JAMEEL A. SYED
Jameel Syed, “The Muaddhin” is an international speaker, traveler, author and marketing executive based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. In 2015, he became the first person in the history of the world to make the Adhan – Islamic call to prayer across all 50 states in America within a Record span of 35 days whilereciting the last sermon of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. He is a columnist for two of the most prestigious online MuslimMedia sources in the world: The award winning blog, muslimmatters.org and the internationally famed ilmfeed.com. He is the feature of a podcast series under the banner of “Greed For Ilm” that airs bi-weekly about Muslims in America. Muaddhin Jameel attained his education from The University of Michigan School of Kinesiology and Ross School of Business. In 2004, he founded the Fluidvisions Marketing firm, specializing in strategy consulting, building brand equity and launching new ventures. He holds an Ijaza/license in the science of Tajweed (Hafs) and his focus in the traditional Islamic sciences center around the Fara’id and Sunnah of the Adhan/Iqama with a special concentration on the last sermon of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.
NOOR TAGOURI
Journalist and Founder of #letnoorshine Campaign
Since launching the viral #letnoorshine campaign in 2012, Noor Tagouri has gained international attention as one of the most talked about young adults in the country. Determined to become the first hijabi journalist on commercial television in the United States, Tagouri has embarked on a unique journey to achieve her dream, breaking down significant barriers in the process. She has since become an associate journalist for CBS radio in Washington D.C, graduated from one of the top journalism schools at the age of 20, become a local news reporter in the DC metro area for CTV News, and has traveled all over the world as a motivational speaker.
With more than 200,000 social media followers, Tagouri has gained significant support for her efforts to break normative stereotypes and has established a strong platform to encourage others to realize their own potential in a multi-cultural society. From weekly YouTube videos to YouNow livestream discussions, to creating the #journeywithnoor bracelet that promotes accomplishing goals and creating pen pals, blogging for the Huffington Post, Tagouri is successfully creating an inviting space for people to celebrate their individuality and embrace diversity.
As a first generation Libyan-American, her passion for storytelling stems from the desire to expose cultural injustices and combat the challenges facing women on a global scale. Her extraordinary rise as a young journalist and budding cultural figure is proof of what can happen if you dare to ask the right questions. As she continues to break down barriers, Tagouri inspires others to do the same, to let their own light shine.
ARSALAN IFTIKHAR
Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, global media commentator and author of the book Islamic Pacifism: Global Muslims in the Post-Osama Era. He also serves as Senior Editor for The Islamic Monthly magazine.
For nearly a decade, Arsalan was a regular on-air weekly commentator for National Public Radio (NPR) and he was also named one of the top 12 Muslim Twitter accounts in the world by The Huffington Post in May 2011. Arsalan has also been an adjunct professor of religious studies at DePaul University and he is also a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and Reporters San Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders).
Additionally, Arsalan was also awarded the 2013 Distinguished Young Alumni Award from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. – See more at: http://www.themuslimguy.com/#sthash.svXbi2tO.dpuf
For more information on Arsalan Iftikhar go to http://www.themuslimguy.com/
DEAN OBEIDALLAH
Born in the Great State of New Jersey, Dean’s comedy comes in large part from his unique background of being the son of a Palestinian father and a Sicilian mother. Dean, an award winning comedian who was at one time a practicing attorney, co-starred in the Comedy Central special “The Axis of Evil.” He is a also columnist for The Daily Beast and has written for CNN.com and The Huffington Post. Dean is the co-director/co-producer of the recently released comedy documentary entitled “The Muslims are Coming!” featuring a standup comedy tour of Muslim-American comedians performing free shows across the South and West in the hopes of fostering understanding. The film features interviews with The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien, comedians Lewis Black, David Cross and many more. He was also the co-creator of Comedy Central.com’s critically acclaimed Internet series “The Watch List” featuring a cast of all Middle Eastern-American comedians.