Independents Viewpoints consists of active and diverse
individuals from across the American Muslim community,
with international representatives in Canada, Mexico,
the United Kingdom and Pakistan. Its board comprises
active young Muslims, each having demonstrated their
passion for involvement, their commitment to responsible
citizenship, and their ability to influence and initiate
change from University campuses to their respective
communities.
Boston
|
Adil
Hussain
Adil
Hussain has been a passionate advocate for the American
Muslim community since interning at the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington. He is
currently working with other American Muslim activists
to establish a chapter of CAIR in the New England area.
Adil studied economics and mathematics at the University
of
Michigan and is pursuing an advanced degree in
government at Harvard University. |
Nousheen Yousuf
 Nousheen Yousuf is currently in the first year
of her Master’s Degree at Boston University. She
is majoring in Religious Studies with a
concentration on Women in Islam. She completed
her undergraduate degree at the University of
Illinois at Chicago in 2005 with a major in
History and a double minor in Religious Studies
and Gender and Women’s Studies. Nousheen studies
how and why women negotiate their identities
when trying to fulfill their cultural, societal,
and religious duties, which often times conflict
with one another.
In addition to being an active member of the
Shia community in Chicago, Nousheen has been
involved in community service, such as
volunteering as a Tae Kwon Do instructor and an
Arts and Crafts teacher for children from
low-income areas, as well as training to be an
advocate for victims of domestic violence. She
is a member of the UIC Honors College, Phi Eta
Sigma, and the National Society of Collegiate
Scholars. Her paper, “To Live and Love in the
Spirit of Christ” was published in the UIC’s
2004-2005 History Journal and won first prize in
the Gender and Women’s Studies Research
Symposium in 2005. It was recently accepted for
the God and Sexuality Conference to be held in
April in New York City.
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Chicago
Shakir Ali Rizvi
Shakir Ali Rizvi is currently a Business Analyst at a
Fortune 200 company and a motivated activist in his
homeland of Chicago, IL. Shakir brings with him more
than 5 years of analytical and leadership experience,
where his expertise is in forging and managing business
projects and relationships in the IT sector. He offers a
rare blend of creativity, analytical strength, and a
keen sense of professionalism that has been recognized
by his peers and management throughout his career.
Shakir's motivation is based on his philosophy of
bringing social and civic awareness to growing Muslim
communities throughout North America and the communities
that surround them.
Shakir
received his BS and will be completing his MS this May
from Northern Illinois University. He also serves on the
steering committee of the Allied Muslim Youth of North
America (AMYNA).
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Florida
|
Layla Fayiz
Layla
Fayiz is currently a senior studying at the University
of South Florida, anticipating the completion of both a
BS in Biomedical Sciences and a BA in Psychology by May
of 2006. She is a liaison for the United Muslim
Foundation (UMF), a non-profit organization based in
Orlando, Florida, which serves to promote unity, educate
society and serve humanity. She is also a representative
member on the board of the Tampa Bay Muslim Alliance (TBMA),
which includes a diverse council of active members and
leaders within the larger Muslim community. Over the
past five years, Layla has been highly involved in
collaborating with various organizations and individuals
to aid numerous Afghan refugees who have been displaced
and forced to resettle in the Bay Area.
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Karachi
|
Askari Chandoo
Askari
Chandoo is a self-employed finance wonk in Karachi,
Pakistan. His living in Pakistan, Greece, the United
Arab Emirates, England, and the U.S. has given him an
understanding for cultures and points of views other
than his own. He has been active in politics for
several years, having organized voter registration
drives at masjids; helping to raise money for Barack
Obama's (D-IL) successful senatorial campaign; and
serving on the executive committee of the satirical
protest group Billionaires for Bush,
where, in his alter ego of Cassius King, he headed up
the group's messaging effort as the Minister of
Rhetorical Rhetoric and also served as its treasurer,
better known as the Minister of Theoretical Finance. He
currently sits on the board of Friends Welfare Trust, a
non-profit providing housing, medical, and education
assistance to poor Shia families in Karachi.
Askari is a card-carrying member of the ACLU and a
non-card carrying member of the Khoja (Pirhai)
Ithna-Asheri Jamaat. His applications for country club
memberships have been consistently rejected.
Askari holds a BA from Brown University, where he
graduated at the top of his class, and an M.Phil. with
honors from the University of Cambridge.
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London
|
Anser Rizvi
Anser
Rizvi graduated from Imperial College London in 2001
with an MBA in Business Strategy. He is working as a
Market Analyst for a leading telecommunications advisory
firm in London. He is a trustee of Discursis, a
charitable foundation promoting interfaith dialogue and
scholarship in the Islamic intellectual tradition and
has organized seminars on the influence of Islam in the
fields of government and medicine.
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Mexico
|
Marya Abbas
Marya
Abbas attended Al Iman School in Queens, NY and then
went onto Stony Brook University where she majored in
Economics. She has been public speaking since the age
of 12. At Stony Brook, she started the first newsletter
for the Muslim Students' Association, called
"Minaret". She was a member of "Radicals Against War"
and "Social Justice Alliance". Marya also organized and
spoke at many rallies for Palestine and Iraq. She and
Meesam Razvi, another IV board member, organized the
very first event on Karbala at Stony Brook in 2003. It
was a giant step towards uniting the Shias and Sunnis on
campus and making Muslims and non-Muslims aware of the
fact that the tragedy of Karbala is a humanitarian issue
and carries a universal message against tyranny and
oppression. Marya is currently a 2nd year medical
student at UAG in Guadalajara, Mexico.
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Michigan
Zeinab Chami
Zeinab
Chami is a Communications Specialist at the Arab
Community Center for Economic and Social Services
(ACCESS), a non-profit organization based in Dearborn,
Michigan. She is also the Co-director of the Allied
Muslim Youth of North America (AMYNA), an initiative
that works to connect, empower, and promote activism
among Shi’a youth and student groups. She was featured
in the November 2005 issue of Marie Claire magazine in
"Meet the New Faces of America." She recently received
her BA in English Literature from the University of
Michigan-Dearborn, and looks forward to beginning her
graduate studies in English in the coming months.
|
Ali
Dabaja
Ali
Hassan Dabaja is a native of Michigan and descendent of
a Lebanese immigrant family to the United States. He
has a bachelor’s in Biology from the University of
Michigan-Dearborn and is currently a medical student
attending Michigan State University College of
Osteopathic Medicine in East Lansing. Ali has been
involved in several youth and faith-based initiatives.
He is one of the founders of the Young Muslim
Association (YMA) of the Islamic Center of America, one
of the largest Muslim youth groups in the US and a past
executive of the Muslim Students’ Association. He is
also a founding member and current Co-director of the
Allied Muslim Youth of North America (AMYNA), a youth
networking and grassroots activism and advocacy group. In
December 2005, AMYNA held its first national conference
in St. Louis were youth representatives from across
North America participated in the first ever AMYNA
National Assembly.
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New Jersey
|
Ayman Naquvi
Ayman
Naquvi is a college student originally from central New
Jersey. She is a senior at Barnard
College of Columbia
University in New York City, majoring in Middle Eastern
and Asian Languages and Cultures. She is currently the
Muslim Representative on the Executive Board of
Columbia’s interfaith group, Amen. She has worked as a
writer and editor of Community News and Views, the
monthly community newsletter of Mohsena Memorial
Foundation. She has also worked with Imamia Medics
International as a volunteer. |
Mohammad Ali Naquvi
 Mohammad Ali Naquvi is
the Founder of Independent Viewpoints and the Chair
of the IV Board 2005-2006. He is also the Secretary
to the Board of Trustees of Mohsena Memorial
Foundation, IV’s parent organization.
Mohammad Ali was born in
the UK and lived all over Europe as a child. He
immigrated to the US in 1985 and lived in various
cities across the nation doing things as diverse as
academic neuroscience research, business
development, teaching math & reading in a low-income
area and freelance writing. He has completed a
Bachelor’s in English, a Master’s in Biology and is
now pursuing a Master’s in Bioethics while working
as a Medical Editor in Jersey City, NJ. Mohammad
Ali is most concerned with the civic participation
and political action of American Muslims and feels a
deep sense of connection with Muslims all over the
world. He is motivated by his family, his friends
and his faith.
Hyder
Naqvi
 Hyder
Naqvi is currently a practicing attorney at a New York
City law firm specializing in Insurance Defense
Litigation. He graduated from Rutgers University in 2000
with a B.A. in Political Science and then completed his
Juris Doctor (JD) from St. John's University School of
Law in 2003. Hyder was President of the Rutgers
University Chapter of the American Muslim Alliance
(AMA), where he focused his efforts on encouraging
American Muslims to get involved in the political
process by organizing voter registration drives and
outreach seminars geared towards the American Muslim
community.
Zahra Yusufali
Zahra
is a journalist working in New York City. She graduated
with distinction from Barnard College, where she
completed her BA in Comparative Literature and
received over five leadership awards for her work in
Student Government. She obtained her MPhil, with
honors, from Cambridge University. She is an advocate
for independent media and believes in the importance of
promoting alternative viewpoints in print and
television.
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New York
Fatima Agha
Ms. Agha is a 2005 graduate of Rutgers University,
New Brunswick, with a BSc. in Biology and a minor in
Italian. While at Rutgers, Ms. Agha was an active
participant in various organizations: Vice-President of
American Muslim Affairs Committee; Senator in the
Rutgers College Governing Association; and the Islamic
Society of Rutgers. Ms. Agha has written several
published articles concerning American politics in local
newspapers, as well as international foreign policy. She
is involved in the Zainabia Youth Committee and is on
the Board of Directors of the American Muslim Congress.
Ms. Agha is currently studying for her
post-baccalaureate degree in Economics at Rutgers
University, Newark.
Najam Haider
Najam
Haider graduated from Dartmouth College in 1997 with a
Bachelor's degree
in Government and Physics. After spending a year in
Syria on a
Fulbright grant, he completed an MPhil in Classic and
Medieval
Historiography at Oxford University in the UK. He is
currently a doctoral
candidate at Princeton University in the Department of
Near Eastern Studies and an
adjunct Professor at New York University. Najam is most
proud of his
work as an 8th grade social studies teacher at Elizabeth
Barret
Browning Middle School in the Bronx in 2000-01.
Masooma Hydary
Masooma Hydary is a graduating senior at SUNY
Binghamton studying with a major in Philosophy,
Politics, and Law and a minor in Business
Management. She received her Associate's
Degree from NYU. Her interest in
international affairs led her to do an
internship in Washington, DC at the Center for
Strategic and International Studies, and
she also participated in the Muslim Student
Network program there. She has been greatly
involved in community affairs in recent years
such as delivering speeches at Muharram
processions or helping moderate a past Husain
Day event. She also began an organization
at SUNY Binghamton known as "Americans for
Informed Democracy" to educate campus students
on international affairs. She is a member
of a co-ed law fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta,
secretary for a co-ed honors fraternity, Sigma
Alpha Lambda, vice-president of the MSA, and a
judge for Binghamton Judicial Board.
Khalid Latif
Khalid
Latif recently graduated from New York University with a
degree with honors in Middle Eastern and Islamic
Studies. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in
Islamic Studies with a concentration on Muslim-Christian
Relations and a Certification in Islamic Chaplaincy from
Hartford Seminary. Aside from serving as the Muslim
Chaplain at NYU, he is also a shura member and Advisor
for the New Jersey Islamic Speakers' Bureau, MSA-NY, and
the Islamic Center of NYU Alumni Association. As well,
he is currently serving as the Chair for the Muslim
Accomodations' Task Force of MSA National. Currently,
Khalid is an educator with Abraham's Vision, teaching
high school seniors at Abraham Joshua Heschel High
School in Manhattan and the Al-Iman School in Queens. He
is a regular friday speaker at the Muslim Community of
New Jersey, the New Brunswick Islamic Community, the
Islamic Center at NYU, the Islamic Circle of Mercer
County, and Belleview Hospital.
Meesam Razvi
Meesam Razvi is an
experienced entrepreneur, a successful business
manager and a zealous community activist. Working
closely with professionals from all across North
America, he recently coordinated the creation of a
Shia Muslim think-tank and three practical action
plans
for North American
Shia Muslims. The action plans were in the areas of
Health and Human Services, Education & Intellectual
Development and Entrepreneurship.
He is currently
serving as the Permanent Representative of Al-Khoei
Foundation at the United Nations where he regularly
represents and advocates for the cause of Shia
Muslims at UNHCR and other functional bodies of the
UN and affiliated NGOs working under ECOSOC
(Economic and Social Council).
Among many other
ships that he sails is Mediopia Technologies, Inc,
the service which runs this website, of which he is
the Founder-CEO since 2003.
He has a Bachelor's
of Science from Stony Brook University, New York and
Bachelors in Business Administration (Honors) from
Hamdard University, Karachi.
Texas
Farah
Rizvi
 Farah
Rizvi recently completed her MA in African/Asian History
from SOAS (University of London) where she focused on
Shia ritual and identity in pre-modern North India.
Prior to this she was teaching first grade at a local
Islamic school. She was also an instructor for the
Institute of Reading Development where she taught
reading programs for children and adults. Farah served
as an Americorps volunteer where she worked with
refugees and asylum seekers at the Dallas office of the
International Rescue Committee.
Presently she is doing outreach and communications work
at Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights in
Washington D.C.
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Vancouver
Sumayya Kassamali
Sumayya
Kassamali is a third-year Political Science student
at the University of British Columbia who has been
involved in various types of political and antiwar
activism for a number of years. She currently serves on
the Board of Directors for the Creative Peace Network, a
locally based non-profit organization which seeks to use
creativity to foster conflict resolution and dialogue
between Palestinian and Israeli youth, and is involved
in interfaith dialogue with the international
organization Children of Abraham as well as within the
Vancouver community. She is a member of the Youth
Outreach Team of War Child Canada, and has always
been active in the local Muslim community through
initiatives such as the Islamic Speakers Bureau and
the local Az-Zahraa Madrasah.
|
Amina Rai
Amina
Rai is currently completing her BA in Psychology, with a
minor in Sociology from the University of British
Columbia. Throughout her university experience, she has
been actively advocating for students’ rights by holding
elected positions within the students’ union. Before
transferring to university, Amina was active on the
Langara College Students’ Union in the elected positions
as Education Council representative and Womens’ Centre
Liaison Officer. Upon transferring to UBC, Amina ran in
elections with a progressive slate and was elected to
UBC’s highest governing body, the Board of Governors.
The following year she was elected as President of the
45,000 student populated campus. As President, Amina
engaged the university community on issues of systemic
racism, and advocated for greater rights for
international and aboriginal students. Amina has also
been involved in international community development
initiatives, as well local community building projects.
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