We are very excited to announce the selection of Mussab Ali for MLFA’s Tarek Al-Kadri Social Justice Leadership Scholarship in 2022, ma sha Allah. Mussab Ali is currently a Harvard Law School student; he expresses his intention to stand up for Muslims by pursuing a career in public office.
“Insha Allah my plan is after law school to continue to fight in the realm of public service, to continue to be someone who advances Muslim issues through the legislative process. And hopefully that process can take place in elected office. And so I’m very hopeful that I can continue to be someone that fights in public office, someone who pursues elected office, and maintains a name for Muslim Americans as people who are committed to improving our country for all people. Thank you.” – Mussab Ali, MLFA’s Tarek Al-Kadri Social Justice Leadership Scholarship Winner
Linda Sarsour, who will be the featured author in MLFA’s upcoming book club, explains the need for Muslim leadership in We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders, referencing the Muslim registry created after 9/11: “The experience of being officially vilified brought home to us that we needed representation at the highest levels of government. And so we began to organize, and to develop our communities politically. We realized that if Muslim Americans had been present at the table when the special registry was being discussed, the national security conversation would have been much more nuanced, and the indiscriminate fear and distortion of Islam might never have become so deeply rooted in America’s heart” (75).
MLFA works for national security reform, and our attorneys are recognized as experts in national security law. Muslim families in the United States, like other immigrant families, may value careers related to medicine or engineering. However, as a community, we’re recognizing that we need leaders to represent us at many different levels of society. What about the next generation? How can we prepare our children and grandchildren for what sometimes feels like an uncertain future in this country?
We need Muslim filmmakers, Muslim lawyers, Muslim Congressmen… 24 judges on the Selection Committee reviewed 826 applications and conducted 190 remote interviews for the 2022 Islamic Scholarship recipients. Together they selected 47 scholars who will receive a total of $214,500. The Islamic Scholarship Fund invests in Muslim students who are pursuing fields related to policy, government, law, film, media, and journalism. MLFA’s Tarek Al-Kadri Social Justice Scholarship amplifies the voice of our Muslim youth and empowers them to create lasting change for future generations.
We have to speak up, and we have to speak for ourselves. Who is better positioned to build the foundation of our community strength than our young people?
Support MLFA, and invest in future social justice leaders by supporting MLFA’s Tarek Al-Kadri Social Justice Leadership Scholarship.
Ali ibn Abi Talib has said, “There are two things which people do not recognize the greatness of until they lose them: their youth and good health.”
by Jeannine Sherman – Wednesday, August 31, 2022
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