Rami Nashashibi: Executive Director
rami@imancentral.org
Rami has been serving as the Executive Director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) since its incorporation as a nonprofit in January 1997. He is currently a Sociology PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. Rami has been an adjunct professor at various colleges and universities across the Chicagoland area, where he has taught a range of Sociology, Anthropology and other Social Science courses. He has worked with several leading scholars in the area of globalization, African American studies and urban sociology and has contributed chapters to edited volumes by Manning Marabel and Saskia Sassen.
Rami has lectured across the United States and Europe on a range of topics related to American Muslim identity, community activism and social justice issues and is a recipient of several prestigious community service and organizing honors including the Norman R. Bobbins Fellowship presented at the most recent Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards. Rami and his work with IMAN has been featured in many national and international media outlets including the BBC, PBS and a front page story in the Chicago Tribune. In 2007 Islamica Magazine profiled Rami as among the 10 Young Muslim Visionaries Shaping Islam in America and most recently Chicago Public Radio has selected Rami Nashashibi has one of the city's Top Ten Chicago Global Visionaries. Rami lives with his wife and two daughters on Chicago's Southwest Side.
Adiba Khan: Health Clinic Administrator
adiba@imancentral.org
Adiba is a native of Goa, India. She was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Biology and a minor in Spanish. She spent a year in Belize doing HIV research, and assisting the Peace Corps, focusing on tropical medicine and infectious disease. She then got her MD in England, and came to work at IMAN in 2009. Adiba is committed to community health both in the US and abroad, and envisions the health clinic at IMAN to be a place of education for patients and volunteers, while promoting health access as a basic human right within the underprivileged urban community.
Veronica Zapata: ICDI Manager
veronica@imancentral.org
Veronica Zapata holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Loyola University and an M.A. in English as a Second Language and Multicultural Education from Saint Xavier University. Veronicapursuedasecond M.A. degree in Cultural and Educational Leadership Policy Studies with a concentration in Comparative Education at Loyola University.
She has taught at various educational levels, from preschool,undergraduatestudentsto adult ESL students at Daley Community CollegeandEnglish as a Second Language in Beijing, China. Veronica serves as CAIR-Chicago's Cultural Sensitivity Speaker.She is alsothe Vice-President of the International Human Relations Council, and sits onthe Art Institute's Teacher Advisory panel.
Sultan Muhammad: Community Organizer
sultan@imancentral.org
Sultan Muhammad is the lead organizer working for social justice reform particularly on issues of Criminal Justice and Immigration. Sultan studied Arabic and Islamic studies on scholarship at Minaret al-Riyadh International school in Riyadh Saudi Arabia at an early age.
His professional background and life experience has been highly concentrated in the field of audio-visual communications and the development of media ranging from film documentaries to educational resources. Sultan produced Muslim Daily Prayers - A learner's Guide, Prayer in al-Islam, and Thirteen Short Surah's form the Holy Qur'an. Sultan Muhammad is a multi-media producer by trade, having trained in broadcast editing and production at NBC/Universal and is the co-founder of a Chicago-based multi-media production company.
His experiences abroad and a seventy-five year family tradition of prominent Muslim activism in America have contributed largely to his life-long focus on building understanding through education, cultural dialog, and social justice organizing of the disenfranchised. Sultan is the son of the late Imam Sultan Muhammad, nephew of Imam W. Deen Muhammad, and great-grandson of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Asad Jafri: Director of Arts and Culture
asad@imancentral.org
Asad is currently the Director of Arts and Culture at the Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN), a Chicago-based community organization that works for social justice, provides direct services, and cultivates the arts in urban communities. In working with IMAN since 2003, Asad had been able to create spaces that bring together thousands of leaders, artists, and community members to collectively celebrate and engage in diverse and creative artistic expression through IMAN's Community Cafe, Takin' it to the Streets festival, and Arts and Leadership Retreat. These spaces also allow for community members to utilize the arts as a tool for cross-cultural communication, civic engagement and social change.
As a multidisciplinary artist, Asad has created, curated, and presented original productions across many genres of music, theater, visual art, and dance. Asad also DJs under the moniker, Man-o-Wax and has played at venues and events across the country blending soulful and funky music from all over the world. One of Asad's more recent
projects is Turntable Dhikr, a fusion of traditional and contemporary music from dedicated to the Most High with the DJ and turntables as the foundation.
Asad's fusion of art and social change through innovative mediums has been recognized through out the country, especially in the Hip Hop Community. He holds a position on the National Office of the Hip Hop Congress, and is member of the Universal Zulu Nation. Asad hopes to use his experience and holistic approach to social justice in working with communities across the globe.
Angela E. Rosario: OPERATIONS MANAGER
angela@imancentral.org
Angela was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and came to the U.S. at the age of six. She lives on the Southside of Chicago and was a student in IMAN’s Career Development Initiative before joining IMAN’s staff.
Angela graduated from Wilbur Wright College and for five years served as Security Manager at Sofitel Water Tower Hotel. Angela is certified in CPR “Cardio Pulmonary Respiratory” and Basic First Aid, is a Certified Nursing Assistant, Designated Fire Deputy certified by the Chicago Fire Department and is certified in emergency preparedness.
Omari Kamal: Finance Manager
omari@imancentral.org
In addition to being IMAN’s Finance Manager, Omari Kamal is an accountant in private practice. The purpose of his work is to, “empower and enable small businesses, its owners, employees and their families to be successful financially”. Prior to working with IMAN, Mr. Kamal was an Advisor in the Wealth Management Division of the Private Bank of JP Morgan, where he managed more than $100M in client assets. Mr. Kamal has held a variety of other managerial and executive financial management positions with companies like Bank One, TD Waterhouse Investor Services, American Express Financial Advisors and New Guard Publishing (a start-up magazine publisher where Mr. Kamal served as CFO). Mr. Kamal received his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Roosevelt University as well as an MBA in Finance from DePaul. He is also working towards an MS in Accounting and will earn the CPA designation in 2010.
Madeehah Muhammad: Office Coordinator
madeeha@imancentral.org
Madeeha has served as volunteer with IMAN since 2003. She attended Barry University for Pre-K Primary Montessori Education. She also worked at Clara Mohammed School in Miami as a Pre-K instructor for four years.
Shamar Hemphill: Youth Coordinator & Organizer
shamar@imancentral.org
Shamar, IMAN ’s first Public Allies Intern, was born and raised on Chicago’s Southside and has been volunteering with IMAN since 2000. Shamar has an Associates Degree in Science and Technology from Langston University in Oklahoma.
After returning to Chicago in 2003 Shamar served as the Youth Coordinator for The Mosque Foundation and also studied Arabic under the tutelage of Sheik Bedridden. Shamar was a long time volunteer at Masjid at Al-Ihsan and also has hopes to one day develop a non-profit institution that does community based work.
Mark Crain: outreach coordinator
mark@imancentral.org
Ahlam Said: Communications MANAGER
Hazel Gomez is currently the database coordinator at IMAN, and also helps with community organizing initiatives. She graduated from Loyola University as a double major in Forensic Science and Biology and a double minor in Chemistry and Psychology of Crime and Justice. She's been an active volunteer with IMAN for the past 4 years under various capacities including areas such as criminal justice and immigration reform, and as a Spanish translator for the free health clinic. She is also involved with various dawah/outreach projects across the city, is an active student of Islamic knowledge, and hopes to contribute to IMAN to help the community at large.
