Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur
Saleemah is the editor of the forthcoming anthology, Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak (Beacon Press August 2005). The anthology is the first of its kind and presents American Muslim women dealing with the complexities of forging their own identities while contributing powerfully to public life.
She was a member of the triad that produces Azizah magazine. Azizah is a pioneering publication that presents the perspectives and accomplishments of American Muslim women.
Previously, Saleemah was a program officer for Victoria Foundation. She was a member of the Council on Foundations, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, Grantmakers for Education, World Festival Advisory Council and the Hip-Hop Forum Advisory Council at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She is a graduate of Leadership Newark Class of 2002.
She is also a member of Friends of Open House regional council. She frequently presents at workshops, seminars and conferences about popular culture, Islam and women. Most recently, Saleemah was appointed to the steering committee for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity’s WomenBuild and LEAD Atlanta Class of 2005.
She is a graduate of Columbia University.
Mona Eltahawy
Mona Eltahawy is a New York-based journalist and commentator. She is a columnist for the Arabic-language daily Asharq al-Awsat newspaper which is based in London and is one of the most influential publications in the Arab world.Her OpEds have appeared in The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune and The New York Times and she has been a guest analyst on several television and radio shows, including ABC Nightline, BBC Newsnight, MSNBC, Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor and various NPR shows. Before she moved to the United States in 2000, Ms Eltahawy was a reporter in the Middle East for 10 years. She was a Reuters correspondent in Cairo and Jerusalem from 1993 - 1999 and covered the Middle East for The Guardian newspaper. She was born in Egypt and has lived in Britain, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Tarek Fatah
Tarek Fatah is a founding member of the Muslim Canadian Congress and lives in Toronto, Canada. Born in Pakistan, Tarek Fatah was a student leader in the sixties and early seventies; twice being imprisoned by successive military governments. A biochemist by education, Tarek started his career as a journalist with the Karachi SUN in 1970 and later went on to be an award winning investigative reporter for Pakistan TV. After another coup in 1977, Tarek and many of his colleagues were fired by the military junta and had to leave the country.
Since coming to Canada in 1987--after a ten year stay in Saudi Arabia--Tarek has been active in politics, serving in Ontario Premier Bob Rae's staff and running for the Ontario legislature in 1995. He is host of the Muslim Chronicle TV show since 1996, which airs Saturday nights on CTS-TV. Tarek is also a frequent guest on many TV shows and has written for the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, TIME Magazine, in addition to the online magazine, MuslimWakeup.Com.
Tarek and his friends set up the Muslim Canadian Congress after 9/11 to counter the growing influence of fundamentalist Muslim organsiations. The MCC is a grassroots organization of activist Muslims in Canada who believe, among other things, an end to the gender apartheid practiced by some Muslims, and a separation of religion and state around the world; including Muslim countries. For more information on the MCC, visit muslimcanadiancongress.org or read the Globe and Mail story Speaking for Muslims: A new group stirs the pot.
Tarek is currently spearheading the movement in Canada against state sanctioned private religious courts that will operate in the area of family law.
He is married to his university sweetheart Nargis Tapal for over 30 years and they have two daughters, Nazia and Natasha.
Ahmed Nassef, Chair
Ahmed is the editor-in-chief of MWU!, the world's most popular Muslim online magazine located at muslimwakeup.com. Ahmed studied early Islamic texts and history as a graduate student at UCLA, where he also served for three years as the president of the university’s Muslim Students Association, one of the nation's largest. His experience in community issues has included staff positions with several non-profit organizations, including for Jobs With Peace, the Committee for Justice, the Los Angeles Coalition Against US Intervention in the Middle East, and the Los Angeles National Lawyers Guild. Ahmed’s business background includes over ten years of experience in marketing management and consulting. He has served as Vice-President of Marketing for several US and international companies.
Ahmed’s articles have been published in the Christian Science Monitor, AlterNet and Common Dreams, and he has appeared on national TV and radio programs, including on C-SPAN, Fox News, and NPR. He lives in New York.
