foundation’s Senior Program and Montgomery Country Alumni Commissioner on Aging. She is also a member of the County Committee on Hate and Violence with the Office of Human Rights, the Country Executive Vital Living Network, and the American Society on Aging Network on Multi-Cultural Aging. She is the founder and president of the American Muslim Senior Society.
Rashed Nizam Rashed Nizam is the founding director of the Mid-Missouri Eye center. He is a diplomat for the American Board of Ophthalmology and a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is the chief of surgery of Moberly Regional medical center, and the president of the North American Bangladeshi Islamic Community (NABIC). He is currently teaching a course on Islam at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Also, he is a member of the Religious Program Advisory Committee (RPAC), a member of the Missouri Correction Department, and a member of the ISNA Founders Coordination Committee (IFCC). In the past, he was chairman of the Shura Council of the Islamic Center of Central Missouri (ICCM), and chairman of the Islamic School of Columbia, Missouri. Nizam was also president of the Islamic Center of Central Missouri, and a member of the Faith Voice of Columbia, MO.
Salah Obeidallah Salah Obeidallah is among the founders of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, New Jersey, and had been its president for ten years. He also served as the executive director of the Islamic Education Foundation of New Jersey that oversaw three Islamic schools. Brother Salah holds an MBA degree and has held corporate managerial positions of chief financial officer and chief executive officer in engineering and manufacturing sectors.
Manal Omar Manal Omar is the associate vice president for the Middle East and Africa Center. Previously, she was regional program manager of the Middle East for Oxfam - Great Britain, where she responded to humanitarian crises in Palestine and Lebanon. She also worked with Women for Women International as regional coordinator for Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan and served as an international advisor for the Libya Stabilization Team in Benghazi in 2011. Omar lived in Baghdad from 2003 to 2005, and set up operations in Iraq. She launched her career as a journalist in the Middle East in 1996. UNESCO recruited her to work on one of her first lead assignments in Iraq in 1997-1998. Omar also spent more than three years with the World Bank’s development economics group. Her articles and opinion pieces have appeared in The Guardian, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Azizah Magazine and Islamica Magazine.
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Catherine Orsborn Catherine Orsborn is the campaign director of Shoulder to Shoulder, a national campaign of religious and interfaith organizations dedicated to standing in multi-religious solidarity against anti-Muslim bigotry in the U.S. She previously worked at the University of Denver with the social justice community on campus, and as a researcher at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. She received her undergraduate degree from Asbury University in Kentucky, holds an MA in religious studies from the University of Denver and is a doctoral candidate in the joint program in religious studies at the University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology.
Reyhana Patel Reyhana Patel is a journalist, researcher and writer. She is the head of media and external relations at Islamic Relief Canada. She is a former BBC News producer and a contributing writer to the Huffington Post UK and The Independent newspaper in the UK. During her time at Islamic Relief, she led and managed a number of GBV projects and campaigns - specifically around domestic violence, FGM/C and early marriages.
Sajid Patel Sajid Patel’s leadership has helped transform Optimal Design into a driving force for innovative design and engineering primarily in the Internet of Things, wearable electronics, and virtual reality industries. His firm has developed products for Google, Harley Davidson, BOSCH and other leading companies. Sajid was invited to attend the TED 2016 Conference where he helped showcase advanced virtual reality technologies developed by his team. Optimal Design has been named one of the Top 50 companies in IoT, received the prestigious Red Dot Design award and was recognized in Forbes Magazine. His firm’s products have also been featured on the Shark Tank. Sajid provides strategic advice to early stage startups as well as large corporations. He speaks at industry trade shows and technology summits. He enjoys maintaining work life balance by spending time with his wife, four children, as well as friends and family.
Maisha Pesante Maisha Pesante successfully matriculated from medical school, and completed residency in the nation’s top program of her field while rearing 6 small children. Dr. Pesante is no stranger to adversity. Various struggles, including illness and motherhood, led Dr. Pesante to formally study medicine. A lifetime of diverse and sometimes difficult circumstances inspire her passion for serving Allah SWT by serving humanity through the healing arts. This drives her beyond her current role as a physician in federal prison into work with young Muslims in her own community. As the principal coordinator of the Youth Leadership Initiative in her local masjid, she seeks to shape young Muslims into future leaders in their workplace, home, and communities, as rooted in the example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAS. Dr. Pesante continues to inspire Muslims, young and old, to triumph over trauma, using it as a means for spiritual growth.
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Albert Pless Albert Pless is the president of AMHP and the program manager for the Men’s Health League at the Cambridge Public Health Department in Cambridge, MA. He has over 20 years of experience working with the underserved population in the Greater Boston area. He has directed a nationally recognized community health workers program for Black and Latino men at the Boston Public Health Commission, and serves on numerous boards and committees including Emerge DV, the Men’s Health Caucus, and the Black Health Care Workers Caucus, both of which belong to the American Public Health Association (APHA).
Muslema Purmul Muslema Purmul graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a double major in religious studies and Middle Eastern studies. She completed the bachelor’s program in sharia from al-Azhar University in Cairo, and also completed almost two years of graduate work at the American University in Cairo in Islamic studies. Recently she served as the Young Muslims program director at the Islamic Center of Irvine where she provided support, religious education, and leadership for programming related to youth and young professionals. She has taught classes and spoken nationally and internationally about issues related to Islamic law and ethics in a variety of different settings including conferences, retreats, universities, libraries, and mosques. Currently she serves the Muslim students at UCLA and USC as a chaplain with Institute of Knowledge and is a co-founder and contributor to Safa Center for Research and Education.
Yasir Qadhi Yasir Qadhi is a lecturer and Islamic orator who has authored several books about Islam. He is a popular speaker in many Muslim circles in the United States, Canada, England and Australia. He was born in Houston, Texas, went to high school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and graduated with a BSc in chemical engineering from the University of Houston. He pursued an education in Islamic studies, and left for the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. There, he completed a second bachelor’s degree, specializing in hadith studies, and then went on to complete an MA in Islamic theology. After the horrific events of 9/11, he decided to return to America, and completed a PhD in Islamic Studies from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Currently, he is an associate professor of religious studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, the dean of academic affairs of Al-Maghrib Institute, and the resident scholar of the Memphis Islamic Center.
Habeeb Quadri Habeeb Quadri is an educator, author, and youth activist. He has a bachelor in teaching of history and a master’s in school administration. He currently is taking a few courses a year at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education – Principal Center, where he works as part-time staff in their professional development programs. Habeeb has delivered hundreds of lectures on Islam, society, and social problems confronting Muslim youth and the community at large for the last 15 years. He has started his own educational consulting company called High Quality Educational Consulting. His Consulting Company has partnered up with IQRA Foundation to initiate the first national Islamic studies standardized test and national Islamic studies benchmarks. Habeeb is currently on the National Advisory Board for MYNA, CISNA, Cook County Sheriff Muslim Advisory Board, Illinois Coalition of Non-Public School, IQRA Foundation and in the past for the Dean of DePaul University’s School of Education. 31
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Ash-har Quraishi Ash-har Quraishi is an Emmy Award-winning television journalist, producer and filmmaker with more than 15 years of international, investigative and long-form reporting/production experience. He is currently a reporter for NBC5 in Chicago. He was most recently the chief Midwest correspondent for Al Jazeera America based in Chicago. Previously, he reported for WTTW’s flagship nightly news magazine show Chicago Tonight and was a CNN international correspondent and bureau chief. His reporting and photography has been featured on CNN, The PBS NewsHour, A&E, The Oprah Winfrey Show and in The New York Times.
Sameera Qureshi Sameera Qureshi, is an occupational therapist who earned her MS degree from Tufts University in Boston, MA. From 2011 - 2015, Sameera worked in Calgary, Canada to develop and run Islamic sexual health curricula in Islamic schools, mosques, and for professionals working with Muslims. Sameera has been working with HEART Women and Girls since 2012 to facilitate sexual health education initiatives within Muslim communities. Sameera currently lives in Washington, DC where she is starting to collaborate with DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area organizations to address sexual health education and sexual violence prevention. She also maintains a blog called “Muslim Sistah” and can be found on Twitter @muslimsistah.
Rasheed Rabbi Rasheed Rabbi has 15 years of professional experience in Information Technology and currently working as a principle IT analyst of iTek Corporation. He received his MS in Software Engineering from George Mason University, and BS in Computer Information System (CIS) from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He also received an MA in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations from Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT, and pursuing Islamic chaplaincy.
Tahera Rahman Tahera Shireen Rahman is the evening news producer at CBS 4 News in the Quad Cities (Illinois/Iowa), where she produces the 4:00 and 5:00 pm newscasts. Prior to this, she was producer of Radio Islam, the nation’s first daily, live talk show produced by Muslims for the mainstream market. During her tenure, Tahera led the organization to a 200% growth increase. Tahera has spoken locally as well as internationally on topics that relate to the intersection of media, women and Islamophobia. She has also worked with Al Jazeera English in Doha, Qatar, and CBS Evening News, Chicago bureau. Tahera graduated from Loyola University Chicago magna cum laude in journalism and international studies, where she was the first Muslim--as well as first Muslim woman--editor-inchief of The Loyola Phoenix, the university’s award-winning, weekly newspaper.
Tariq Ramadan Dr. Tariq Ramadan is professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford University, teaching in two faculties of oriental studies and theology & religion. He is a senior research fellow at St Antony’s College (Oxford) and Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan); visiting professor at the faculty of Islamic studies, (Qatar); director of the research centre of Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) (Doha, Qatar), president of the think tank European Muslim Network (EMN) in Brussels and a member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars. He holds an MA in philosophy and French 32
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literature and PhD in Arabic and Islamic studies from the University of Geneva. In Cairo, Egypt he received oneon-one intensive training in classic Islamic scholarship from Al-Azhar University scholars. Through his writings and lectures, Dr. Tariq Ramadan has contributed to the debate on the issues of Muslims in the West and Islamic revival in the Muslim world. His research interests include the issues of Islamic legislation, politics, ethics, Sufism and the Islamic contemporary challenges in both the Muslim-majority countries and the West. He is active at both academic and grassroots levels.
Kameelah Rashad Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad is the founder and president of Muslim Wellness Foundation (MWF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing stigma associated with mental illness, addiction and trauma in the American Muslim community. Kameelah serves as the interfaith fellow and Muslim chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on religious identity development and challenges faced by American Muslim youth. In addition to Kameelah’s involvement in mental health advocacy and religious life, she is a proud social justice activist, supporting causes related to police brutality, racial and religious profiling and anti-Muslim bigotry. Kameelah graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in psychology and MEd in psychological services. She has a second master’s in restorative practices and youth counseling (MRP), is a certified instructor in adult and youth mental health first aid and is currently pursuing her doctorate in clinical psychology at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA.
Ebrahim Rasool Ebrahim Rasool, former ambassador of South Africa to the United States, currently serves as Georgetown University’s new distinguished scholar-in-residence. Prior to his ambassadorship, he served from 2004 to 2008 as premier of South Africa’s Western Cape province, which includes Cape Town as its capital, governing as a member of the African National Congress. Rasool founded the World for All Foundation in 2010 to rethink the intellectual tools for global cooperative relations among faiths, cultures and communities. Through the foundation, Rasoolworks to establish dignity, inclusion and equity for people who are marginalized and excluded – especially those in the Muslim minority communities.
Sabeeha Rehman Sabeeha Rehman came to the United States in 1971. She went back to school to get her master’s in healthcare administration, and began her career as a hospital administrator. In the early 1980s, she began the work of establishing a Muslim community on Staten Island, which culminated in the building of a mosque. She served as the first editor of the newsletter of the mosque. When her grandson Omar was diagnosed with Autism, she devoted herself to serving families affected by Autism. She co-founded the National Autism Association, New York Metro chapter and served as its president. Ms. Rehman’s memoir Threading My Prayer Rug. One Woman’s Journey from Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim was published by Arcade Publishing, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. She served as the director of interfaith programs at the American Society for Muslim Advancement, and as the chief operating officer at The Cordoba Initiative.
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Sonia Rehman Sonia Syed Rehman is a behavioral healthcare provider. Her current work with George Mason University involves establishing drug/alcohol prevention program in primary care offices and emergency rooms in local hospitals. Her prior experience includes working with New York City police officers in the aftermath of 9/11. That experience instigated the need to bring immigrant and Muslim narratives to light through social entrepreneurship. She also taught individuals how to keep balance between their career aspirations, family values, and personal health at Princeton University Healthcare System. She holds a master’s and post master’s degrees in counseling psychology with specialization in addiction from Monmouth University.
Hamid Rezapour Hamid Rezapour has operated dental practices in the Bay Area for the past twenty-five years. He holds an MBA degree from the University of Berkeley Haas School of Business and Columbia University in New York. He has been involved with angel investment groups since 2000 and has been at the founder’s level of several startups while serving on the board of several private and venture capital backed companies. He is also the founder and CEO of Vertical Ventures, a private equity investment firm in the Bay Area. Dr. Rezapour is the founder of the Islamic Scholarship Fund, the largest scholarship program of its kind in the nation. He is also one of the founders of the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California and has been an active member of the Muslim community for the past 30 years.
Mansoor Sabree Mansoor Sabree has long served as a community leader in Atlanta through being a full time imam (religious leader), non-profit director and organizer. For 10 years, Mansoor served as imam and director of the Atlanta Masjid. He recently joined the Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN) team as the Atlanta Regional Community organizer. Mansoor has lectured throughout the United States as well as in West Africa and the Middle East on a range of topics including Islam in America, community development, African American history and social justice. Mansoor is fluent in Arabic and is a fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute (AMCLI) at the University of Southern California.
Abdulaziz Sachedina Abdulaziz Sachedina (PhD) is a professor and IIIT chair in Islamic studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Sachedina, who has studied in India, Iraq, Iran, and Canada, obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto. He has been conducting research and writing in the field of Islamic law, ethics, and theology (Sunni and Shiite) for more than two decades. In the last ten years, he has concentrated on social and political ethics, including interfaith and intrafaith relations, Islamic biomedical ethics and Islam and human rights. Dr. Sachedina’s publications include: Islamic Biomedical Ethics: Theory and Application (Oxford University Press, February 2009), Islam and the Challenge of Human Rights (Oxford University Press, September 2009), in addition to numerous articles in academic journals.
Taher Saif Dr. Taher Saif is Gutgsell Professor of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. His current research includes tumor micro environment, mechanics of neurons and cardiac cells, development of biological machines, amongst others.
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Maryum Saifee Maryum Saifee serves as a policy advisor in the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues in the U.S. Department of State. She served as assistant cultural attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo during the 2011 uprising and as vice consul at U.S. Embassy Baghdad. Until recently, she worked in the Secretary’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs covering the office’s gender portfolio. She also managed the Arab League portfolio in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Maryum served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan from 20002002 and as an AmeriCorps volunteer mobilizing South Asian communities in Seattle. Ms. Saifee has also worked and consulted for a broad range of international development and rights-based organizations. She holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She is proficient in Spanish and Arabic.
Ayaz Samadani Dr. Ayaz Samadani has been a family practitioner since 1971 and has received board certification in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool, UK in 1967 and certification in Child Health from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in London, UK, in 1968. Dr. Samadani has served in a number of leadership roles. He is the immediate past Chair of the Governor’s appointed Public Health Council, Department of Health and Family Services, Wisconsin. He is the Past President and Board member of the Wisconsin Medical Society. Also served as the Chair of the CME committee for the Medical Research and Education Foundation. He served as President of the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation and Chair of Finance Committee of the Beaver Dam Scholarship Foundation.Previously, he was part of the Board of Trustees Physician Insurance Company of Wisconsin and member Claims & Underwriting Committee, Chair Continuing Medical Education Committee and Pro Assurance Medical Liability Publically traded NY Firm.
Lori Saroya Lori Saroya is the chapter development director for CAIR, the nation's leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. She founded CAIR-Minnesota and served as its executive director for 8 years, receiving several awards and recognitions for her work, including a Congressional Tribute, the Governor's Distinguished Service Award, the American Bar Association Difference Makers Award and the Minnesota-based Bush Fellowship. Lori serves on the Minnesota Judicial Branch Committee for Equality and Justice, Blaine Charter Commission and the St. Paul Human Rights Commission. She received her undergraduate degree from St. Catherine University, juris doctor from Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and nonprofit management certificate from Georgetown University. She was a policy fellow at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Linda Sarsour Linda Sarsour is a working woman, racial justice and civil rights activist, and mother of three. Linda shatters stereotypes of Muslim women while also treasuring her religious and ethnic heritage. Palestinian Muslim American. She is the executive director of the Arab American Association of New York and co-founder and CEO of a soon to launch, Muslim online organizing platform. Linda has been at the forefront of major civil rights campaigns, including calling for an end to unwarranted surveillance of New York’s Muslim communities. Linda has received numerous awards and honors including “Champion of Change” by the White House, the New York City Council’s Shirley 35
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Chisholm Women of Distinction Award, and received the inaugural American Muslim of the Year honor from the Council on American Islamic Relations.
Shahid Shah Shahid Shah is an award-winning Government 2.0, Health IT, and Medical Device Integration software expert and internationally-recognized thought leader with over 26 years of technology strategy, software engineering, entrepreneurship, speaking, and writing experience. He’s a serial entrepreneur that has co-founded and led Netspective.com, Physia.com, InfluentialNetworks.com, HealthcareGuy.com, HITSphere.com, and simplifyMD.com within the last few years; he has another two stealth startups in the works. His primary responsibility is as CEO of Netspective Communications, a computer software architecture & engineering firm delivering custom software for in-house, outsourced, or offshore solutions.
Zulfiqar Ali Shah Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah is the executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America and director of religious affairs of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. He received his PhD from the University of Wales, U.K., obtained his MA and BA from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He is Hafiz of al-Qur’an. He has taught at the International Islamic University Islamabad, University of Wales, University of Northeast Florida and St. Thomas University. He is the former president of the Sharia’ Scholars Association of North America and Islamic Circle of North America. He has authored many scholarly articles and several books on a variety of subjects. His books include the Astronomical Calculations and Ramadan: A Fiqhi Discourse and A Study of Anthropomorphism and Transcendence in the Bible and Qur’an: Scripture & God in the Judeo-Christian & Islamic Tradition. His areas of interests are comparative religions, tafseer, Islamic theology, Islamic philosophy, comparative fiqh, Islamic history and Islamic civilization.
Munir Shaikh Munir Shaikh M.A. is the Director of Academic Affairs at Bayan Claremont, a graduate institution educating American Muslim scholars and leaders. Munir has nearly 25 years of experience as an educator and administrator. He spearheaded several online educational initiatives of HADI, including development of QFI's Al-Masdar Arabic resource website, and LangCred. He serves as Executive Director of the Institute on Religion and Civic Values, an organization that provides textbook reviews and teacher training, and engages international educators and policymakers on curriculum development. He is a frequent commentator, textbook reviewer, consultant and technical advisor on issues pertaining to Islam’s place in world history, the practice of Islam and the Muslim community experience in contemporary America.
Riyad Shamma Riyad Shamma is the founder and executive director of the Institute of Youth Development and Excellence, established in 2007. He is currently a PhD candidate in nonprofit management. He served as the national advisor for MYNA for 12 years and has worked with youth as a counselor, trainer, advisor and organizer for almost 30 years. He has developed many workshops, seminars, retreats and camps for youth and families. He is an invited speaker at various universities, Islamic schools, masjids and other organizations. He is a regular khateeb at several masjids and has served as a prison chaplain. He is married with three children 15, 17 and 19. 36
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Gloria Shareef While both Gloria and Samuel’s professional and spiritual accomplishments are vast and impressive; it is their role as “parents” that brings them the most joy. Ten years ago the word “donor” was added their title as parents when they made the extraordinarily selfless decision to donate their daughter’s organs after she was killed in a car accident. Four lives were saved that day. As Donor Parents, Gloria and Samuel are now part of a family that includes thousands of other Donor Families in this country who bravely honored their loved ones by ensuring their legacies live – and sometimes their hearts - beat on.
Samuel Shareef While both Gloria and Samuel’s professional and spiritual accomplishments are vast and impressive; it is their role as “parents” that brings them the most joy. Ten years ago the word “donor” was added their title as parents when they made the extraordinarily selfless decision to donate their daughter’s organs after she was killed in a car accident. Four lives were saved that day. As Donor Parents, Gloria and Samuel are now part of a family that includes thousands of other Donor Families in this country who bravely honored their loved ones by ensuring their legacies live – and sometimes their hearts - beat on.
Maggie Siddiqi Maggie Siddiqi is Communications Manager for the El-Hibri Foundation. She previously served as Program Director for AMHP and earlier as Program Coordinator at ISNA’s Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances in Washington, DC. She previously served as research assistant for a DCbased government consulting firm, was a field organizer in Minnesota for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, and legislative intern in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute. She has a MA in Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations and a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy from Hartford Seminary, and a BA in religion from Wesleyan University.
Muzammil Siddiqi Muzammil Siddiqi received his BA in Islamic and Arabic studies from the Islamic University of Medina, Saudi Arabia and later went on to complete a degree in comparative religion at Harvard University. Since 1981, he has served as the director of the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove, California. He is the chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America. Internationally, he is a member of the executive board of the International Assembly of the Council of Ulama’ in Makkah; a member of the Supreme Islamic Council of Egypt and the Supreme Council of Mosques in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. In October 2011, he was invited by Pope Benedict XVI to join him and many other religious leaders of the world in a pilgrimage of peace. Dr. Siddiqi served as the president of ISNA from 1996 – 2000, and is a current member of ISNA’s Majlis Ash-Shura.
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Nadeem Siddiqi Nadeem Siddiqi has been extensively involved in community activism at both the local and national levels for over 25 years. He has previously served on the MSA National Executive Committee as well as MAS Youth National Executive Committee during his student days. Nadeem currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors of The Family and Youth Institute (The FYI), a research and education non-profit. He is also an active member of MAS, the Muslim American Society, and presently serves as the chairman of its national board of trustees. Nadeem holds a PhD in finance and works in the area of retail finance. He is married and has 3 daughters.
Anthony Simpkins Anthony Simpkins is an African-American Muslim attorney, a lifelong resident of Chicago, and an active member of the community. He received his JD and an MA in political science in 1994 from Loyola University Chicago Law School, where he is still an alumni mentor for, and past president of, the Black Law Student Association. Anthony became the first Muslim judge in the State of Illinois appointed to the First Judicial Subcircuit by the Illinois Supreme Court. He is currently assigned to the First Municipal District, in the Building Code Violation Division. Prior to his current position, Anthony was a senior counsel with the City of Chicago Law Department’s Building and Land Use Litigation Division. Anthony supervises several special projects designed to preserve and rehabilitate affordable housing, including the award winning Troubled Building Initiative and the Winter Heat Receiver Project.
Ermin Sinanović Ermin Sinanović (PhD) is currently the director of research and academic programs at the International Institute of Islamic Thought, and he is also the director of The Fairfax Institute. Before joining the IIIT, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. He studied for an MA and a PhD in political science at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Prof. Sinanovic obtained two BAs from the International Islamic University Malaysia, and an MA from the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His research interests include transnational Islamic revival, revival and reform in Islam, Islamic political thought, Southeast Asian politics, and Islam and politics. He speaks Bosnian, English, Arabic, and Malay.
Charles Swift In 2007, Charles retired from the U.S. Navy, where for the last 13 years he worked in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG), in addition to his service as a surface warfare officer. While in the JAG Corps, he worked principally in the area of criminal defense, earning a reputation as a premier trial attorney. During his tenure, Charles was involved in litigation in some of the highest profile cases in the U.S. military. Most noteworthy, is his quest for justice at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, concluding with the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. Following his military career, Charles was a visiting professor and head of the Humanitarian Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia, before leaving to enter private practice in Seattle. In 2014, Charles became the director of the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America.
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Labib H. Syed Dr. Syed specializes in Vascular & Interventional Radiology and graduated from Universidad Iberoamericana, Santo Domingo. He is affiliated with F. F. Thompson Hospital, Strong Memorial Hospital, and University of Rochester Medical Center, N.Y.
Sarah Syed Sarah Syed (PhD) works at the Khalil Center in Glen Ellyn, IL. Dr. Syed completed her PsyD from the Texas School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University in Dallas. Her doctoral research studied the attitudes among Muslim Americans toward psychotherapy. Dr. Syed has presented on a variety of topics including domestic violence in the Muslim community, stigma of mental health care among Muslim Americans, the effects of Islamophobia on Muslim American youth, and sexual abuse in Muslim Communities. Dr. Syed has a particular interest in Muslim American couples and families and how cultural expectations, religious beliefs, and acculturation issues can affect marital satisfaction.
Tayyaba Syed Award-winning author and journalist Tayyaba Syed is an editorial associate for Daybreak Press. She has written for numerous publications, including a feature on National Public Radio. Islamic Writers Alliance awarded her first place for her short story called “The Blessed Banana Tree.” She is the co-author of Umm Nura’s Jannah Jewels Book 6: Mystery in Morocco and Book 7: Triumph in Turkey. Tayyaba was selected by Georgetown University - Qatar as a panelist for their Writing Women’s Lives Conference. While there, she also lectured at Texas A&M University and the American School of Doha. She regularly leads workshops and seminars on writing and publishing at various schools, libraries and community centers. Tayyaba is an active volunteer for Rabata and Sisters Steppin’ Up and is pursuing her Islamic Studies certification through the Ribaat Academic Institute. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three young children.
Mariya Taher Mariya Taher (co-founder of Sahiyo) received her master in social work from San Francisco State University in 2010. Since then, she has worked on the issue of domestic violence at W.O.M.A.N., Inc., Asian Women’s Shelter, Saheli, and Support and Friendship for South Asian Women and Families in Massachusetts. She was a 2014 Women’s Policy Institute fellow for The Women’s Foundation of California and her team successfully passed legislation to provide low-income survivors of domestic violence with basic needs grants. Currently, she is working with the Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association on passing state legislation to criminalize FGC and build public awareness campaigns around FGC within the state. In 2015, she cofounded Sahiyo, a transnational organization with the mission to empower Dawoodi Bohra and other Asian communities to end female genital cutting and create positive social change through dialogue, education and collaboration based on community involvement.
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Anam Tariq Dr. Anam Tariq is completing her internal medicine residency in Pennsylvania. While she enjoys the dynamic patient population she encounters, she spends her time volunteering in DC, MD, VA with homeless shelters, free health clinics, mentoring high school and medical students, tutoring college students, enjoying time with her families and playing tennis. She has worked in several states and traveled on mission trips outside the U.S. Her goals for the future are working as a physician, helping low-income communities, educating women and minorities in health, and educating the future medical students.
Asad Tarsin Asad Tarsin has been designing Islamic educational programs and teaching the basics of Islam for more than a decade. After completing his bachelor's degree in Islamic studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he continued his study of Islamic theology, sacred law, philosophy and spirituality with some of the country’s most prominent Muslim scholars including Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Dr. Sherman Jackson, among others. He has served as the curriculum director for the Deen Intensive Foundation for the last ten years and has a particular interest in creating sustainable models of education for new and returning Muslims. He lectures and teaches courses on Islam across the country. Being Muslim: A Practical Guide is his first published work. He is an emergency physician by training and lives in California with his wife and three children.
Jihad Turk
on youth.
Jihad Turk, President of Bayan Claremont, a graduate school designed to educate Muslim scholars and religious leaders. He previously served as the Director of Religious Affairs at the Islamic Center of Southern California, the oldest and largest mosque in the Los Angeles area. His field of research focuses on Islamic Law with an emphasis on usul al-fiqh, or jurisprudence as well as theology. His current interests also include identity formation in the American-Muslim community, interfaith relations, Islamic reform movements, and community leadership and development with a focus
Wakar Uddin Dr. Wakar Uddin is a professor at Penn State University, the director general of Arakan Rohingya Union, chairman and founder of the Burmese Rohingya Association of North America, and the president of Muslim Aid America. Dr. Uddin leads ARU in seeking a political solution to the issues faced by the Rohingya ethnic minority in Myanmar, to reclaim their citizenship that guarantees their political and human rights, to foster relations between Rohingya and fellow ethnic groups of Myanmar, and to advance the Rohingya people through improvement of social, economic, cultural, and educational infrastructures. Dr. Uddin is founder of BRANA, working closely with the US and Canadian governments within legislation, policy formulation, and humanitarian as well as political support for issues facing the Rohingya ethnic minority in Myanmar and other countries. Dr. Uddin heads Muslim Aid America, a branch of UK based Muslim Aid, a non-profit global relief organization operating in the US.
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Mustafa Umar Mustafa Umar (Shaykh) was born and raised in Orange County, California. He completed his bachelor’s in information and computer science from the University of California - Irvine while studying Arabic. He then studied at Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow, India and then to Cairo, Egypt. Next, he received a degree in theology & Islamic law from the European Institute of Islamic Sciences. Most recently, Shaykh Mustafa has also completed his MA in Islamic studies from the University of Gloucestershire and authored several books. He currently serves as the director of the seminary at California Islamic University.
Naushad Virji Naushad Virji was born in Italy in 1971, but has lived in Florida since 1975. Naushad earned a degree in business administration from the University of Florida, and then went on to successfully complete his series 65 NASD examination to become a registered investment advisor representative. Based in the Orlando area office, Naushad is the CEO of ShariaPortfolio. With an interest in activism and community service, Naushad co-founded the United Muslim Foundation, where he currently serves on the board of directors. Naushad is also on the advisory board of Advance Law, a Washington, DC-based legal consulting firm that works with some of the largest companies in the world to help them retain quality law firms that have been carefully vetted to provide superior value.
Dawud Walid Dawud Walid is currently the executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) and is a member of the Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) imams’ committee. Walid has also been a political blogger for the Detroit News from January 2014 until the present. He has been interviewed and quoted in approximately 100 media outlets ranging from the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Jet Magazine, National Public Radio, CNN, BET, FOX News and Al-Jazeera.
Aliredha Walji Aliredha Walji manages the national team of advisors at ShariaPortfolio. Originally from Kenya, he currently resides in Lake Mary, FL. Prior to joining ShariaPortfolio, he worked for four years in the mortgage industry at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, while also volunteering as treasurer at his local mosque. Aliredha earned his BSc in Biology from the University of Minnesota, and his MBA from Crown College, a faith-based institution. Aliredha currently serves as the president of CAMPWashington DC, an organization that facilitates and inspires the development of Muslim professionals to become exemplary leaders committed to advancement through action.
Michael Wolfe Michael Wolfe is co-founder of Unity Productions Foundation and co-executive producer for UPF Films, which has produced ten feature documentary films. Wolfe has written several books. After September 11th, he edited Taking Back Islam: American Muslims Reclaim Their Faith, which won a 2003 Wilbur Award. In 1997, Wolfe hosted a televised account of “The Hajj: One American’s Pilgrimage to Mecca” broadcast nationally on ABC Nightline. The program was nominated for Peabody, Emmy, George Polk, and National Press Club Awards. Michael is also the co-director of
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UPF’s Hollywood engagement program, called MOST – Muslims on Screen and Television, which works with writers and producers to develop more true-to-life Muslim characters and story lines on television and in films.
Mohammed Yousuf Mohammed Yousuf contracted polio at the age of 2 and was left mostly paralyzed. Lack of education, information, and access to facilities made him housebound until about the age of 12. That is when his circumstances changed and he went to school for the first time. Since then, he moved to the U.S. where he soared in his career as a researcher and started the EquallyAble Foundation. With his unique vision, he’s able to relate the issues the disability community faces in both the U.S. as well as other countries. EquallyAble Foundation has helped many in the U.S. as well as other countries and continues to do so today with programs like 1000 jobs. It’s an initiative to create jobs and businesses for those with disabilities and has done remarkably well. EquallyAble has published "Islamic Perspective on Disability Guide" and helped organized disability khutbas around the country for last five years.
Tayyab Yunus Tayyab Yunus is the founder and CEO of Intuitive IT Solutions, Inc., a firm dedicated to reinventing the customer experience in healthcare. Mr. Yunus is also a partner with AltaPoint Data Systems, LLC and Xynapx Inc. With over 20 years of experience, he is responsible for developing strategic initiatives for long term sustainability while providing guidance and resources for short term execution, but he also engages as a resource across global teams to increase success of strategic plans. Over the period of 15 years, Intuitive Solutions has developed 3 divisions, including Revenue Cycle Management, Scribe and Technology Solutions.
Omer Zaman Omer Zaman has been an active volunteer on the Muhsen team since 2015. He was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy, known as Miyoshi Myopathy. This particular dystrophy is known as a distal muscular dystrophy impacting his arms and legs, which has ultimately led to the use of a wheelchair. Over the past 13 years, Omer has gone on to complete his education with a bachelor's in finance from DePaul University, is currently working in corporate America and most importantly, he is a father of two boys and has been married for over 10 years.
Shireen Zaman Shireen Zaman is program director of the Security and Rights Collaborative at the Proteus Fund. She served as executive director of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, and as director of Middle East and North Africa at Vital Voices Global Partnership. She has worked with the Office of Iraq Political Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, focusing on Iraqi women and civil society development. Ms. Zaman holds a master’s degree from the School of International Service at American University and a BA in human development from Boston College.
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Adeel Jehan Zeb Imam Adeel J. Zeb is the Muslim chaplain/director of Muslim Life at Duke University. He previously served as the Muslim chaplain/imam at Wesleyan University, Trinity College, and American University. He continues to study with scholars from top religious intuitions globally. He is the co-founder of DEEN: The Foundation for Muslim Campus Life. He is the VP-elect of the National Association of College and University Chaplains, and is a TEDx speaker. He served as a two-time congressional staffer, has delivered Friday khutbah on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and was the first Muslim Chaplain student at Children’s Medical Center’s Clinical Pastoral Education Program in Dallas, TX.
Marwa Zohdy Marwa J. Zohdy is the vice president of Global Consulting Services for Joint Commission Resources and Joint Commission International. She is responsible for all aspects of JCR/JCI consulting, helping health care providers in the U.S. and more than 100 countries to achieve excellence in quality and patient safety. She oversees the portfolio of consulting services with a team of over 140 expert consultants worldwide. Previously, Dr. Zohdy worked in McKinsey & Company’s Healthcare Systems and Services practice, where she led strategic projects with health systems and academic medical centers in the U.S., and with national and regional ministries of health across the U.K., Middle East, and North Africa.
Adnan Zulfiqar Adnan Zulfiqar, Esq. is a Sharswood fellow on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he focuses on Islamic law, criminal law and international humanitarian law. His doctoral research traces the development and function of collective duties (fard kifaya) and recent scholarship examines contemporary Islamic jurisprudence on non-violent revolution. Adnan previously advised the governments of Somalia and the Maldives on the drafting of their criminal codes and currently serves as Senior Advisor at the Lodestone Advisory Group. He has spent over a decade living and studying overseas, including in Syria, Pakistan and Malawi.
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