Community Matters

Scholarship Benefits the Children of Islamic Workers

The Sterling Charitable Gift Fund and Amana Mutual Fund, along with the UIF-Corporation and Shenandoah University’s Center for Islam in the Contemporary World, have joined hands to offer 10 “Imam Generational Scholarships.” Worth $5,000 each per year and administered by the Islamic Scholarship Fund, these scholarships are dedicated to the children of imams, chaplain and Islamic workers.

Students can apply for the annually renewable scholarships of up to $5,000. A minimum of ten scholarships will be awarded each grant cycle for the fall semester. The checks will be sent directly to the chosen university’s financial aid office.

Imams, associate or assistant imams and/ or chaplains serve their communities and mosques/centers as spiritual guides, counselors, advisors, consultants and even problem solvers. But while the community appreciates their dedication, distinction and friendship in this regard, its limited resources mean that these valued employees don’t receive fair market salaries. As a result, they are hard-pressed to save or pay their children’s expensive college or university tuition fees. This is a sad reality facing our community leaders and their children.

Both the application and list of requirements and criteria are available at https://www. myuif.com/imam-generational-scholarship/. If you have any questions, please contact us at imamscholarship@gmail.com. ih

The Zakat Foundation Supports Fellowship in Muslim Philanthropy

Amir Pasic Shariq Siddiqui

The Zakat Foundation Institute (ZFI; http://zfinstitute.co/), in collaboration with IUPUI’s The Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, located at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (LFSP), launched an 18-month Fellowship in Muslim philanthropic and humanitarian studies that will begin in the fall 2020 semester.

During this period, students will earn a graduate certificate in philanthropic studies by taking two LFSP graduate courses per semester. They will also receive ZFI’s Graduate Certificate in Muslim Philanthropy and Humanitarian Studies. All required courses may be completed online.

“I am thrilled that our Muslim Philanthropy Initiative has this opportunity to collaborate with the Zakat Foundation to bring this terrific opportunity to students who are passionate about making a difference in their communities,” said Amir Pasic, the Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the school.

Up to 10 students admitted to the school’s graduate certificate or its MA in Philanthropic Studies degree program will be considered for the fellowship. Priority will be given to displaced people, refugees and/or volunteers or nonprofit sector employees.

Shariq Siddiqui, director of the initiative and an assistant professor of philanthropic studies at the school, said “This program lifts up those [Muslim] communities by providing them the tools to navigate their challenges through the philanthropic and nonprofit sector.”

“The professionalization of the Muslim nonprofit and humanitarian sector is a critical need of the moment,” said Rasheed Ahmed, director of ZFI. “What better way to meet that need than to partner with the first school of philanthropy in the world?”

Prospective students interested in applying for the ZFI Fellowship may contact Luke Bickel (lbickel@iupui.edu). ih

The Waraich Family Fund’s gift to the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI will help Muslim American nonprofit organizations acquire the skills needed to expand their collaboration and fundraising efforts.

The gift creates and supports the Community Collaboration Initiative (CCI; https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/institutes/lake-institute/muslim-initiative/programs/cci/index.html) of the Dilnaz Waraich school’s Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI https://philanthropy. iupui.edu/institutes/lake-institute/muslim-initiative/index.html). This three-year initiative enables 25 Muslim American nonprofits in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, California and Washington, D.C., to acquire additional beneficial knowledge and training.

In his remarks, MPI director Shariq Siddiqui, Ph.D., stated, “Research suggests that due to heightened external scrutiny, Muslim American nonprofits have been very effective in interfaith collaboration due to the need to have external legitimizing partners. However, meaningful intra-faith collaboration is important too, and it can help these nonprofits strengthen their missions, develop specialization, create economies of scale and build more effective nonprofit organizations. We thank the Waraich family for this generous gift, which will not only help make such collaboration possible but also help us learn how a highly diverse, under-resourced and scrutinized minority can collaborate. This knowledge will help develop new models of collaboration.”

Three key themes stood out from a Waraich Family Fund survey to its Muslim American nonprofit grantees: (1) many of the nonprofits reported their desire to collaborate with other nonprofits but lack the time and resources to implement this initiative, (2) many would like to learn more about fundraising and become more strategic

in that regard, and (3) many of the nonprofits surveyed recognize the importance of increasing their level of diversity, equity and inclusion, want to become more inclusive and are working to implement such initiatives. Fund spokesperson Dilnaz Waraich said, “There are many Muslim American organizations that have empowering missions that drive social impact. Our family works towards using our resources to uplift missions that apply innovative thinking to old problems, processes, and systems. We are pleased to make this gift, which is a vehicle for social change that is motivated by our faith.”

The CCI brings together Muslim American nonprofits’ board members and staff dealing with the same types of constituents or issues to engender collaboration on one shared project to solve a common problem. Participating nonprofits must be community organizing organizations, public policy and advocacy organizations, legal organizations, masjid/community center organizations, and wellness and welfare organizations. Participants will work with conveners from the MPI and other organizations to create useful intra-sectoral collaborations by building trust, creating programs and developing sustainability. The initiative is organized in partnership with the Pillars Fund and the Center on Muslim Philanthropy.

Amir Pasic, Ph.D., the Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the school, displayed his appreciation of the Waraich gift by saying, “Increasing understanding and advancing the practice of philanthropy within and across diverse cultures and communities is at the core of our school’s mission. This thoughtful gift offers a great opportunity to accelerate the work of our Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, and we look forward to the achievements of the nonprofits who are joining us in this new endeavor.” ih

On Aug. 1, Dr. Timothy J. Gianotti, an accomplished scholar of classical Islamic theology, philosophy, and spirituality, assumed office as the American Islamic College’s (AIC; https://aicusa. edu/) new president. He has strong interests in Islamic psychology, moral theology, ethics, political thought, comparative religion and spirituality, as well as interfaith relations. A scholar of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d.1111), one of the classical Islamic era’s most important religious thinkers, Gianotti is also recognized as a Muslim theologian, pastoral leader and committed interfaith advocate with extensive experience in promoting interfaith engagement worldwide.

Originally from Portland, Ore., Gianotti received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (Islamic philosophy and theology), with periods of study at the University of Jordan’s College of Islamic Studies in Amman and elsewhere in the Middle East. His 20+ years of university-level teaching experience in North America include being an associate professor at Canada’s University of Waterloo and the York-Noor Chair of Islamic Studies at York University and an assistant professor of Arabic and Islamic thought at the University of Virginia, the University of Oregon and Penn State University.

Beyond the academy, he is also the founder and principal teacher of Toronto’s Islamic Institute for Spiritual Formation and was one of Muhammad Ali’s two religious advisors who helped the Champ carefully plan his final statement to the world in the form of his funeral.

AIC’s new president is the author of “Al-Ghazali’s Unspeakable Doctrine of the Soul” (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2001) and “In the Light of a Blessed Tree: Illuminations of Islamic Belief, Practice, and History” (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2011), scholarly articles and book chapters. He has also written theological essays on contemporary issues and traditional topics, such as the inner (psycho-spiritual) processes of moral beautification (ihsan) and character formation within an Islamic framework.

Gianotti, who has been closely connected with AIC since 2013, was its inaugural director of Islamic studies and an associate professor of Arabic and Islamic studies. During 2013-15 he helped redesign and revitalize its undergraduate and graduate curricula, taught a range of graduate and undergraduate courses for AIC’s degree programs, designed its Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies and was active in the college’s institutional and interfaith outreach. In January 2020, Gianotti rejoined the college as vice president for academic affairs.

“I am deeply grateful to my predecessor, Daoud Casewit, for his faithful stewardship, and to the College Board of Trustees for entrusting me with this responsibility as the College begins to spread its wings, diversify its curriculum, and realize the dream of becoming a full-fledged, fully accredited University that will serve as a cornerstone for the American Muslim community for generations,” Gianotti said. “Beyond that, our vision embraces people of all backgrounds, faiths, and walks of life, and so I envision AIC to be an intellectual hub for all those seeking transformative education, intellectual rigor, critical yet respectful engagement, and a more global perspective.”

Prof. Peter Mandaville, Schar School of Policy and Government and interim director of George Mason University’s Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies, received $50,000 from the Henry R. Luce Foundation to help establish the first podcast dedicated to academic Islamic studies. The podcast will be associated with the center’s existing digital scholarship platform, The Maydan, now a leading forum for online publishing in this multidisciplinary field.

Overseen by Ahmet Tekelioglu, The Maydan’s editor-in-chief and a research fellow at the center, the podcast will feature discussions on a range of contemporary and historical topics and themes across multiple academic disciplines of interest to both academic and non-expert audiences.

The Canadian Muslim community announced a record-breaking donation of Can$5 million to support the development of the Mississauga Hospital-owned Trillium Health Partners (THP). This is the largest such gift to a hospital by the Muslim community in Canadian history.

According to a THP press release in August, Ontario prime minister Doug Ford said, “I want to thank Abdul Qayyum Mufti and the Muslim community for showing the true Ontario spirit in making this generous contribution to support our frontline heroes at Trillium Health Partners.

“Our strength as a province and as a people comes from our diversity and shared values, and it’s needed now more than ever. By having each other’s backs, we can get through these extraordinary times.”

Mayor Bonnie Crombie stated, “I want to thank Mississauga’s Muslim community for once again stepping up to show how much they care about our city.

“Their generosity never wavers, and this is yet another example of the true spirit of Mississauga. This historic pledge will help THP get one step closer to building a new and modern hospital that will care for our growing, diverse and ageing population.”

Mufti, a THP board member since 2012, has been raising funds for THP for many years, having established the Family Day Walkathon in 2010. To date, after completing the 2020 event in February, he and his fellow walkers have raised hundreds of thousands of Canadian dollars.

ICNA Relief gave out 50 grants worth up to $2,000 each to empower classroom teachers (back2school@icnarelief.org).

While there are student and parent support programs, as well as hunger prevention in-classroom programs, there are no teacher support programs for at-risk communities.

These grants can be used for projects and materials related to core subjects and supplies.

In addition to juggling low budgets, high stress and poor working conditions to create a learning environment that allows their students to flourish, teachers in neglected communities now have to deal with social distancing and create virtual classrooms with minimal training, abysmal tools and limited funding.

A panel of experts evaluated the applicants based on a 32-point value scale: Impact of meaningful instruction on students inside and outside the classroom (+6 points), funds will be used to develop an impactful and innovative experience for students (+6 points), 30-120 seconds video (+10 points), optional points and a letter of recommendation from school (+10 points).

Sadaf Hossain, who has a career background in business strategy, B2B and B2C enterprise software, health care and entrepreneurship, joined the board of the Washington, D.C.based Institute for Social Policy and Understanding on August 1. A global business strategist at SAP (https://www.sap.com/), he has founded and/or cofounded three natural food and health care brands. He’s also an active angel investor for early-stage start-ups and a managing director at Golden Seeds, an early-stage investment firm.

Hossain, who enjoys supporting nonprofits, has been a cofounder and former board member of the Mariam Clinic in Raleigh, N.C., and a strategy consultant with Compass DC.

He holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The American Islamic Community Center (AICC; www.aiccmi.com) of Sterling Heights, Mich., celebrated the groundbreaking of its new facility on Aug. 19. The building will eventually contain a mosque, a community center and a school. Youth and sports programs will also be offered.

The quest for this building started in 2015, when the AICC requested the Sterling Heights Planning Commission to accept the building’s special approval land use proposal. After it refused to do so, the AICC sued the city in 2016, citing the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).

The U.S. Justice Department launched its own separate lawsuit against the city later that year. The AICC settled its suit with Sterling Heights in 2017, and the city agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of money and let them build their house of worship.

AICC chairman Jeff Chehab said the building will eventually be around 20,000 square feet, or around twice as big as their old center. Most of the AICC’s approximately 200 members live in Sterling Heights.

The Illinois Institute of Technology, which hosted its 2020 Alumni Awards on Sept. 26, recognized the late Syed “Zaheer” Zaheeruddin (M.S., IE, ‘75) with its Lifetime Achievement Award. His son Sameer Syed, accepting this award on his father’s behalf, said that his father “would have been extremely honored and humbled to be recognized by Illinois Institute of Technology.” He related that while visiting Chicago in 1999, Zaheer had proudly brought his family to the campus, which he credited for his professional and career success.

An accomplished engineer with work in Saudi Arabia, India and Australia, Zaheeruddin worked in building construction, engineering and building materials for more than 30 years. After retiring, he volunteered as a bookkeeper and office administrator for a local nonprofit in Melbourne, Australia.

Ever since 1946, the Illinois Institute of Technology has presented the Alumni Awards to its most accomplished, innovative and influential alumni. Its recipients add to the university’s rich history of visionaries who make the Illinois Tech community proud.

The ceremony took place during Illinois Tech’s virtual Homecoming & Alumni Awards Weekend on Sept. 25-26. ih

ACHIEVERS

Azadeh Dastmalchi, 34, CEO and co-founder of the Montreal-based start-up VitalTracer, received the Social Entrepreneur Award on Sept. 2. Mitacs is a nonprofit Canadian research organization.

Her company’s VTLAB smartwatch combines biosensors and artificial intelligence to measure human vital signs, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, body temperature and electrocardiogram (ECG) and photoplethysmography (PPG) signals. This “all-in-one” device, which needs no blood pressure cuff, ECG halter or similar external components to conduct the monitoring, can be enhanced to detect and monitor for early Covid-19 symptoms.

“It measures all of them, sends it with Bluetooth or WiFi to their smartphone, or directly to the online cloud. For hospitals, we can localize the cloud for them to use their own server. This is very important [for keeping] the confidential information of the patient in a hospital,” Dastmalchi told Yahoo News Canada on Sept. 2.

For the device’s Covid-19 component, she has received Mitacs’ C$150,000 grant to support research and development, postdoctoral fellow salaries and PhD students. She also received a grant of C$500,000 from Quebec’s Ministry of Economy, Science and Innovation to support two clinical trials through two companies. VitalTracer’s broader use is set to begin clinical trials in 2021 for Health Canada and FDA approval. The company is currently manufacturing 200 units.

For Dastmalchi, a PhD candidate in the University of Ottawa’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, it all started 10 years ago when her father was diagnosed with hypertension. Instructed by his doctor to check his blood pressure three times a day and take pills daily, he used to complain that the pressure was too painful. And so he didn’t always follow the doctor’s orders. He died at 62.

Unable to find a smartwatch on the market that could monitor his blood pressure, Dastmalchi, as his caregiver, started conceptualizing the project during her master’s and doctoral programs.

She noted that while uniform uptake may not be as needed, it may be worth having it downloaded in certain populations like young adults who frequent restaurants and similar public places. She reasoned that these people may be more open to anonymously telling an app, rather than their employers, that they have Covid-19.

Nana Firman was among the four climate activists presented with the Alfredo Sirkis Memorial Green Ring Award by former Vice President Al Gore at the 44th Climate Reality Leadership Corps Global Training on July 26. The virtual event trains attendees how to build an equitable and inclusive movement for climate action and climate justice.

Firman is the Muslim outreach director for GreenFaith (https://greenfaith.org/), an international multifaith partnership that engages faith communities in environmental leadership and action. Since training as a Climate Reality Leader in Melbourne in 2009, she has worked with various organizations to raise awareness of the climate crisis and advocate for improving urban sustainability and building a green economy.

After earthquakes and tsunamis impacted her homeland of Indonesia, she worked with the World Wildlife Fund to direct green recovery efforts in the country. In 2015, President Barack Obama named her a White House Champion of Change for Climate Faith Leaders.

The award honors climate reality leaders who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to their roles as climate communicators and activists. Previously called the Green Ring Award, it was recently renamed to honor the life and legacy of former Brazil branch director and climate champion Alfredo Sirkis, who passed away earlier this year.

The World Economic Forum, in its report “After John Lewis: 21 civil rights leaders who are shaping America,” noted July 30, “[I]n recent years, new leaders have emerged across the United States to champion rights — not just for African Americans, but also in the fields of migration and gender. They are using politics, social media campaigns and publishing in new ways to amplify and spread their messages” (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/john-lewis-nextgeneration-civil-rights-leaders-us/).

Its list of “21 current and emerging civil rights leaders who will shape struggles in the United States and the wider world for years to come” includes CAIR executive director Nihad Awad, citing him as “one of America’s leading Muslim voices condemning the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the anti-Muslim rhetoric that followed, and [who] has remained a prominent face of the community in the U.S. He has received numerous awards for his work.”

Qorsho Hassan, a fourth-grade teacher at Echo Park Elementary in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district, was named the 2020 Minnesota Teacher of the Year on Aug. 6.

Hassan, the 56th recipient of the prestigious award, is the second awardee from her school district. Principal Logan Schultz said Hassan brings passion and an equity-driven approach, which is a win for the community.

An independent selection committee representing Minnesota leaders in education, business and government chooses the “Teacher of the Year” from individuals who are nominated and then choose to become candidates. This year there were 134 candidates and 10 finalists.

In her submitted essay, Hassan, a Somali-American educator, wrote, “Being aware of the lived experiences of my marginalized students and their communities makes me fight harder to ensure they receive a high quality-education.

“I build strong relationships in order to know every single student as an individual. I challenge systems of oppression such as poverty and racism by demanding more resources for my students and their families. I believe that if students are in a learning space where they feel safe, seen and heard, they will succeed.”

Hassan, who taught for one year in Kuala Lumpur as part of a Fulbright Fellowship, holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and a bachelor’s plus from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio.

Education Minnesota, the 86,000member statewide educators union, organizes and underwrites the “Teacher of the Year” program. ih