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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CLAREMONT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
NATIONALNEWS
Budding Writer DuPage county (IL) sixth grader Taskeen Khan, 12, won first place in the “Expository” category in the Writing Conference Inc., a national writing contest. She collected her prize at the awards ceremony in Kansas, where the winning pieces were acted out by high school students. Her entry, “Courage,” tells the story of Ahlam, who came to America because of persecution in her home country and went on to build a new life for herself and help others to do the same. Her winning story was also published in the “Writers Slate,” an online journal. She has been published twice in “Chicago Parent” — the first time being at the age of six, and has won the “Writing We Love Competition” in Chicago as well as second place in the Dunham International Memorial Poetry Competition when she was nine years old. Her poetry has also been chosen for publication in the “2010 Poetic Power” anthology.
CST Names First Muslim Faculty Member
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ajeeba Syeed-Miller is joining the Claremont School of Theology as assistant professor of interreligious education in fall 2010. The first Muslim faculty member at CST, she is a practitioner and educator in conflict resolution among communities of ethnic and religious diversity. Fully conversant with the emerging discipline of “jurisprudence of Muslim minorities” and armed with her J.D. from Indiana University, she has been an active participant in conflict resolution and education, gender issues, and community activism; is a former executive director of the Western Justice Center (Pasadena) and Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center (Los Angeles); and has worked closely with the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission on the Middle East Taskforce. She is also a part-time faculty member at the California State University Dominguez Hills Master’s program in negotiation, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution. Syeed-Miller has spoken and taught widely on issues of interreligious conflict and strategies for peacemaking, including events at the UN, USAID, the Smithsonian, Harvard, Pepperdine, USC and UCLA law schools, and Claremont Graduate University. She was featured on the cover of “Azizah” magazine and also is vice chair of the City Commission on the Status of Women.
18 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JULY/AUGUST 2010
CORRIGENDUM The bio for the author of “Days of Haze”(May-Jun 2010, p. 52) should read: Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, has extensive emergency response experience and currently serves as deputy director of the Harris County (TX) Public Health and Environmental Services, Houston.
Health Activism Dr. Faisal Qazi (board member, American Muslim Health Professionals [AMHP]) was among the invited guests when President Obama signed the healthcare reform bill. The bill contains a number of targeted reforms
advocated by AMHP: scholarships and loans for minority health workforce development, data collection on minority Americans, major investment in community health centers, and substantive improvements in preventive health. AMHP, which adopted a proactive role in supporting healthcare reform, has also worked hard with other organizations to inform the community about healthcare reform and engaged in governmental channels, including congressional visits, forums, publications, and federal consultation.
CIOGC’s New Director The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) welcomed its new executive director, Mohamad I. Nasir, a professional with a rich background in executive management, marketing, sales, and social media. Before accepting this position, this Temple University graduate served as coach and consultant with the Chicago Business and Practice Development. To familiarize himself with the umbrella organization, for the first few weeks he will alternate between the council and some of the member organizations and civic partners. “We are excited to have Mohamad join our team,” enthused Dr. Zaher Sahloul (chairperson, CIOGC). “He has been an active board member of one of our member organizations, the Islamic Community Center of Illinois (IICI), for the past five years and will be an asset to the community.” “Br. Mohamad brings experience and enthusiasm to the council, and we look forward to having him lead our team to new heights,” remarked Kiran Ansari (acting executive director, CIOGC). A vice president for public relations at Toastmasters, he serves as chairman of the ICCI Bylaws Committee and curriculum representative with Park Ridge School District 64.