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 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

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 Ahmad Zahra led this effort. In addition to supporting the designation of “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.

The Muslim community of East Brunswick celebrates a groundbreaking event. (PHOTO © SAUD ASIF)

East Brunswick’s Muslims celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony of their expanded new mosque, The Islamic Center of East Brunswick (ICEB), on Aug. 3. Several township officials, community leaders and founding members were in attendance.

The rising 11,000-square-foot building includes an assembly and a prayer area, a multipurpose room, offices and accommodations for the imam. Plans call for a 95-space parking lot on an almost 2-acre-lot.

The journey of ICEB, initially called IQRA Community Services, began in 2004 when a handful of congregants started praying in the East Brunswick Congregational Church under arrangements made with Pastor Robert Moore, his associates and congregants.

In 2010, IQRA Community Service purchased the building and was allowed to continue praying in the center by the incumbent Christian community. In 2016, in order to meet the growing community’s needs, ICEB applied to the township to expand the facility. After securing the necessary and relevant approvals, the township approved the plan in 2018. It took another three years to raise funds to begin construction.

Construction of this mosque will help the ICEB congregants’ achieve their vision: to have an Islamic center to build bridges, host interfaith colloquiums, enhance community services and expand social engagements.

Dr Omar T. Atiq, M.D., FACP, was named chair of the board of governors of the American College of Physicians — the nation's largest medical speciality organization — at their annual scientific meeting in Philadelphia, April 11-13.

Atiq, a board certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine, is professor of medicine and otolaryngology — head and neck surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

He most recently served as ACP Arkansas chapter governor. Local ACP members elect governors who serve four-year terms. Working with a local council, they supervise ACP chapter activities, appoint members to local committees, and preside at regional meetings. They also represent members by serving on the ACP board of governors.

He has been an ACP fellow since 1993, which is an honorary designation that recognizes ongoing individual service and contributions to the practice of medicine.

The Little Rock based physician, earned his medical degree from the Khyber Medical College, University of Peshawar, Pakistan. ih

ACHIEVERS

Prof. Intisar Rabb (faculty director, Harvard Law School Program in Islamic Law) was appointed Special Adviser on Islamic Law to the International Criminal Court on Sept. 17. She is one of 17 experts selected to serve ICC prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan. The appointees, drawn from across the world, bring rich expertise and experiences from different legal systems and specializations. Khan appointed this group of experts to “reinforce the Office’s capabilities to effectively and efficiently discharge its mandate under the statute, and to strengthen specialization on a wide range of issues.”

In a press release, Khan further stated, “I have no doubt that with their enormous experience and hugely impressive credentials, they will significantly contribute to the work of the Office and the cause of international criminal justice. I very much look forward to working with and learning from them.”

Rabb (BA, Georgetown University; JD, Yale Law School; and MA and PhD, Princeton University) also speaks Arabic and Persian. She has held appointments as a Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, an associate professor at NYU Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and at NYU Law School, as well as an assistant professorship at Boston College Law School. She previously served as a law clerk for Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a Temple Bar Fellow in London with the American Inns of Court and as a Carnegie Scholar for her work on contemporary Islamic law. Her research centers on methods of interpretation in Islamic, American and comparative law. She has published the monograph, "Doubt in Islamic Law" (Cambridge University Press, 2015), the edited volumes of "Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts" (with Abigail Balbale, Harvard University Press, 2017) and "Law and Tradition in Classical Islamic Thought" (with Michael Cook et al., Palgrave, 2013) and numerous articles on Islamic constitutionalism, Islamic legal canons as tools for interpretation, as well as on the early history of the Quranic text. At Harvard, she launched SHARIAsource, an online portal that combines historical Arabic texts and data science tools, to facilitate research and new insights on Islamic law, with the help of AI and machine learning. Rabb is editor-in-chief of the Islamic Law Blog, the Journal of Islamic Law and the Harvard Book Series in Islamic Law (published with Harvard University Press).

Nomaan Husain was appointed to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.

Husain, founder of the Houston-based Husain Law + Associates, serves as a commissioner on the Harris County Houston Sports Authority, an advisor to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez (Ft. Bend County District Attorney) and as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee for University of Texas at Austin’s College of Liberal Arts and University of Texas School of Dentistry.

Abidullah Ghazi Memorial Event: Scholars from Around the World Pay Tribute

“The death of a scholar brings a void all over the world.” This expression, found in almost all of the world’s cultures with minor differences, came to life on Aug. 22 when the internet community and Chicagoans witnessed a group of Muslims observe a fourhour long program to remember Dr. ‘Abidullah Ghazi three months after his demise.

Dr. Ghazi was a poet, writer, researcher, scholar, orator, a religious leader in the traditional way, a spiritual guide and a modernist. With his wife Dr. Tasneema Ghazi, he co-founded Iqra International Educational Foundation, the world’s only Islamic international children’s curriculum development institution.

The program was the brainchild of his admirers, students and friends, who gathered Muslims worldwide to pay a glowing tribute to the scholar who left a permanent imprint on this specific field. Intellectuals and activists from Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Australia and Bangladesh shared their interaction with him and shed light on his personality — a mix of traditions and modernity with a sense of responsibility to God and His creation.

The organizing committee comprised Dr. Hafiz Ikhlas Ansari (imam, Muslim Community Center, Chicago), Dr. Tasneema Ghazi, Dr. Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Dr. Musa Azam, Dr. Ahmed Murad, Maulana Qari Adnan, Amin Haider, Dr. Aslam Abdullah, Javed Aslam, Prof. Masroor Qureshi and Shahab Khan.

The memorial service was a fitting tribute to one of the country’s best-known educators. As his wife stated in her keynote address, “he was a visionary who perceived the needs of the emerging generation in the field of education and created the infrastructure to achieve it.” His son described him as a practical man who knew how to weave dreams and bring them into reality. His long-time disciple Dr. Ahmadullah Siddiqi, quoting from his autobiographies, highlighted Ghazi’s vision of a pluralistic community that learns from its traditions and adapts modernity within its value system. During the program, the organizing committee released two significant works: Dr. Ikhlas Ansari’s work on Iqra’s curriculum and Dr. Abidullah Ghazi’s four-volume autobiography.

Speakers from different walks of life also paid rich tribute. Among them were Shahab Khan, Dr. Tasneema Ghazi, Rashid Ghazi (son), Abdullah Mitchell, Dr. A. Siddiqi, Prof. Omer Muzaffar, Amin Haider, Prof. Masroor Quraishi, Dr. Qutbuddin, Dr. Omar Shaheen, Dr. Seema Imam, Habeeb Quadri, Dr. Kaiserduddin, Dr. Wasiullah Khan and Dr. Shaikh Mohammed ArRaee. Joining via video call were Dr. Aslam Abdullah (Los Angeles), Moulana Sufyaan Qasmi (rector, Darul Uloom Deoband, India), Azra Taufeeq (Australia), Dr. Hannan (Singapore), Mufti Barkatullah (U.K.), Dr. Ashhad Jamal Nadwi (Aligarh, India) Salman Ansari (Saudi Arabia), Maulana Jahangir (Karachi) and Saba Ghazi (daughter). Tayyab Younus was keynote speaker.

The organizing committee also awarded Dr. Rami Nashashibi, Dr. Saba Khan, Ismail Umar and Mirza Muhammad Baig for their services.

The program concluded with the dua of Dr. Hafiz Ikhlas Ansari. Among the sponsors were the Iqra International Educational Foundation, the Islamic Food and Nutritional Council of America, S.C.S. Technology Solutions, Sahara, Saturna Capital, the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations, Elmhurst University, Indian Muslim Relief and Charities, Gain Peace, Helping Hand and Mazhar Khan. ih

He has also served as the chairman of City of Houston’s Ethics Commission, chairman and president of the South Asian Chamber of Commerce, member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee for South Asia and as the legal counsel to the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce.

Shahana Hanif made history in August when she became the first Muslima elected to the New York City Council, one of the first South Asian reps and first woman of color to represent her BrookSHAHANA HANIF (PHOTO © ANNA AND JORDAN RATHKOPF lyn district. She won AT SHAHANA HANIF CAMPAIGN) 57% of the vote.

At the age of 17, she was diagnosed with lupus — a chronic illness that impacts predominantly women and women of color and receives little funding. As such, those afflicted have a hard time receiving adequate, supportive health care. Throughout her time in and out of the hospital, Hanif experienced firsthand the city’s accessibility barriers. Although New York has some form of accessible transportation through a paratransit service, it’s often difficult to be approved and is notorious for being incredibly late to pick up passengers. After having both hips replaced and suffering from the pain of lupus, Hanif felt stuck — unable to adequately move and be a part of the city.

During her frequent hospital trips, she also uncovered language barriers in New York hospitals. At first, Hanif channeled her rage through writing and founding both the Muslim Writers Collective chapter in New York and the Naree O Shongothok (Bangladeshi Feminist Collective). Since then, she has broadened her impact and, in September 2019, announced her candidacy for Brooklyn’s District 39.

Hanif’s election holds many firsts, among them the first Muslima elected to the NYC Council and a member of the first cohort of South Asians in City Hall. She is also a part of the 30 women who were elected to City Hall, surpassing the goal of 21 elected women to office (Source: Ms. Magazine).

Arefin Shamsul was elected to represent Richardson, a Dallas suburb, in the at-large Place 6 on City Council in June 2021. In addition to sitting on the City Council’s education and retail committees, he has been an active community volunteer. Prior to being elected to the

Muslims on the Force

New York Police Department (NYPD) has a robust Muslim presence.

Lt. Filastine Srour, born in the Bronx and raised between there and the Occupied West Bank’s Kalandia Refugee Camp, was promoted to captain on April 23. She joined the NYPD as a Police Cadet Corps member, aged 18, while completing her bachelor’s in criminology and master’s in forensic psychology from John Jay College. Her studies and experience enabled her to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming an NYPD officer in January 2004, aged 21.

Srour, a NYPD Middle East & Turkic Society board member, is the first Arab American woman and the first Muslim female police captain in U.S. history. Ismile Althaibani, born in Brooklyn to Yemeni immigrants, was promoted to detective. A former Marine, he had enlisted in the Marine Corps, aged 20, and received numerous medals and commendations, among them the Purple Heart and Combat Action Ribbon, as well as the Presidential Unit Citation. Captain Jamiel Altaheri, a 16-year service veteran, was appointed commanding officer of the NYPD’s 115th Precinct. The NYPD’s first-ever Yemeni American commanding officer, he is the highest ranking Yemeni American police executive and among the department’s highest ranking Muslim officers. He was been featured as one of the most influential American Immigrants in Sara Novic’s “America is Immigrants” (2019).

Altaheri (BS, Brooklyn College (CUNY), MA, Seton Hall University and co-founder of the NYPD Muslim Officers Society) is director of public relations for the NYPD Middle East & Turkic Society.

Both Bronx Borough president Ruben Diaz and the society acknowledged him for mobilizing his community to purchase its first community center in the Bronx, where he founded the Yemeni-American Community Center. His passion for community service and youth empowerment helped him create the Yemen United Soccer Club, which has 400+ members throughout the tri-state area.

Altaheri also works to bridge the communication gap between law enforcement officers and the Muslim community by conducting lectures and discussions on the importance of diversity, collaboration and religious sensitivity to members of the U.S. military, law enforcement personnel, universities and community organizations. He’s been featured on many media outlets and, in 2016, became the first Muslim police executive to graduate from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

Sgt. Kenan Akaydin Brooklyn, born and raised the son of Turkish immigrants, graduated from Stony Brook University with a major in economics before joining the NYPD, aged 23. He is now the chief of detectives, Investigations Unit, and is awaiting his promotion to lieutenant. ih

Council, he was a member of the Richardson Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Building and Standards Commission for almost 10 years, as well as a member of the Richardson Complete Count Committee in support of the 2020 Census, the RISD Bond Steering Committee and Richardson Chamber of Commerce Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force.

Shamsul, president of the Dallas-based Islamic Association of North Texas for the past five years, resigned his position to focus on the City Council.

A 15-year resident of Richardson, Shamsul also served as a board member for the Highland Terrace Neighborhood Association.

A graduate of Leadership Richardson Class XXV and Richardson Citizens Police Academy (Class ‘41), Shamsul (MS, civil engineering, University of Maryland at College Park; BS, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology), a professional civil engineer with 30+ years of experience, heads his own civil engineering consulting firm that specializes in municipal infrastructure.

Shamsul and his wife of 27+ years have a son and three daughters.

Mohammad Bader is the new director of Multnomah County’s (Ore.) Department of County and Human Services (DCHS).

Prior to becoming DCHS interim director in February 2020, Bader (MS Counseling ‘91; MS Education ‘88) had served in several of the county’s leadership roles, including director of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Division and then its interim deputy director. He’s been a part of the organization since 1996.

Since Covid-19 began, DCHS has distributed more than $10 million in direct rent assistance; disbursed over $3 million in direct financial assistance to 5,000+ households, focusing on Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color living in historically underserved and overlooked areas; and worked with community-based organizations to leverage more than $1 million in CARES Act funding for culturally specific senior meal services.

Bader, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1986, has taught as an adjunct instructor at Portland State University. His poems have appeared in several books, and he is the author of “The Traveler” (2011).

Muhammad Saeed Sheikh of the Houston Karachi Sister City Association (HKSCA) won the Sister Cities International 2021 Volunteer of the Year Award.

The award honors an exemplary volunteer for contributions to the sister city movement and recognizes the leadership and talent that benefit local sister city programs and the larger sister city network.

Mayor Sylvester Turner, Reps. Al Green and Sheila Jackson Lee, and Pakistan’s Consul General Abrar Hashmi honored Sheikh for his leadership and community service during the pandemic.

A founding member of and current president of HKSCA president, Sheikh is also coordinator of Alliance for Disaster Relief and the Houston Iftar-Annual Ramadan Dinner with Huston’s mayor. In recognition of his community service, President Donald Trump awarded him the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2018.

Last year, Sheikh initiated and led “Covid-19 Relief Efforts,” a united community collaborative including HKSCA that raised over half a million dollars through the generous support of Chief Patron S. Javaid Anwar.

In response to the 2020 rain and floods in Houston’s Sister City Karachi, Sheikh coordinated and led the HKSCA collaborative “Karachi Floods Relief Efforts,” which impacted over 25,000 people there. Pakistan also recognized Sheikh on the “Foreign Minister’s Honor’s Roll List 2020” by awarding him on its Independence Day in August 2020. ih

A Dozen Muslim Canadians Win Parliamentary Elections

A dozen Canadian Muslim candidates, including two women, emerged victorious in the country’s 2021 general elections to the lower house, the Canadian House of Commons, despite the rising anti-Muslim climate of hate. Ziad Abultaif (Conservative), a Lebanese Canadian who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) since 2015, was returned to parliament. He was appointed official opposition critic for national revenue (2015-17), shadow minister for international Development (201719) and shadow minister for digital government (201920). He is a strong advocate for live organ donations.

Iranian Canadian Ali Ehsassi (Liberal), a lawyer who has served as MP since 2015, retained his seat. He graduated from the University of Toronto (B.A.), attended the London School of Economics (M.Sc.) and received degrees from Osgoode Hall Law School (LLB) and Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. (LLM). Syrian Canadian Omar Alghabra (Liberal), first elected MP in 2006 and again in 2015 and 2019, retained his seat. He served as minister of transport and parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, as well as to the ministers of foreign affairs (consular affairs) and international trade diversification.

Shafqat Ali (Liberal), an entrepreneur who has volunteered with youth, has formed a youth sports club, organized festivals and raised funds for the local hospital and food bank. He was a leading voice in successfully advocating for the cricket pitch in Mississauga neighborhood.

Somali Canadian Ahmed Hussen (Liberal), a lawyer who has served as MP since 2015, retained his seat. From 2017, Ahmed served as the minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship. In 2019, he was appointed as minister of families children and social development.

Iranian Canadian Majid Jowhari (Liberal), who was elected MP in 2015 and 2019, retained his seat. In 2021, he was the first federal nominee and candidate of Iranian heritage. Jowhari (BTech, Ryerson University, MBA, York University’s Schulich School of Business) is the first Iranian-born MP of Iranian heritage. Jowhari is one of the first two Iranian Canadian MPs, with the other being Ali Ehsassi.

Pakistani Canadian Iqra Khalid (Liberal), who has served as MP since 2015, returned to parliament. She chairs the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights and is a member of the International Human Rights Subcommittee. She also serves as chair of the Liberal Women’s Caucus and the All-Party Women’s Caucus.

Pakistani Canadian Yasir Naqvi (Liberal), first elected MP in 2007, was reelected in 2011, 2014 and 2021. He served as the attorney general of Ontario, government house leader, minister of community safety and correctional services, and minister of labor.

Taleb Noormohamed (Liberal), CEO at an online marketplace for apparel and home goods, was a senior official in the federal government (2002-07), which included establishing the cross-cultural roundtable on security. He served as director of the Air India Review Secretariat and special advisor to Bob Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN.

Ugandan Asian Canadian Arif Virani (Liberal), who has served as MP since 2015, retained his seat. He was an analyst with the Canadian Human Rights Commission and an assistant trial attorney at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He founded the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario. Pakistani Canadian Salma Zahid (Liberal), who has served as MP since 2015, chairs the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, and is a member of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. She presented a successful private member’s motion designating June as Filipino Heritage Month.

Sameer Zuberi (Liberal), who is of South Asian and ScottishItalian heritage and was elected MP 2019, retained his seat. He holds degrees in law from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and in mathematics from Concordia University. He served in the Black Watch, a Canadian Forces Reserves unit. ih