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Speakers Information

Short Biographies

Abd-Allah is an American Muslim, born to a Protestant family. He embraced Islam studying at Cornell University as a Woodrow Wilson Honorary Fellow. He changed his field of study and transferred to the University of Chicago, where he received his PhD with honors in 1978 for a dissertation pertaining to the origins of Islamic Law. He taught at the Universities of Windsor (Ontario), Temple, and Michigan from 1977 until 1982, when he left America to teach Arabic in Granada, Spain. In 1984, Dr. Abd-Allah was appointed to the Department of Islamic Studies at King Abdul-Aziz University in Jeddah and taught Islamic studies and comparative religions there until 2000. During his years abroad, Dr. Abd-Allah had the fortune to study with several traditional Islamic teachers. After returning to Chicago (2000) to work as General Director of the newly founded Nawawi Foundation and, in conjunction with this position, Dr. Abd-Allah is now teaching and conducting research in Islamic studies and cognate fields

Muhammed Nur Abdullah

Muhammed Nur Abdullah is the past Chairman of the ISNA Fiqh Council. He has been a member of the Fiqh Council of North America since 1982. Sheikh Nur is past President of ISNA from 2001-2005

Abdullah Adhami

Abdullah Adhami was born in Georgetown, Washington, DC, of the noble lineage of the family of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. He began his studies of Shari‘ah at the age of eight, and heard his first scholarly narrative in 1975. He earned scholarly licenses from many eminent scholars from Damascus, Egypt and Morocco, and is a certified narrator of hadith. Sheikh Abdullah also holds a degree in architecture from Pratt in New York City, and has seven years of international corporate experience in the area of organizational development and executive training. Sheikh Abdullah has been serving the needs of the Muslim community in North America for over twenty years. His works center on relating the legal, ethical and spiritual dimensions of the linguistic implications and essence of Shari‘ah texts and laws as a timeless, practical vehicle to enhance modern life experience. He is the founder and chairman of SAKEENAH, a nonprofit educational foundation in New York City.

Firas Ahmad

Firas Ahmad is the current Senior Editor of Islamica Magazine. He has written extensively on issues related to Islam and the Muslim community in America and has appeared as a panelist at conferences throughout the country. He earned a Masters Degree at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University where he received a certificate in Muslim Christian Understanding.

Munjed A. Ahmad

Munjed Ahmad received his law degree at the Catholic University in Washington D.C. Currently; he is in the private practice of law. Munjed Ahmad is the national Vice President of American Muslims for Palestine and one of the organizations co-founders. He is dedicated to all Islamic issues particularly the issue of Palestine.

Parvez Ahmed

Parvez Ahmed is the Chairman of the Board for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Dr. Ahmed is an Associate Professor of Finance at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. He is an active researcher whose articles have been published in leading finance journals such as The Journal of Banking and Finance, Financial Management, Journal of Portfolio Management etc. He recently authored a book on Mutual Funds titled Mutual Funds – Fifty Years of Academic Research.

In addition he writes editorials dispelling stereotypes about Islam and Muslims. His articles have been published in several leading newspapers around the country such as the Orlando Sentinel, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun Tribune, Houston Chronicle, New York Newsday, Seattle Times, San Jose Mercury News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Charlotte Observer, Tampa Tribune and many others. Dr. Ahmed served as an at-large board member for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Florida. Currently he serves as a board member for OneJax, formerly the National Conference on Community and Justice (NCCJ). Dr. Ahmed won a Civil Liberties award in 2002 from the South-Central Pennsylvania chapter of the ACLU.

Abu Bakar Ahmed

Abu Bakar Ahmed received a MPH and PhD in Environmental Health from the University of Minnesota in 1984 and 1987, respectively. Since 1988, he has been employed as a Radiation Safety Professional with a federally-funded research laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. His community activities include: founding President (1991-94) and Executive Secretary (1995-todate) of the North American Bangladeshi Islamic Community (NABIC); Vice-president (1991-93) of the Muslim Community of Knoxville (MCK); Secretary (1998- to date) of the Islamic Education Foundation of Knoxville (IEFK).

Rabiah Ahmed

Rabiah Ahmed is the Communication Coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. She has been with CAIR for the past 4 1/2 years. At CAIR, Mrs. Ahmed works on creative projects including the production of CAIR videos, PSAs, publications and special campaigns. She also has appeared as a CAIR spokesperson on national and international television such as CNN, MSNBS, BBC, and FOX. Mrs. Ahmed holds a masters degree in Journalism from the University Of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a bachelor's degree in Communication from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

Abdalla Idris Ali

Abdalla Idris Ali is a public speaker and fund-raiser, served as ISNA’s President from 1992-1997. Sheikh Abdalla Idris co-organized the Canadian Islamic Banking Conferences for 1996 and 1997. He serves as a member on the Board of Trustees for the Islamic Teaching Center (ITC) and North American Islamic Trust. He also is on the Board of Advisors of the American Muslim Council and past Board member of the Council of Islamic Schools in North America. As an ISNA School principal, he developed and implemented Islamic and Arabic Studies curricula for elementary and junior high students. He has written various articles in Islamic Horizons and is a member of the ATP Editorial Board. His expertise is in the area of Islamic education/ Islamic Schools in North America.

Aisha H.L. al-Adawiya

Aisha al-Adawiya is the founder and executive director of Women in Islam, an organization of Muslim women which focuses on human rights and social justice. Ms. al-Adawiya organizes and participates in conferences, symposia and other forums on Islam, Gender Equity, Conflict Resolution, and Cross-Cultural Understanding. She also represents Muslim women's Non-Governmental Organizations at United Nations forums. Ms. Al-Adawiya coordinates Islamic input for the Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Documentation Project of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. She also serves as a consultant to numerous interfaith organizations and documentary projects on the Muslim American experience. Additionally, she serves on the boards of numerous organizations related to the interests of the global Islamic community. Ms. al-Adawiya is a guest host and producer of Tahrir, WBAI Pacifica Radio in New York City.

Amal Ali

Amal Ali earned a Masters Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago where she conducted her graduate studies on the acculturative strategies employed by Muslim American youth as they attempt to reconcile the conceptual differences in their hyphenated identity. A long-time youth activist herself, Amal has worked in youth development in many different capacities for more than ten years. She was a co-founder of IMAN (Inner-city Muslim Action Network)

Ahmad Al-Akhras

Ahmad Al-Akhras, Ph.D., P.E., P.T.O.E is the vice chair of the national CAIR Board and past president of the Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations(CAIR-Ohio), a national civil rights and advocacy organization working to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. He is the president of the Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio, the oldest Muslim organization in central Ohio.

Salam Al-Marayati

Salam Al-Marayati is currently the Executive Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). For the past 16 years, he has had the opportunity to speak to congregations at community-sponsored events, temples, synagogues, churches, high schools, and college campuses. Mr. Al-Marayati has written extensively on Islam, human rights, democracy, Middle East politics, the Balkan Crisis, and the Transcaucus conflict. He has also been deeply involved in interfaith activities by serving as co-chair of the Interfaith Coalition to Heal Los Angeles, which formed as a result of the Los Angeles uprising in the summer of 1992. Mr. Al-Marayti also works as an advisor to several political, civic and academic institutions seeking to understand the role of Islam and Muslims in America.

Abubaker Ahmed Al Shingieti

Abubaker Ahmed Al Shingieti is currently the Vice President for Islamic Programs at the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD). He is also the Regional Director for the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) covering Europe and North America.

Shahed Amanullah

Shahed Amanullah is a longtime Muslim American community leader who has been active in articulating the voice of American Muslims. As editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com, an online newsmagazine covering issues related to Islam in the West, Shahed writes and speaks regularly about the challenges and opportunities facing Islam in America. His work and writings have been featured in Newsweek, San Jose Mercury News, New York Times, Washington Post, BBC News, National Public Radio, BeliefNet, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Voice of America. His television appearances include "Nightline with Ted Koppel", CNN Headline News, the "Today Show", "America's Most Wanted", and "Hannity & Colmes".

Shahed is the founder of Halalfire Media (http://www.halalfire.com), a network of Islamic-themed websites with over 5 million visitors annually. Along with altmuslim.com, signature properties include zabihah.com, the world’s largest database of Halal restaurants and markets, salatomatic.com, an extensive list of reviewed mosques and schools in Muslim-minority countries, and halalapalooza.com, a comprehensive guide to Islamic e-commerce.

Shabana Anees

Shabana Anees M.A., CRC was born, raised and educated in the United States. Educationally, she obtained her undergraduate education from the University of Pittsburgh majoring in the Behavioral Neurosciences. This became the foundation for furthering studies in Rehabilitation Counseling. She obtained her Masters of Arts in Education and Human Development from The George Washington University with a focus in the area of diversity and outreach for rehabilitation /disability services within multicultural communities.

She is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She has been selected to present information for both regional as well as national conferences in the areas of disability and rehabilitation in regard to cultural awareness. Also, she was one of fifteen individuals chosen nationwide to receive a full scholarship and participate in the Summer Research Program (2006) funded by the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) sponsored by Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA.

Mazen Asbahi

Mazen Asbahi is a senior associate at the law firm of Schiff Hardin LLP in its corporate & securities and intellectual property groups. Mr. Asbahi serves as general counsel to a number of nonprofit entities and is active with a variety of civic, educational and charitable groups. Mr. Asbahi serves as a member of the board of directors of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, as director of publications for the Nawawi Foundation and as a member of the Auxiliary Board of the Chicago Legal Clinic. He is a 2007 Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago and has previously served as president of the Muslim Bar Association of Chicago. He also serves on the Charities Advisory Committee of Muslim Advocates, the charitable sister organization to the National Association of Muslim Lawyers.

Mr. Asbahi received his undergraduate degree in political science and Islamic studies, with highest honors, from the University of Michigan in 1996. He attended the Northwestern University School of Law, where he received his law degree, cum laude, in 2000.

Shahid Athar

Shahid Athar MD, FACP, FACE, a U.S. citizen. He received medical degree from University of Karachi and Endocrinology Fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine where he is a Clinical Associate Professor. He is an Endocrinologist in private practice in Indianapolis, USA. He is a fellow of American College of Physicians and American College of Endocrinology. He is a past president of Islamic Society of Greater Indianapolis (ISGI) and Interfaith Alliance of Indiana (IAI). He is an author of 7 books (including Islamic Perspective in Medicine and Health Concerns for Believers) and over 120 published articles on medical and Islamic topics. He has spoken to many churches, civic organizations, universities and colleges on various topics including Islam, interfaith, spirituality and medical ethics in USA and overseas. His other affiliations include Islamic Society of North America (ISNA); Islamic Medical Association of North America (past president and chair, medical ethics).

Nihad Awad

Nihad Awad is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest non-profit Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.

Jamal Badawi

Jamal Badawi is the founder and chairman of the Islamic Information Fund. He holds a PhD in Management and is currently working as a university professor. Dr. Badawi was a member of the Board of Trustees of NAIT from 1991-1993 and member of ISNA the Majlis Ash-Shura since 1988. He is currently a member of the Fiqh Council of North America and previously ISNA's Fiqh Committee. Dr. Badawi has served as past Trustee and Director General for the Islamic Teaching Center and editorial advisor to Islamic Horizons. He is chairman of the Editorial Board for American Trust Publication and a lecturer and speaker. Dr. Badawi has participated in television programs and interviews on Islamic teachings and has written several books on Islam. He also has various tapes and videos on Islam, family, Muslim life, and Islamic Law.

Ihsan Bagby

Ihsan Bagby is currently the Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Kentucky. He obtained his PhD from the University of Michigan in Near Eastern Studies and his research for the last ten years has focused on Muslims in America. In 2001, Dr. Bagby published the results of the first comprehensive study of mosques in America, entitled “The Mosque in America: A National Portrait.”

Formerly, Director of the ISNA’s Islamic Teaching Center (1985-1991).

Board member of various organizations: Muslim Alliance of North America, where he serves as General Secretary, CAIR National, ISNA’s Leadership Development Center, Hartford’s Seminary’s Hartford Institute for the Study of Religion and iqh Council of North America.

Saleem Bajwa

Saleem Bajwa is a long-time community leader from Western Massachusetts. Dr. Bajwa has served the community over the years in his capacity as former Executive Director of the Islamic Council of New England, as a trustee of the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts and a past president and Chairman of the Board of Regents of the Islamic Medical Association of North America. He is also a member of ISNA's Founders Coordinating Committee. Dr. Bajwa received his graduate education from King Edward Medical College in Pakistan.

Abdul Basit

Abdul Basit is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Northwestern University in Chicago. He has served as the Chair of the ISNA Islamic Perspectives on Counseling Conferences. He was appointed by the US Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services as the Chair for the National Advisory Council on Mental Health. He is the author of numerous papers and is a prolific speaker at ISNA conferences.

Hatem Bazian

Hatem Bazian is the current president of the American Muslims for Palestine. Dr. Bazian received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in Near Eastern Studies and Ethnic Studies and a Master in International Relations from San Francisco State University. Currently, Dr. Bazian is a senior lecturer in Near Eastern Studies and Ethnic Studies Departments at Berkeley. In addition, Dr. Bazian is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Boalt Law School, Religious Studies at Saint Mary’s College of California and UC Davis. Dr. Bazian co-hosted “Islam Today,” a radio show on 94.1 KPFA, KBFB in Berkeley and KFCF in Fresno, a weekly radio magazine show covering Islam and its diverse people around the world. Since September 11, he has appeared in many TV and Radio interviews and was a translation consultant for the San Francisco Chronicle on a number of stories relating to Islam, Muslims and world politics.

Ghalib Begg

Ghalib Begg is a businessman who spends most of his time in community service and as a Muslim activist at the local and national level. Born in Hyderabad, studied in Aligarh Muslim University, India and immigrated to the USA in 1970. Graduated with an MBA from the University of Detroit.

Khalil Bendib

Khalil Bendib is an award-winning editorial cartoonist Khalil Bendib is known both as an editorial cartoonist and fine artist. Born under colonial rule in Algeria during the war of independence against France, Khalil is the only widely read political cartoonist in North America who brings an Arab and progressive perspective to our media. His cartoons are featured in over 1,700 small and mid-size newspapers across the country, including many Arab, Muslim, African-American and progressive publications, and can be viewed at www.bendib.com. His books of cartoons include It Became Necessary to Destroy the Planet in Order to Save it (PlanNine, 2003,) Mieux Vaut Empire qu¹en Pleurer (E-dite, Paris 2005) and Mission Accomplished (Interlink, 2007.) His cartoons have been featured in USA Today, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and numerous other mainstream newspapers.

Ekram and Mohammed Rida Beshir

Ekram and Mohammed Rida Beshir are medical doctor by profession, with a background in child psychology. Mr. Bashir is an engineer by profession. Both Beshirs are the founders of Rahma School, a weekend Arabic and Islamic school, and Abraar full time Islamic school in Ottawa. Both are the recipient of the Director’s Citation Award of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board for the year 2000 for their contribution as the best educators from among 7000 educators in the board. Dr. and Mr. Beshir have been very active with the Muslim community in Ottawa in the areas of study circles, children and youth camps, sisters programs, and marriage counseling. Together the husband-wife team, Dr. Beshir co-authored the two best seller parenting books in North America, “Meeting the Challenge of Parenting in the West, an Islamic Perspective,” and “Muslim Teens, Today’s Worry, Tomorrow’s Hope: A Practical Islamic Parenting Guide, ”along with many other parenting books. Currently, both are teaching the same two courses at the Islamic American University. Both are members of the editorial board of The American Muslim Magazine, as well as regular contributors to its family section. They have written numerous articles for Islamic Horizons and The Message. For the last five years, Dr. and Mr. Beshir have been delivering parenting workshops to various Muslim communities in North America, Europe and South Africa. They deliver at least 15 workshops every year. Both are regular speakers at ISNA, ICNA, MAS, and MAYA Conventions on family issues and parenting subjects.

Mahdi Bray

Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, MAS Freedom (MASF), the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS).

Hesham ElGamiel

Hesham ElGamiel is a native Egyptian and immigrated to the US at age 15. He attended both high school and college in Southern California. As an undergraduate student Hesham was accepted into the FBI Honors Internship Program. He went on to graduate with honors in the field of applied Criminal Justice. After several jobs and a career change Hesham joined in the FBI in 2000. Hesham regularly speaks to groups and community forums about working for the FBI. Since joining the FBI he has received several awards for Outstanding Service and Leadership

Maha ElGenaidi

Maha ElGenaidi is the Founder and President of Islamic Networks Group (ING). She is a commissioner on Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante's "Commission for One California", Commissioner on Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission, and Advisor to California's Commission on Police Officers Standards & Training (POST) for hate crimes and cultural diversity training, and former Co-chair and Vice-chair of the Bay Area Hate Crimes Investigators Association (BAHCIA). She is the recipient of numerous civil rights awards which include the 1999 Civil Rights Leadership Award from the California Association of Human Relations Organizations, the 2000 Human Relations Award from the Santa Clara County Human Relations office, and the 2002 "Citizen of the Year" Award from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Ms. ElGenaidi has spoken to hundreds of schools, churches, police departments, corporations and other public institutions, has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, and is author of seven training handbooks on outreach for American Muslims, as well as eight training modules for public institutions on "developing cultural competency with the American Muslim community". Ms. ElGenaidi is currently ING's CEO.

Muneer Fareed

Muneer Fareed is currently the Secretary General of ISNA, the Islamic Society of North America. Previously, Dr. Fareed was an associate professor of Islamic studies in the Department of Near Eastern and Asian Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. His fields of interest include Qur’anic studies, Islamic legal reform, and Islam in the modern world. To his credit, he has several journal articles, a monograph entitled “Legal Reform in the Muslim World”, and translations of classics of the Islamic world, including the Síra Nabawiyya of Ibn Kathir, The Muqaddima of Ibn Saláh, and ‘l-Itqán fi ‘Ulúm ‘l-Qur’an of Suyúti. He received a diploma in Arabic Language and Literature from King Abdul Aziz University, Mecca, and the Ijáza in Classical Islamic Studies from Dár al-`Ulúm, Deoband, and a doctorate in Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor. Since the 1980s he has served the American Muslim community in various capacities, including imam and scholar-in-residence for the Muslim community in metropolitan Detroit.

LaDale K. George

LaDale George is a senior counsel in the Chicago office of Foley & Lardner LLP, where he is a member of the firm's Business Law Department and Health Care Finance and Restructuring Team. Mr. George has over ten years of experience advising a variety of individual, corporate and governmental clients on business transactions. He focuses his transaction practice in for-profit and not-for-profit corporate formations and restructuring, private equity investments, tax-exempt financing, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. Mr. George’s previous positions include: Assistant Attorney General of the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, representing the Department of Mental Health; staff attorney with the Tidewater Legal Aid Society in Norfolk, Virginia; and legal liaison with the Ghana Information Centre in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. Mr. George is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1990) and the University of Kansas (B.A., biochemistry, 1987). He serves as legal counsel to the African-American Health Care Council, and he is a former president of the Muslim Bar Association of Chicago and former co-chair of the National Bar Association, Health Law Section. He is admitted to practice in Illinois, Missouri and Virginia.

Jess Ghannam

Jess Ghannam is Chief of Medical Psychology, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and faculty in the Global Health Sciences Program at the University of California, San Francisco. He has been working in Palestine for over 15 years teaching, conducting research on post-traumatic stress disorder, and developing community health centers throughout Gaza and the West Bank. Dr. Ghannam writes and presents frequently on the Middle East.

Manzoor Ghori

Manzoor Ghori is the co-founded the Indian Muslim Relief & Charities (IMRC) and has served as Chairperson since its inception. IMRC provides financial resources for distribution and implementation of diverse projects to help Indian Muslims achieve greater prosperity, self-sufficiency, and security in India. He is also the co-founder of Ameen Housing Co-operative, Inc., the Muslim Community Association of Santa Clara, and the Islamic Society of East Bay. He has served on the advisory boards of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Network Group (ING). He has received a Masters in Management & Supervision and Bachelors of Sciences in Medical Technology, Chemistry, and Zoology.

Janaan Hashim

Jannaan Hashim is a native of Washington, DC, was born to an Iraqi father and American mother. Her involvement in Muslim youth activities stems from her teenage years in the early 1980s and carried with her into her adulthood in Chicago. Janaan served as a high school journalism teacher at Universal School and also used her experience as a student leader in college, where she was elected president of her student body, to help organize and advise several student-led organizations. Janaan is a partner at Amal Law Group, the nation’s first law firm founded by six Muslim women, where she practices criminal defense and civil rights law. She is also an adjunct professor at McCormick Theological Seminary where she teaches a master’s level course titled Religious Pluralism and the Ministry. Janaan is also the Tuesday night host of WCEV’s Radio Islam program, spokesperson for the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, and serves as its media relations co-chair.

Ali Hassan

Ali Hassan is the Chief Financial Officer of the Zaytuna Institute. He is a graduate of Southeastern University in Karachi, Pakistan, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1998, and Santa Clara University, with an MBA, with honors, in 2003. His previous business experience includes acting as cross currency manager for Vital Capital Markets Limited, portfolio manager with Taurus Securities (an affiliate of HSBC) where he managed assets in excess of $20 million for both foreign and domestic institutions, and as a portfolio manager at Silicon Valley Securities (an affiliate of Raymond James).

As CFO of the Zaytuna Institute, Mr. Hassan has focused his time and energy on building its financial infrastructure, raising funds and enhancing the Institute’s management and programming. He is currently working closely with the Institute’s Board of Directors, staff and counsel to develop Zaytuna’s seminary program, endowment and planned giving programs

Nasir Hassan

Nasir Hassan M.D., FACP, FCCP is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Howard University College of Medicine and the president of the Islamic Medical Association of North America. He is licensed to practice medicine in Maryland and Washington, D.C. And was the Chief of Medical Services at the United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home in Washington, D.C.

Some of his positions at Howard were Program Director in Internal Medicine from 2000-2003; Program Director, Transitional Year Program from 2000-2002; and Clerkship Director in Internal Medicine from 1990-2003. In 2003 he was inducted as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He also served as Chairman, Network on Cultural Diversity in Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians from 2004-2006; and he arranged the framework for Continuing Medical Education for the Federation of Islamic Medical Associations (world-wide) 2003-2006. Dr. Hassan served on many other local and national committees, and was one of 12 physicians who were recognized by the American College of Chest Physicians in 200 for his work in caring for patients near the end of their lives.

Dr. Hassan hosted a radio program (AMIN Radio - WWTL) weekly talk show host “Ask Your Doctor” January-October 2001 and was the Executive Director for the Islamic Society of the Washington Area 1982-1985 and again from 1992-1994. He was a member of the Board of Directors with the Muslim Community Center in Maryland where is now on the Board of Trustees.

Faizan Haq

Faizan Haq is a professor of Islamic Cultural History and US and the Muslim World at State University of New York, Buffalo. He also lectures at Buffalo State College on Intercultural Communications and is the Project Support Specialist for Center for Development of Human Services. Currently he is a fellow of Association of Diplomatic Studies and Training and American Institute of International Studies. He is the current Vice-President of American Muslim Social Scientists and Pakistani American Association of Western New York, as well as General Secretary of Pakistani American Congress. He is also a founding member of Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy. Mr. Haq has been working relentlessly for humanitarian causes for peace with organizations like Interfaith Peace Network. He also serves on the board of governors for the Network of Religious Communities of Western New York.

Uruzurum Heer

Uruzurum Heer was born in Canada she is a consultant with a business background and 8 years experience working with Dun & Bradstreet Canada in Risk Management.

She serves her 2nd term as Chairperson of CAMP International, a 20,000 International Muslim professionals organization since 1994. She recently started a charitable organization called CAMP CARES for Communities, serving the new immigrant community.

She is involved in various community services (women's issues, youth inter-faith bridge building efforts during Youth Day and at synagogues etc).

Ibrahim Hooper

Ibrahim Hooper is National Communications Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest American Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. He has a background in broadcast journalism and has offered an American Muslim perspective to hundreds of national and international media outlets during his 13 years as CAIR's spokesman.

Altaf Husain

Altaf Husain is an Executive Committee Member, Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA); Former President, MSA-National. He is a member of ISNA convention program committee.

Kareem M. Irfan

Kareem Irfan is the past Chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. Prior to that, he has been active with many Council projects, Co-Chairing its Bosnian Refugee Relocation Project and Chairing its Media Relations Committee. He has collaborated with the Islamic Society of North America on varied projects including Program Development, Presentations, and Media Relations for ISNA's Annual Conventions, and was a founding member of the ISNA Wills and Living Trusts Initiative. Mr. Irfan currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Islamic Center of Naperville and remains committed to pro bono work for professional, religious and non-profit institutions. Mr. Irfan has a MS in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois and a JD from DePaul University. Following several years in private practice as an Intellectual Property lawyer with two prominent Chicago law firms, he has been with Schneider Electric for 10 years and is currently responsible for legalities of business initiatives in Information Technology and e-Commerce for the company.

Sherman A. (Abd al-Hakim) Jackson

A native of Philadelphia, Jackson received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Oriental Studies –Islamic Near East in 1990. Presently, he is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Visiting Professor of Law, and Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Michigan. From 1987 to 1989, he served as Executive Director for the Center of Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) in Cairo, Egypt. He has taught at the University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University and Wayne State University, and recently declined a full-professorship at Stanford University. In addition to numerous articles on Islamic law, theology and history, he is author of “Islamic Law and the State: The Constitutional Jurisprudence of Shihâb al-Dîn al-Qarâfî” (E.J. Brill, 1996), “On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam: Abû Hâmid al-Ghazâlî’s Faysal al-Tafriqa” (Oxford, 2002) and the controversial “Islam and the Blackamerican: Looking Toward the Third Resurrection (Oxford, 2005).” He is both co-founder and primary instructor of the American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM), as well as a member of its Board of Trustees. Jackson is also a former member of the Fiqh Council of North America, past president of the Sharî‘ah Scholars’ Association of North America (SSANA) and a past trustee of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT). He is a sought-after speaker and has lectured throughout the US and in numerous countries abroad

Ameena Jandali

Ameena Jandali is a founding member of ING. She has delivered hundreds of presentations in schools, colleges, universities, churches, and other venues on Islam and related subjects, and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. She has also been a frequent guest at conventions, seminars, and other forums, speaking on a variety of topics relating to outreach, family, and Islamic behavior. Ameena is also the editor of ING's training handbooks on outreach for American Muslims, as well as author and editor of training modules for public institutions on developing cultural competency with the American Muslim community. She currently team teaches a class on Islam at SF City College. She received her M.A. in Near Eastern Studies from UC Berkeley, and B.A. in History from the University of Illinois. Ameena lives with her husband and four children in Berkeley.

Rizwan Jaka

Rizwan Jaka is a graduate with a BS in Computer Science from the University of Texas – Austin. He currently works at Oracle Corporation as the Principal Solution Architect. Rizwan Jaka’s community involvement includes: President of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), Chair of the DC Area Eid Committee, Cub/Boy Scout Organizational Representative, and Board Member of CAIR MD/VA. Rizwan received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Oriental Studies –Islamic Near East in 1990. Presently, he is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Visiting Professor of Law, and Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Michigan. From 1987 to 1989, he served as Executive Director for the Center of Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) in Cairo, Egypt. He has taught at the University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University and Wayne State University, and recently declined a full-professorship at Stanford University. In addition to numerous articles on Islamic law, theology and history, he is author of “Islamic Law and the State: The Constitutional Jurisprudence of Shihâb al-Dîn al-Qarâfî” (E.J. Brill, 1996), “On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam: Abû Hâmid al-Ghazâlî’s Faysal al-Tafriqa” (Oxford, 2002) and the controversial “Islam and the Black American: Looking toward the Third Resurrection (Oxford, 2005).” He is both co-founder and primary instructor of the American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM), as well as a member of its Board of Trustees. Jackson is also a former member of the Fiqh Council of North America, past president of the Sharî‘ah Scholars’ Association of North America (SSANA) and a past trustee of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT). He is a sought-after speaker and has lectured throughout the US and in numerous countries abroad.

Jamillah Karim

Jamillah Karim is an Assistant Professor of Religion at Spellman College. She obtained her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at Duke University and specializes in Islam in America, women and Islam, African American Islam, and Islam and culture. She continues to research, write, and lecture on her dissertation topic, "Negotiating Race and Class in the American Ummah: African American and South Asian Women in Chicago and Atlanta." Dr. Karim was raised in an Atlanta Muslim community in association with Imam W.D. Mohammed.

Mohammad Ataul Karim

Mohammad A. Karim is Vice President for Research at the Old Dominion University. He oversees ODU’s research enterprise, which involves six colleges, 20+ research centers, 600+ faculty and 6000+ graduate students. Karim serves on the Governor’s Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission, and on the Board of the Southern Universities Research Association. Mr. Karim is the North American Editor of Optics and Laser Technology, an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions of Education, and is a member of the Editorial Board of Microwave and Optical Technology Letters. He has also served as guest editor of 16 technical journal issues. Mr. Karim has authored eight text and reference books, over 325 research papers, six book chapters, ten book reviews, two US patents, and numerous technical reports. He is an elected fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), the Society of Photo-Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS), and a Distinguished Engineering Fellow of the University of Alabama. Mr. Karim was the former President of North American Bangladeshi Islamic Community (NABIC); a board member of Center for Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Understanding, Upper Westchester Muslim Society, and of Avicenna Academy in Bronx.

Yasmine M. Khan

Yasmine Khan is the Interfaith Coordinator at Islamic Networks Group in San Jose. She joined ING as an intern in June 2006, focusing on research and development of content and design for ING's educational seminars and cultural competency presentations. As Interfaith Coordinator at ING, Yasmine has organized the annual interfaith Ramadan iftar, as well as ING's Spring 2007 Series of Interfaith Dialogue events in San Mateo County in collaboration with the Peninsula Temple Beth El, New Vision United Methodist Church, and Yaseen Foundation. Yasmine is a graduate of the University of California at Davis, where she studied Human Development and Social & Ethnic Relations. She currently resides in Walnut Creek.

Farhana Khera

Farhana Khera is the President and Executive Director of the National Association of Muslim Lawyers (NAML). She also serves as the President and Executive Director of NAML’s sister charitable entity, Muslim Advocates.

Prior to joining NAML, Ms. Khera served as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, where she worked for six years directly for Senator Russell D. Feingold (D-WI). Ms. Khera focused substantially on the USA PATRIOT Act, racial and religious profiling, and other civil liberties issues raised by the government’s anti-terrorism policies since September 11th.

Prior to her service with the Senate Judiciary Committee, Ms. Khera was an associate with two major Washington, D.C. law firms. Ms. Khera received her B.A. with honors in political science and economics from Wellesley College. At Wellesley, she served as president of the student body and co-founded the first Muslim student’s organization, al-Muslimat (“The Muslim Women”). Ms. Khera received her J.D. from Cornell Law School, where she was a finalist in the law school’s annual Cuccia Cup Moot Court Competition and was an editor with the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy.

Mokhtar Maghraoui

Mokhtar Maghraoui received his PhD in Physics from Syracuse University. He received his Islamic education in Algeria before coming to the U.S. He has been an Imam in the state of New York and is a Central Shura Member of the Islamic Circle of North America.

Ingrid Mattson

Ingrid Mattson is the current President of ISNA she served as the Vice-President of the Islamic Society of North America from 2001 to 2006. Dr.Mattson is currently serving as Director of Islamic Chaplaincy and Professor at the Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut. She earned her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago in 1999, in which her research focused on Islamic law and society. Her publications include studies on slavery, poverty, and Islamic legal theory. Prior to her Ph.D., Dr. Mattson obtained her B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Waterloo, Ontario.

Hamid Mavani

Hamid Mavani is Assistant Professor of Religion, Islamic Studies at the School of Religion, Claremont Graduate University. He has been active at the academic and community level in promoting interfaith dialogue, inter- and intra-Muslim dialogue, religious pluralism, civil society, democratic governance, reform in the Islamic legal tradition, gender and religion, and environmental ethics. His primary fields of interest include Islamic legal reform, Muslims in America, Twelver Shi’ism, Qur’anic studies and Contemporary developments in the Muslim world.

M. Yaqub Mirza

M. Yaqub Mirza is President and CEO of Sterling Management Group, Inc. Since 1984, Dr. Mirza has been actively negotiating mergers, acquisitions and sales of various sized companies located in different parts of the world. After many of the acquisitions, Dr. Mirza is involved as director and officer in the development of the company by evaluating top management to maximize efficiency and profitability and then restructuring, streamlining or expanding the company. Dr. Mirza has served as a Trustee and Treasurer and later as Chairman of Amana Mutual Fund Trust (1987 to February 2003), and is now an Advisor to the Board of Trustees of the Amana Mutual Funds, which is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an open-end investment company and managed by Saturna. He also serves as an Advisor to the Board and/or on the Board of Directors of numerous other companies. He served on the Board of Mylex Corporation, a NASDAQ listed, and world leader of RAID technology and network management products from December 1988 until September 1999 when Mylex was acquired by IBM for $240 million. Dr. Mirza was awarded the Entrepreneur Award in 2002 by the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in San Jose, California.

Abdul Malik Mujahid

Abdul Malik Mujahid is the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, is founder of Sound Vision, and an award winning author. As the national coordinator of Bosnia Task Force, USA he successfully lead efforts to declare rape as a war crime. He is also a board member of the Parliament of the World Religions.

Rami Nashashibi

Rami Nashashibi is the Executive Director was one of the original founding members of IMAN. He completed his B.A. in English Literature at DePaul University in English Literature and International Studies, has an M.A. in Social Sciences and is currently a Sociology Ph. D candidate at the University of Chicago. Previously, he has been an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago, Robert Morris College, and Daley Community College and most recently at St Xavier University. He is a recipient of the Davis Putter Student Activist Grant and lectures frequently on a range of topics relating to Islam, Muslims and community activism.

Esam S. Omeish

Esam Omeish serves as the US East Zone representative of National MSA, eventually becoming the President of National MSA for two years in the early 1990’s. Dr. Omeish served in the national Board (Majlis Al-Shura) of ISNA as a representative of MSA for two years.

He has been involved in national affairs of MAS since its inception and has held different regional and local leadership capacities. Dr. Omeish was elected as the president of MAS by the newly elected board of trustees of MAS national for the term of 2004-2008.

Eboo Patel

Eboo Patel is the Founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit building the interfaith youth movement. He is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation and a panelist for the Washington Post/Newsweek Magazine "On Faith" blog. Eboo holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. He is an Ashoka Fellow, was named by Islamica Magazine as one of ten Muslim visionaries shaping Islam in America and has been profiled by numerous media outlets, including PBS.

Yasmeen Qadri

Yasmeen Qadri is one of the founders and the former principal of the Muslim Academy of Central Florida (established in 1991), the first full-time Islamic school in Central Florida. In 2002 she was appointed as the Education Coordinator for the Department of Education at Valencia Community College located in Orlando, Florida. She is also a tenured professor and the diversity representative at the college. Dr. Qadri has also worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida’s College of Education since 1991. Her passion for Islamic Schools has enabled her to continue to serve in the capacity of a consultant through EdConsultations. As a strong advocate of Islamic Schools, Dr. Qadri travels around the United States utilizing her expertise in a variety of education related areas to help build and strengthen the Islamic schools.

Habeeb Quadri

Habeeb Quadri is the principal of the MCC Full Time School in Morton Grove, IL. He has a Bachelor in Teaching of History and a Masters in School Administration. In addition to his teaching and administrative experience in public and private schools, Habeeb has delivered dozens of lectures throughout the United States, Canada and abroad on Islam, society, and social problems confronting Muslim youth and the community at large for the last 15 years. Additionally, Habeeb maintains an active interest in education consulting. He has started his own educational consulting company called High Quality Educational Consulting in which he has partnered with IQRA’ International Educational Foundation as an consultant. Mr. Quadri has conducted workshops for weekend and full-time Islamic schools, public schools and universities around the world, delivering insightful presentations on such topics as classroom management, motivational techniques for students and faculty, curriculum development, Muslim sensitivity training and overall educational administrative. He has currently co-authored a book entitle the “War within our Hearts” (The struggles of the Muslim youth). He also has two other book projects in the works regarding parental advice on dealing with Muslim youth and a children story book.

Khurshid Qureshi

Khurshid Qureshi has been involved in Islamic work since he was a student at Oklahoma State University. In the early days of MSA, he accepted the responsibility of regional representative for Southern region where he coordinated the establishment of MSA chapters in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kansas and Arkansas. He volunteered his time as a Sunday School Teacher and worker in newly acquired MSA head quarter building in Gary, Indiana in 1970. He helped to establish earlier Islamic Sunday Schools in Illinois and Michigan. He founded first regularly scheduled Islamic Youth Camp in USA (Al Hilal Youth Camp recently observed its 27th anniversary). He also worked with different Islamic organizations in Michigan to improve the conditions of inner city youth to guide them in attaining better education and career opportunities. He served as a member of board of Directors of Islamic Association of Greater Detroit and worked as a volunteer principal of its Islamic Sunday School for 15 years. His other Islamic work included seminars for the youth, Muslim Unity symposiums and political action committees. In 1980s he advised the Government of Pakistan on improving Science & Technology education and to develop a strong industrial base. He is also the current president of Muslim Scientists and Engineers..

Br. Qureshi has worked for 20 years with Multi nationals such as General Motors, Ingersoll Rand and Hughes Corporation. At present he is the president and CEO of zeeWAVES Corporation a hi tech company which he founded in 2003. He served as Chairman of Society of Automotive Engineers Rocky Mountain Area and President of Colorado Engineering Society (an umbrella organization of 25 engineering societies with a membership of 50,000). He has been highly recognized by his business and peers and awarded with entrepreneur of the year and emerging venture awards.

He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and completed his post graduate work at Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology and Anderson School of Business at UCLA.

Naheed Qureshi

Naheed Qureshi is a Project Coordinator with the City of Los Angeles, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. Prior to her current position, Ms. Qureshi served as a National Field Organizer with the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, DC, focusing on the USA PATRIOT Act and other post-September 11th civil rights and civil liberties issues. Ms. Qureshi previously held positions with the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. At the Justice Department, Ms. Qureshi also focused on obtaining discrimination complaints, organizing national civil rights forums, and outreach to the Muslim, Arab and South Asian American communities. She has also served as an attorney advisor for Immigration Judge Ellen K. Thomas. Ms. Qureshi received her B.A. From the University of Wisconsin at Madison and her J.D.from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Agha Saeed

Agha Saeed is a lecturer in the Communications and Political Science departments at University of California Berkeley and California State University Hayward. He is also the National Chairman of the American Muslim Alliance (AMA), a civic education and leadership training organization. Saeed is also the current coordinator of the California Civil Rights Alliance (CCRA), a coalition of 23 statewide organizations of various political, social and religious backgrounds. The CCRA was instrumental in the introduction of this year¹s statewide resolution calling for the amending of the USA PATRIOT act. In 2000 and 2004, Saeed was involved in the creation of a first and second Muslim Bloc vote. He is the current chair of the national coalition of Muslim organizations known as the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), which was accountable for the 2004 Muslim Bloc vote. For his forthcoming book, entitled Pakistan in its Own Mirror: Elite Autobiographies and National Consciousness, Saeed interviewed more than 40 authors, thinkers and leaders in Pakistan, including the current president, General Pervaiz Musharraf. Saeed received his Ph.D. from the University of California - Berkeley.

Shabbir Safdar

Shabbir Safdar is nationally known Washington University Medical Center professor of Hematology and Oncology, and a practicing oncologist, Dr. Shabbir Safdar is the national Vice Chair of American Muslim Alliance (AMA). Since 1991 Shabbir H. Safdar, MD, has been treating patients in Poplar Bluff.Two weekends out of the month, Safdar travels throughout the United States and the world lecturing on the latest in cancer treatments. He was in Phoenix the weekend of Sept. 1 and lectures annually in the Middle East, Pakistan and Spain. He has played a leading role in the formation of national organizations such as American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC) and the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT).

Louay Safi

Louay Safi is the Executive Director of ISNA Leadership Development Center (ILDC), Plainfield, Indiana. He also serves on the board of several leading Muslim organizations, including the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), the Islamic Horizons, and the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS). He is fellow of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding and serves on the steering committee of the Muslim-Christian Initiative on the Nuclear Weapons Danger.

Zaid Shakir

Zaid Shakir, Imam Shakir enrolled at American University, Washington, DC, where he obtained a BA in International Relations with honors. He then obtained an MA in Political Science from Rutgers University. After spending a year in Cairo, Imam Shakir became a lecturer in Political Science at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut, a position he held until 1994. While in New Haven, he served as the Imam of Masjid al-Islam. In 1994, Imam Shakir left for Syria and Morocco to study Arabic and Islamic Sciences. Since then He has lectured extensively on Islam, Middle East Politics, and issues related to African Americas. He has written for numerous Islamic publications and has appeared on national television for Lou Gosset, Jr.'s "The Story of a People."

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. Currently, Dr. Siddiqui works as an Educator and Religious Director of the Islamic Society of Orange County where he has served since 1981. Dr. Siddiqi also serves as a member of the ISNA Majlis Ash-Shura and the Fiqh Council of North America. He has served as chairman of the Religious Affairs Committee and has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the National American Islamic Trust (NAIT). As a member of the Executive Board of Majlis al-Shura of Southern California, Dr. Siddiqi has organized and participated in several national and international Islamic conferences on Sirah, Fiqh and Da'wah. Because of his devotion to the preservation of Islam in America, he has organized numerous training programs for Muslim adults and youth. He also lectures on Islam and interfaith dialogue in North America and abroad. Dr. Siddiqi has authored books on Hajj & Umra, Ramadan and has published many academic papers and articles in encyclopedias and journals, as well as his weekly column in Pakistan Link. Since 1982, he has provided Qur'an commentary in a weekly radio program. Dr. Siddiqi served as the President of ISNA from 1996 - 2000.

Rushdi A. Siddiqui

Rushdi Siddiqui is Global Director of the Islamic Index Group at Dow Jones Indexes. Rushdi joined Dow Jones Indexes in 1997 to oversee an initiative to develop and market Shari’ah-compliant indexes for Islamic-focused investors. In the years since, Rushdi has led Dow Jones Indexes’s efforts to introduce the entire Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) index family, which now includes equity indexes for countries, regions, sectors and social-ethical themes (DJIM Sustainability Index), as well as a fixed-income index (DJ Citi Sukuk Index). While supporting and growing Dow Jones Indexes’s presence in Islamic markets, Rushdi has received a number of awards and has been named to various Islamic-based advisory councils. He has also done well over 200 media interviews including television interviews for CNN fn, BBC, CNBC Arabia and CNBC Pakistan.

Abdur-Rahim Syed

Abdur-Rahim Syed is a co-founder of Project Sakinah, a new compatibility-based marriage initiative for the American Muslim community. To be launched by year-end 2007, Project Sakinah will be a unique online service that introduces marriage-minded Muslims on the basis of personal and religious compatibility. The Muslim Marriage Survey, the results of which are being shared at the ISNA Annual Convention, provides a glimpse of the significant research that has gone into developing this service. Mr. Syed’s professional experience spans management consulting, economic consulting and corporate strategy (at Mercer Management Consulting, Analysis Group, and most recently eBay).

Sayyid M. Syeed

Sayyid M. Syeed resumed responsibilities as National Director of ISNA’s Office of Interfaith and Community Alliances, in Washington, DC, from March 2006. A naturalized American citizen, Dr. Syeed obtained his Ph.D. in Sociolinguistics from the Indiana University at Bloomington, Indiana, in 1984. As President of the Muslim Students Association of USA & Canada (1980-1983), he pioneered its transformation into the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). During 1984-1988, he was Secretary General of the International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations (IIFSO) in which capacity he traveled widely through the former Soviet Union, and Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America. Dr. Syeed has been General Secretary of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), a national professional organization founded 31 years ago. Dr. Syeed, one of the founders of the quarterly American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (AJISS), served as its Editor-in-Chief (1984-1994).

Iqbal Unus

Iqbal Unus is the Headquarters Director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), Director of Child Development Foundation (CDF), and Director of IIFTIHAR-USA. He is the former Dean of Students/Registrar at the School of Islamic and Social Sciences (SISS) in Leesburg, Virginia. His volunteer involvement in Islamic work began in North America as the President of the Muslim Students Association of Atlanta, Georgia in 1970. Later, he served successively as Regional Representative, Vice President, and President (in 1975) of the Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada (MSA).

Siraj Wahhaj

Imam Siraj is the current Imam of Masjid Al-Taqwa in Brooklyn, New York. He received his training from Ummul Quran University, Makkah and has become a national and international speaker on Islam. Imam Siraj has been on the Majlis Ash-Shura since 1987 and previously served as Vice-President of ISNA. He has been a member of ISNA's Planning Committee and served as a member of the Board of Advisors for North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) from 1989 to 1993. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the American Muslim Council.
Imam Siraj has appeared on several national television talk shows and interviews especially about his anti-drug campaigns. He received high praises from the media and NYPD for initiating anti-drug patrol in Brooklyn, New York in 1988. Among other achievements, Imam Wahhaj was the first person to give an Islamic invocation to the United States Congress.

Khurrum Wahid

Khurrum Wahid is an Attorney partner in the law firm of Wahid, Vizcaino & Maher LLP, and a civil and criminal litigation firm. He has defended individuals and organizations charged with allegedly committing or conspiring to commit acts of terrorism, including successfully defending three foreign medical students falsely accused of terrorism in Florida on the anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. In 2006 Khurrum helped found the Center for Voter Advocacy to promote the values of democracy and political efficacy within the Muslim American community. Khurrum has testified on civil rights issues several times before various government organizations, including twice before the United States Commission on Civil Rights

Asad M. Ba-Yunus

Asad M. Ba-Yunus is an attorney in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, practicing general civil litigation and medical malpractice defense and the President of the Florida Muslim Bar Association, Asad is the son of Dr. Ilyas Ba-Yunus, ISNA's first president and current Majlis-as-Shura member. Asad has been involved in MYNA, MSA and ISNA activities from childhood, and served as MSA National's Vice President US from 1999-2000.

Hamza Yusuf

Hamza Yusuf was born in Washington State and raised in Northern California. In 1977, he became Muslim and subsequently traveled to the Muslim world and studied for ten years in the U. A. E., Saudi Arabia, as well as North and West Africa. He received teaching licenses in various Islamic subjects from several well-known scholars in various countries.

Shaarik H. Zafar

Shaarik Zarfar is a Senior Policy Adviser in the Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Prior to joining DHS, Mr. Zafar served as the Special Counsel for Post 9/11 National Origin Discrimination at the U.S. Department of Justice where he led DOJ’s Initiative to Combat Post 9/11 Discriminatory Backlash.

Mr. Zafar is the 2006 recipient of the North American South Asian Bar Association’s annual “Access to Justice” award. He is a 1997 graduate of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, and received his J.D. from the University Of Texas School Of Law in 2000. Prior to joining the Federal government, he worked as a civil litigator at one of the oldest law firms in Houston, Texas, and as a summer associate at the Almaty, Kazakhstan office of an international law firm. Mr. Zafar is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Zafar is the special counsel for Post-9/11 National Origin Discrimination at the Department of Justice.

Safaa Zarzour

Safaa Zaraour is the President of (CISNA) Council of Islamic Schools in North America and associate attorney at Odelson & Sterk. A well known Muslim leader, he has served as the Principal of Universal School in Chicago for over 10 years, is the Program Chair for the ISNA Education Forum, serves as the Chairman for CAIR-Chicago and has spoken at a number of national and regional conferences. He is a Member of the Village of Bridgeview Zoning Board and was elected as a member of the Bridgeview Public Library Board of Trustees. He is active with the Catholic-Muslim Education Project and Play for Peace. He is also the Vice-Chairman of the Universal School Board of Directors.

Sulayman S. Nyang

Professor Sulayman Nyang is a naturalized citizen of the United States of America. Originally from the Republic of the Gambia in West Africa, his career as an Africanist and professor of African Studies spans more than 32 years. He joined the faculty of the African Studies Department at Howard University, shortly after graduating from the University of Virginia with the Masters of Arts in Public Administration and went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Government in 1974, while lecturing as Assistant Professor at Howard University. Nyang has held administrative academic positions at Howard University, and as Chairperson and Acting Director, contributed to several expert panels on African Affairs, handling a wide range of topics, including cultural, political, religious and social affairs. Nyang contributions to African affairs, transcends the scope of the academic world as he has served as First Secretary and Head of Chancery of the Gambian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, and consultant to the World Bank and United Nations agencies. He has held several positions as chairperson or member of the board of academic journals, and organizations of Islam and African affairs. He was the Lead Developer of the “African Voices Project” for the Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institute, and Co-Principal Investigator of “Muslims in the American Public Square,” Project, an initiative to foster greater understanding of Islam and Muslims in the US. Professor Nyang has published profusely on a variety of issues affecting Africans in Africa, the Diaspora, and beyond. He has written or collaborated with other Africa experts to write 11 books, and more than 70 articles on Islam, African political, cultural, and development affairs. He is a dedicated scholar who works tirelessly for African causes, and mentors younger scholars, through intellectual collaboration, and encouragement to foster continuity in the field. Nyang is presently one of the Washington Post panelists writing for their online webpage on faith issues.

Mohamed Hagmagid

Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali came to the United States in 1987 and is currently the Imam and Executive Director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center in Sterling, VA. He was born in Sudan, the son of a leading Islamic Scholar, who was an Azhar graduate and the Mufti of Sudan. Imam Magid studied at the hand of his father and other notable scholars, gaining ijaza in several disciplines, including Ghazali's Ihya-Uloom-al-Deen. His duties, as the Imam and Executive Director of the ADAMS Center, include giving Juma Khutbas and teaching classes in many aspects of the Islamic Sciences. Imam Magid is in great demand for Khutbas and lectures throughout the US. He is a passionate advocate for, and a practitioner of, reaching out to our neighbors and all citizens. Imam Magid is also well known as an effective communicator to our youth and for work with other organizations and interfaith dialogue. Imam Magid is also well known for his counseling and family counseling expertise.

Other Islamic activities and responsibilities include East Zone Representative on ISNA Executive Council from 2001 to present; Chair, Fairfax (VA) Faith Communities in Action; Member, InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington Assembly; Member of the Arab, Muslim Sikh Advisory Committee to the FBI Washington Field Office; Board, Fairfax Youth Partnership.

Muhammad Ninowy

Shaykh Muhammad began his study under his father, Sayyed Yahya, memorising the Glorious Qur'an and acquiring knowledge in many of the Islamic disciplines,, including Aqeedah, Fiqh, Hadith and Ihsaan, with ijaazas (license to teach).

He attended Al- Azhar Sharif University, Faculty of Usool-uddeen, where he studied under many scholars. He has been the Imam at Al-Madina Masjid in Atlanta, Georgia since 2001