Speakers & Esteemed Guests:

Imam Suhaib Webb

Suhaib, William Webb has a degree in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma, and in Islamic law from al-Azhar University in Cairo. He was named as a "Faith Leader to Watch" by The Center for American Progress in 2016, selected by the Muslim Community as one of CNN’s 25 Most Influential Leaders; as well as one of "Five Hundred of the Most Influential Muslims" by the Royal Islamic Studies Center in 2017. He is currently the resident scholar at the ICNYU and teaches a course at NYU on Islamic Law and Ethics

Boonaa Mohammed

Dubbed the “voice of a generation,” Boonaa Mohammed is a critically acclaimed award winning writer and performer with accolades including a playwright residency at Theatre Passe Muraille, a short story published in a Penguin Canada anthology called “Piece by Piece” and various slam poetry titles credits including winner of the 2007 CBC Poetry Face-Off “Best New Artist” award.
His popular Youtube videos have received Millions of views to date, and as an Artist he has toured and traveled across the world, speaking alongside some of the most influential scholars and entertainers of our time. He frequently conducts writing workshops and seminars, sharing his experience and expertise in Spoken Word story-telling with mainly youth from all walks of life.

Preacher Moss

His “End of Racism” Comedy and Lecture tour was voted “Best Diversity Act” on college campuses, and is recognized as an industry standard for being a tough, honest, and brilliantly funny voice on the conversation of race, diversity, and understanding in the world.His unique lecture style has been described as “smooth, intelligent, and thought provoking”, as his “seriously funny” message simultaneously occupies two spaces of laughter and intellectual engagement at the same time. Making you laugh and reflect, Moss is a master thinker, craftsman, and storyteller. His comedy is a reminder of the old school art of “comedy as protest, and enlightenment.” Engagement is undeniable. Known as the founder of “Allah Made Me Funny”- The Official Muslim Comedy Tour, Preacher Moss is recognized as the “poor righteous teacher” from his days as a veteran performer coming up in the comedy industry, and college lecture circuit. Allah Made Me Funny toured 30 U.S. cities during its first year, and also in Canada, Europe, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. As writer for Hollywood heavyweights like Damon Wayans, George Lopez, and Darrell Hammond on Saturday Night Live, Preacher Moss had proven his value across many levels of stand-up, activism, and community empowerment. His experiences as a comedian, writer, lecturer, Muslim, African-American, and poor righteous teacher are the sum of all his parts. Ultimately he is the storyteller on the corner that shares the good news, and sometimes the bad, but always with sincerity. He is a comedian of the times. So park yourself on the corner of laugh and think. Share a little time with the comedic stylings of your brother, The Mighty Preacher Moss.

Nura Maznavi

Nura Maznavi is a writer, attorney, and the editor of the groundbreaking anthologies “Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women” and “Salaam, Love: American Muslim Men on Love, Sex & Intimacy.” She is a recipient of a City of Chicago Individual Artists Program grant, a semi-finalist for the Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship, and a Chicago Artists Month Featured Artist. Nura is an alumnae of VONA/Voices of Our Nation writers’ workshop. A California native, she now lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

Hoda Katebi

Hoda Katebi is a Chicago-based angry daughter of Muslim-Iranian immigrants. She is the voice behind JooJoo Azad, the radical, political fashion online publication hailed from BBC to VOGUE to the New York Times, and author of the book Tehran Streetstyle, the first-ever in-print documentation and celebration of illegal fashion in Iran. Offline, Hoda is an abolitionist and community organizer, part of campaigns to end surveillance programs and police militarization. She is also developing a sewing co-operative of refugee and low-income immigrant women in Chicago. Most recently, Hoda has launched #BecauseWeveRead, an Instagram-based radical, international book club with meet-ups in 30+ cities around the world, working to uplift and celebrate stories of those whose voices are systemically silenced and engage in community organizing work and campaigns.She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2016 where her research focused on intersections of gender, resistance, feminism, & the state in Iran, and will be starting law school in the fall of 2019. She runs on saffron ice cream & colonizer tears.

Usjid Hameed

Usjid Hameed has worked for CAIR-Ohio since June of 2017. He is the Government Affairs and Development Coordinator for the CAIR-Columbus office. Usjid graduated from Towson University in 2017 where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science.Usjid also serves as a Puffin Democracy Fellow with the Andrew Goodman Foundation and was awarded the “Hidden Hero” award in June 2018 for his work around voter access and civic engagement.While at Towson, Usjid served as a Vote Everywhere Ambassador for the Andrew Goodman Foundation and as an editor for the Towson University Journal of International Affairs. During his time on the Journal, Usjid also penned blog articles about Yemen and Pakistan. In addition, he was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for his Summer 2016 study abroad experience in Jordan.

Bayan Shalash

Bayan Shalash is a third year student studying Neuroscience at Ohio State. She is a co-founder of MY Family Pantry, currently working as its Client Relations Manager. She is also the president of the Palestinian Women’s Association at OSU, and a member of Refuge, a mentorship program for high school refugee students.
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Michelle Marie

The Michelle Marie is an Ohio native who came to Islam eight years ago when a World Religions class led her to seek deeper knowledge. Soon and fter, facing some difficult life trials, she found peace in Islam and eventually embraced the faith. Michelle has been a student of Islamic knowledge under the tutelage of Anse Tamara Gray since 2013 with the Ribaat Academic Institute, where she is both a student and an administrative and teacher’s assistant. Within Rabata, Michelle serves as the youth camp coordinator and head of the khutbah committee, and assists in leading entertainment efforts. In the NICC community, she began leading the New Muslim Support Group (Sisters) in 2015 and is an active member of both the outreach and religious committees. She also sits on the board of directors at NICC.Michelle Marie is an accomplished songwriter and vocalist. Growing up in Akron, OH, she attended performing arts middle and high schools. From there she continued her studies in Virginia, where she toured the east coast performing classical repertoires. Michelle can be found writing songs and singing nasheeds at events across the nation. She also leads songwriting workshops for all ages and a nasheed music time for toddlers. Seeing a need in the community, Michelle has recently redirected her studies to finance while starting her first company this year: Michelle Marie Music.

Ilhan Dahir

Ilhan Dahir attended college at the The Ohio State University, an interfaith leader, a writer and an active member of the Somali-American community of Central Ohio. She is a member of the First Year Leadership Initiative, Program for Advising in Scholarship & Service (PASS) and is an academic tutor on campus. She is also the founder and president of Interfaith Service Youth Corps. She is now a masters student at the University of Oxford with a focus on refugee and forced migration issues, international security policy, public policy, civil liberties, writing and grassroots organizing. Named a Fulbright scholar (Turkey, 2015) and Rhodes scholar.

Adam Katabay

Adam Katabay has been a part of the masjid community since middle school. He's 21 and is a fourth year at OSU studying business. He also makes music as a hobby that stemmed from his experience with poetry that he began doing in 6th grade.

Yara Edor

Yara Edor is a senior Microbiology major at The Ohio State University. She has been writing poetry and spoken words since she was 12 years old and has been performing at numerous events around the community since she was 16. She hopes her poetry can be avenue for change in the world and an inspiration for others to make a difference.