COMMUNITY MATTERS
A Female Duo Heads a Major Muslim Medical Organization
Marium Husain
Anam Tariq
Marium Husain, M.D., MPH, and Anam Tariq, D.O., MHS, both longtime leaders and supporters of the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA), were elected the organization’s president and vice president, respectively. Husain is heavily involved with its work to improve public health education and domestic projects related to food insecurity, women’s health, reproductive health and climate change. Tariq has long worked to promote public health education and access to preventive care with IMANA and
the World Health Organization. Husain and Tariq assume their roles as the association continues to respond to the global Covid pandemic and organize international public health missions. Husain is currently a hematology/oncology fellow at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and founder of the Science Jummah. Tariq, a nephrologist, epidemiologist, clinical-researcher and educator in Maryland and Washington D.C., is nationally recognized for her international volunteer medical work in Pakistan, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. “I first became involved with IMANA’s work over 11 years ago, motivated by my values as a Muslim to work for social justice and promote human rights,” she said. They serve on the board alongside Dr. Mohseen Rahman (treasurer) and Dr. Labib H. Syed (secretary). ih
CAIR Defeats an Islamophobe
A federal court ordered Islamophobic propagandist Laura Loomer and her media company to pay nearly $125,000 to CAIR in legal costs to cover the costs incurred by fighting her frivolous lawsuit. This issue originated in 2018, when Twitter, taking notice of Loomer’s bigoted comments, made an internal decision to The Orange County Board of Supervisors designated August as Muslim American Appreciation Month in conjunction with the State of California. Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi accepted the proclamation on behalf of the Orange County Muslim community. The city of Fullerton introduced this month with a proclamation, issued on Aug. 17, to celebrate the heritage and culture of Muslim Americans. Councilmember
ban her from their platform. Of course, this caused an uproar in far-right media circles. In response, she began attacking CAIR and went so far as to file a lawsuit falsely claiming that it had conspired to have her banned to damage her business interests. After CAIR fought back in court, a federal judge dismissed Loomer’s “nonsensical” lawsuit and ordered her to cover the organization’s legal costs. “Loomer filed this lawsuit in large part to harass CAIR and to defeat its mission of protecting the civil rights of American Muslims. This ruling shows that tactics of legal harassment can backfire on those who use them,” said CAIR trial attorney Justin Sadowsky. ih Ahmad Zahra led this effort. In addition to supporting the designation of
12 ISLAMIC HORIZONS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
“Muslim-American Appreciation Month,” this proclamation seeks to “1. Honor the contributions and integral role of Muslim Americans in the economy, culture and identity of the city of Fullerton; 2. Urge Americans to honor the month with appropriate ceremonies, programs and activities that celebrate the contributions of Muslim Americans to the city of Fullerton; and 3. Recognize the contributions of the Islamic Center of Fullerton, Olive Community Services and ICNA Relief to the city of Fullerton and its residents.” “With the rise of Islamophobia globally, it is more important than ever to recognize the contributions of Muslims to our society. We are thankful to Councilmember Ahmad Zahra for making this proclamation possible. We have a long way to go to ensure the rights and humanity of Muslims in this country and abroad, but this is definitely a step in the right direction,” said CAIR-LA policy and advocacy manager Fayaz Nawabi. Tasneem Faridi, a Pakistani American who enjoys writing Urdu fiction and teach-
ing elementary-level Urdu as a foreign language, has published her children’s book “Chalne wali Machli” (The Walking Fish; https://www.meraqissa.com/). The 44-page illustrated book narrates the story of a friendship between a fish that can walk on its tail and Amjad, of how it affected his life and how he finally freed himself from the fish. It seeks to let children know that they should care for marine life, recycle, save money, develop their critical thinking skills and, most importantly, navigate life’s challenges without losing hope. She envisages that this work of fiction will be welcomed by teachers who want to introduce elementary-level Urdu language into their curriculum. The author’s 12-year-old niece Maheen Zohaib breathed life into the storybook’s character through her illustrations.
