Tarek Al-kadri Social Justice Leadership Scholarship

Honoring the Life & Legacy of our Pillar – Tarek Al-Kadri

¨We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tarek, who led our Board with a great vision, a sharp mind, a pure heart, and absolute integrity. He led by example and was a role model for all of us at the Muslim Legal Fund of America and throughout the nation. Our most heartfelt condolences go out to his wife and his six children. He will be so dearly missed.¨
– Arshia Ali-Khan, Chief Executive Officer

 

There simply aren’t enough adjectives to fully and adequately describe either the influence or character of a man like Tarek Reskan Mohammed Al-Kadri. In the wake of his passing, many of us have been left struggling to put together the words to properly express the impact Tarek has had in our own lives as well as in the lives of so many other people around the world.

Meet Mussab Ali - 2022 recipient
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No matter who you were, you were made to feel like the most important person in the world when you were with Tarek. He always demonstrated sincere caring, knew how to make you laugh, and carried himself with humility and genuine kindness.

The sheer extent of Tarek’s humility and life-changing impact on those around him is becoming increasingly apparent as more and more people come forward to express their respect and to talk about the influence he has had on their lives. It is clear that Tarek will be deeply missed by a great many people across the globe. We at the Muslim Legal Fund of America commit to creating a lasting legacy to honor him and his life´s work.

2022 Takek Al-Kadri Social Justice Leadership Scholarship recipient

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?

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.”

 

2021 Tarek Al-Kadri Social Justice Leadership Scholarship recipient: Isir Said

Isir Said—a 2020 and 2021 ISF Law Scholar currently pursuing a Juris Doctorate at Yale University.

The Al-Kadri Social Justice Scholarship has been established in the honor and memory of MLFA’s former President and Co-Founder, Tarek Al-Kadri. The scholarship is awarded as a part of the ISF’s Endowment Fund.

For over a decade, the Islamic Scholarship Fund has had the great privilege of identifying and empowering the most promising young Muslim scholars through its various scholarship programs. Each recipient is chosen because he or she demonstrates a dedicated commitment to justice and a desire to live a life in service to a world where everyone is considered and treated as an equal.

ISF focuses on American Muslim scholars studying and working in fields with the greatest impact on public opinion and public policy: law, media/journalism, film, and policy/government. Its stated goal is to “improve negative portrayals of Muslims in the news, increase the number of Muslim policymakers, and invest in the creation of positive and engaging stories about American Muslims.”

The very first recipient of the Al-Kadri Social Justice Scholarship already has a number of outstanding achievements to her credit. Isir received her bachelor’s degree in Political and Social Thought from the University of Virginia, where her academic and research interests ranged from human rights, globalization, and world literature to politics and ethics. Isir’s other awards and distinctions include two Critical Language Scholarships, an IPE Ethics Internship Grant, internships at the United Nations Permanent Mission of Somalia and the University of Virginia’s Institute of the Humanities and Global Cultures; and a fellowship at White & Case LLP.

Isir is delighted to have been selected from so many deserving applicants:

“I  am so deeply honored to have received this scholarship as public interest law student who cares about issues concerning not only the Muslim community but other marginalized communities…[I] hope to spend my career in service to these communities and this scholarship is making such an impact in my ability to do so…”

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