Annual Conference Speakers:

Ubaydullah Evans 

Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans is the first Scholar-in-Residence for the American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM). He converted to Islam while in high school. Upon conversion, Ustadh Ubaydullah began studying some of the foundational books of Islam under the private tutelage of local scholars while simultaneously pursuing a degree in journalism from Columbia. Since then, he has studied at Chicagoland’s Institute of Islamic Education (IIE), in Tarim, Yemen, and Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, where he is the first African-American to graduate from its Shari’a program. Ustadh Ubaydullah is also an instructor with the Ta’leef Collective and the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN).  Ustadh Ubaydullah is married with two children.

Yasmin Mogahed

Yasmin Mogahed has just launched her brand new book, Love and Happiness, which is available at today's event, along with her best selling book, Reclaim Your Heart, which has received international acclaim. Yasmin is currently an instructor for AlMaghrib Institute, a writer for the Huffington Post, an international speaker, and an invited lecturer at Oxford, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and many other universities around the world. She received her B.S. Degree in Psychology and her Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After completing her graduate work, she taught Islamic Studies and got heavily involved in community youth work. She later served as a writing instructor at Cardinal Stritch University and a staff columnist for the Islam section of InFocus News. Follow Yasmin online for more of her writings and lectures. 

Sadiq Patel

Sadiq Patel is a Community Educator at The Family and Youth Institute. He holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Bachelor’s in Molecular and Cellular Biology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is currently a Doctoral Candidate in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. His prior research experience include violence prevention research at the University of Michigan, Depaul University, and the University of Chicago. Sadiq’s experience also includes providing clinical services at American Indian Health & Family Services, an educator in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools through Teach for America, and Management Consultant at Accenture. Sadiq’s research interests include violence prevention and impact of exposure to community violence, mental health and program evaluation. 

Amal Kassir 

Amal Kassir is a Muslim Woman, born and raised in Denver, CO to a German-Iowan Mother and a Syrian Father. She is an international spoken word poet, having performed in 10 countries and over 45 cities. She has conducted workshops, given lectures, and recited her poetry in venues ranging from youth prisons, to orphanages to refugee camps to universities to churches to community spaces for the public. She designed her own undergraduate degree called ‘Community Programming in Social Psychology’ and she is a major proponent in education and building individual agency in particularly under-served and vulnerable populations, especially through writing. She hopes to take part in the global effort for literacy in war-struck areas and refugee camps, Insha’Allah.

​Fariha Tayyab 

Fariha Tayyab is an artist and educator currently residing in Columbus, Ohio by way of Houston, Texas. As a writer, educator, and photographer, she is known for her work as a social justice activist. She has spent the last nine years as an educator in Texas, and also abroad in Syria and Haiti. Her work in serving students has been recognized and featured on a national blog and her service to young people has continued in each of her transitions across the country and globe. Currently at Columbus State Community college, she serves new Americans and continues to develop her art and services in the community. As a poetry slam champion and documentary photographer, she is always working on a variety of projects, built around social justice. Her purpose remains fiercely local to resistance as she continues to represent unheard voices by utilizing art and teaching as a vehicle for social progress.

Fatma Ismail

Fatma Ismail is a recent graduate of the University of Toledo with a bachelor's degree in Religious Studies with a concentration in Islamic Studies. Fatma was the president of the University of Toledo Muslim Students Association from 2014-2016. She was the previous youth director at the Toledo Muslim Community Center from 2016-2017. She currently works as a Qualified Mental Health Professional with Primary Care Solutions serving the Muslim-Somali community at a nonprofit in Columbus, Ohio called Our Helpers. She also helps with organizing youth events with Abu Bakr As-Siddiq Islamic Center. She now lives in Columbus, Ohio with her family.

Basheer Jones is an impassioned leader, motivational speaker, and spoken word artist with a positive message of empowerment and change. Born in Brooklyn, NY on October 25, 1984 and later transplanted to Cleveland, OH as a child. He graduated Cum Laude from the distinguished Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA in 2006 with a degree in African-American Studies. He later pursued graduate studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C.  With his compelling, soul-stirring delivery, Basheer continues to bridge the gap between the youth and the elders by sharing his life experiences with words that inspire and motivate all who hear him. His dedication for speaking on behalf of the voiceless has allowed him to travel throughout the country and international circuit delivering his inspirational message of hope and change. Mr. Jones is a devoted community servant that strives to live by the affirmation that we must “be the change that we want to see in the world.” 

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