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Javed Nasiri is a women’s rights activist and global entrepreneur. His passions include mentoring young leaders in an effort to help drive their businesses forward. He hopes to develop infrastructures to help orphans with support, whilst empowering them with opportunities and resources. My name is Javed Nasiri, and I was born in an Afghan refugee […]

Dr. Nadia Oweidat is a non-resident Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, focused on extremism, counter-terrorism, and the Arab Spring. Born and raised in Jordan, she holds a Ph.D. in Oriental Studies from Oxford University, where she was awarded the Weidenfeld Leadership Scholarship. She has appeared on various Arabic and English networks including BBC,

Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American writer, speaker and interfaith activist. She is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a literary magazine for Muslim art, poetry and prose. Her short-story collection Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan depicts Muslims and Pakistanis in fresh ways.   I was born in Karachi, the city of lights,

Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol is a Turkish-American composer, ethnomusicologist, multi-instrumentalist, Harvard research fellow, and Emerson College and Holy Cross faculty member. He is the co-founder of the DUNYA musicians’ collective. I hail from the ancient and enchanting Middle Eastern landscape of Cyprus and Turkey. This is where I fell in love with music and bonded a

Raza Rizvi is an IT infrastructure engineer based in New York. He holds a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Wichita State University. A grassroots community grassroots organizer and philanthropist, Raza is a mentor to young thinkers and leaders from diverse Muslim backgrounds.   America is not the land of my birth, but my adopted

Alaa Basatneh, a Muslim American of Syrian heritage, is the main character in the award-winning documentary film #ChicagoGirl, which has aired in over 40 countries, including Al Jazeera and Fusion Network, and is currently on Netflix. Amnesty International named her one of the Human Rights Heroes of 2014. She currently works as an ELL, ESL

Naila Amin is a survivor of forced and child marriage. She is currently pursuing a degree in human services to help survivors of honor-based violence.   I don’t actually know whether the date of birth on my birth certificate is exact or approximate. That document says I was born to my mother on October, 24, 1989, in

Pooyan Manoochehry is an Iranian film editor who has worked with directors and producers in Iran, Malaysia and the United States. He recently edited the award-winning documentary “The Price of Honor” and lives in California.   After finishing high school in Iran, I decided to study animation in Malaysia. At film school, I discovered an immense passion for

Farzeen Tariq is a student at Northwestern University School of Law. I grew up with three sisters in a politically active family in Islamabad, Pakistan, and was touched by social justice issues since a young age. Yet there weren’t many outlets for me to express myself because I was discouraged from being “too outspoken” and “too educated.”

Fadumo Omar is a Masters in Counseling Student at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is a member of the Illinois Counseling Association; Illinois Association for Assessment in Counseling and Education; and Illinois Association for Multicultural Counseling.   I was born in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E, to Somali parents. I started my journey in the U.S.