CAIR’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award

On Saturday, September 28th, ISNA’s National Director for the Office of Interfaith and Community Alliances, Dr. Sayyid Syeed, was given the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award at the CAIR National banquet in Arlington, VA. The award was presented by Mr. Nihad Awad, founder and Executive Director of CAIR, amongst over a thousand Muslim community leaders, leading politicians and interfaith representatives. Dr. Syeed was praised for his lifelong service to establishing, growing, and strengthening the Muslim community in the United States as an early visionary leader for the following generations. Accepting the award, Dr. Syeed said, “Certainly, this award is not for me as a person, it is to celebrate the accomplishments of thousands and thousands  of volunteers, activists, community and religious leaders, from California to NY who put their trust and confidence in our vision of building a Muslim community in America.” He also said, “It was very clear that freedom of religion and freedom of speech would not only open up unprecedented possibilities of defining the essence of Islam for the new millennium, but provide a new vision of religious pluralism to America.” The event was a huge success with attendance by Muslim leaders from across the country. Keynote speakers for the evening were South African ambassador, Mr. Ebrahim Rasool, and Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who both spoke on the theme “Faith in Freedom”.