“Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged.” – Rumi, Islamic poet
#StandwithDCMuslims
The DC Office of Human Rights, in partnership with Shoulder-to-Shoulder, will present a free panel discussion with diverse Muslim faith and community leaders to help attendees better understand the Muslim faith, the experiences of DC Muslim residents, and how to be effective allies to the Muslim community. Attendees will leave the training with concrete steps they can take to counter Islamophobia and increase mutual understanding and respect in the District.
Panelists include:
- Imam Daayiee Abdullah, Executive Director of MECCA Institute and Imam of Masjid Nurral Islaah
- Darakshan Raja, Helga Herz Organizing Fellow at the Washington Peace Center
- Imam Suhaib Webb, Resident Scholar at CenterDC
- Mohammed Mobaidin, director of the Masjid of Ivy City
- Ubah Ali, 2015 President of the Muslim Law Students’ Association at Howard University
About the Panelists
Mohammed Mobaidin is the Director and Founder of the Masjid of Ivy City in NE DC. As the owner of local business MGM Construction, he has spent most of his life living in DC and working to improve the Ivy City neighborhood. For example, his challenge to local youth to improve their grades was covered by Channel 4 News and led to higher grades among the attending youth. He has lived in DC since immigrating from Jordan in 1977 (the same year that DC’s Human Rights Act was passed!) and has spent most of his life in Ivy City.
Imam Daayiee Abdullah lectures nationally and internationally on progressive Muslim concepts, intra-faith and interfaith networking, and the development of inclusive and progressive revisions of Islamic theological thought and Islamic law. He actively promotes understanding and awareness of issues of racial, gender and sexual equality as understood in the UN Declaration of Human Rights within and beyond Muslim communities.
Imam Daayiee is the Executive Director of MECCA Institute (Muslim Education Center for Creative Academics), a Muslim think tank and online Islamic theological seminary that teaches an inclusive liberation theology and interpretation of Quran and is scheduled to open in 2017. As Imam and Education Director at Light of Reform Mosque, Imam Daayiee provides pastoral counseling for Muslim youth, adults, their families and friends. He performs samesex, opposite sex and interfaith marriages for Muslims and non-Muslims of diverse backgrounds.
As the former Director of LGBTQ Outreach for MPV, Imam Daayiee produced a 14-part module on LGBTQ Muslim youth, their friends, family and community, funded by Carpenter, which was released in May 2014. Reach him at imamdaayiee@mecca-institute.org.
Darakshan Raja, MA, is a Program Manager and Helga Herz Organizing Fellow at the Washington Peace Center where she focuses on supporting local grassroots movements and anti-racism organizing. Ms. Raja is also a Co-Founder of the Muslim American Women’s Policy Forum, a collective of Muslim women organizers that organize at the intersection of Islamophobia, gender-based violence and state violence, with a focus on local policies that have a punitive impact on Muslim women. Prior to joining the Peace Center, Ms. Raja worked at the Urban Institute on a range of criminal justice evaluations for government agencies on improving policies and legislation for crime victims and treatment of youth in juvenile detention facilities.
Imam Suhaib Webb is an American Muslim Scholar based out of Washington DC. He is a Graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma with a background in Education & Azhar University from the College of Shariah (Islamic Law & Jurisprudence). He was named as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, which is an international Islamic non-governmental, independent institute headquartered in Amman, Jordan. Imam Suhaib has over sixteen years of experience by serving various communities in North America and is currently managing an Institute for training American Imams in the Washington, DC, area.
Ubah Ali was born in Canada to two Somali parents. She moved to Michigan at the age of 6, where she lived with her parents and three sisters. Ubah received a Bachelor of Business Administration at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. After graduation, she moved to Washington, DC, to attend Howard University School of Law, where she served as the president of the Muslim Law Students’ Association during her third year. Ubah also participated in the DC Office of Human Rights’s law clerk program during her last semester, during which she assisted in investigating cases of alleged discrimination in employment and public accommodations. She graduated from HUSL in May 2015, and was admitted to practice law in Georgia in December 2015.
Coming from a family of doctors, Ubah was exposed to the field of medicine and science from a young age. At HUSL, she realized she could combine her love for medicine with her love for the law. Currently, Ubah is working towards a Health Law LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Ubah hopes to, one day, build a free health clinic in a rural area in Puntland, Somalia, and work at the legislative level to implement effective health policies for those in underdeveloped nations.
About the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights
The District of Columbia Office of Human Rights (OHR) was established to eradicate discrimination, increase equal opportunity and protect human rights for persons who live in or visit the District of Columbia. The agency enforces local and federal human rights laws, including the DC Human Rights Act, by providing a legal process to those who believe they have been discriminated against. OHR also proactively enforces human rights in the District through Director’s Inquiries, which allow it to identify and investigate practices and policies that may be discriminatory.
About Shoulder-to-Shoulder
Shoulder-to-Shoulder is an interfaith organization dedicated to ending anti-Muslim sentiment by strengthening the voice of freedom and peace. Founded in November 2010 by over 20 national religious groups, Shoulder-to-Shoulder works not only on a national level, but offers strategies and support to local and regional efforts to address anti-Muslim sentiment and seeks to spread the word abroad.
To request a reasonable accommodation or interpretation, please contact teresa.rainey@dc.gov or (202) 727-5343(202) 727-5343 by close of business on February 29th.
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When Wednesday, March 9, 2016 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST) – Add to Calendar Where Old Council Chambers – 441 4th Street Northwest Washington, DC 20001 – View Map
