Introducing your 2017 ISGH Election Candidates

Last updated: December 10th, 2017

Assalamu Alaykum,

Here is the list of the candidates from the Masjid AlSalam (Champions) zip codes that are standing in the upcoming 2017 ISGH elections. This list includes both At-Large as well as Area Representative candidates for our masjid; to get a complete list of all At-Large candidates running from all zones, please refer to this link from the ISGH website.

You can meet these candidates in person during the upcoming Meet the Candidates event, scheduled on December 2nd. For details about that event please click here.

We have provided the information each candidate wanted to share with the community; those that did not provide any information to us at the time of this post may do so in the next few days. Please stay tuned to notifications from us so you are aware of the latest updates to this post. Notifications will be available through alerts from this website, the AlSalam Masjid App, the AlSalam Facebook page, and through community emails.

For all election related information, including key dates, membership verification, rules and regulations, please visit the ISGH Elections web page.

For any questions regarding this post, or to request updates or corrections to any information shown within it, please fill out the Feedback form shown at the bottom of this page, or send an email to [email protected].

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Remember the last chance to vote is on Dec 10th, from 10 am – 5 pm, at the ISGH Main Center on 3110 Eastside Dr, Houston, TX 77098.

Please refer to the ISGH website for details on voting rules and requirements.

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Please note that Masjid AlSalam and its official media channels do not endorse any specific candidates. All information provided below is either directly from the candidates or gathered from known records for the sole purpose of better informing the community about their election day choices.

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2013-2017 – Masjid AlSalam

Weekend School Principal & Head CAP basketball program

Ramadan Youth education & sports programs (Many CAP athletes made their school teams)
Summer Camps & Masjid Basketball Tournaments
Sunweb app for weekend school managed developed though AlSalam initiative is now being used nationwide

97-2011- MCA Mosque Michigan

2009-2011 Elected Education Committee Chair – Executive Council -MCA

Organization of numerous educational programs
Proactive & persistent invitations of many speakers
Supersizing the Weekend School and The Quran School
Organized and offered summer camps with educational and hands on activities at MCA.

2003-2008: Board of Director MCA for a 6-year term

Oversight & Management of the Masjid Executive Council and Long-Term Planning.
Established & registered Non-Profit Tristate foundation for MCA Endowment Fund.
Committee member for selection of board of directors for the TriState foundation. Acted as a conduit between MCA BOD and TriState on investment project.
Raised funds and invested on behalf MCA (~$300K in 1 year – from a small community) … MCA is still benefitting from these investments till today.
Amicably resolved complex issues and appointment of Imam.

99-2002 – Elected twice for the Secretary of the Executive Committee of MCA Ann Arbor

Known for his Transparency and Neutrality
Organizing & facilitating meetings (Agenda & minutes, general body meetings)
Elections coordination & organization
Dearest to his heart, humbly serving the community through social events (Picnics, Outdoor Eid Prayers, dinners, Ramadan Iftar, food serving, washing dishes and cleaning the masjid).

97-98 – MCA Dawah Committee Secretory under Sheikh Mowaffak Al Ghalaieni (AMJA Scholar)

Dawah activities’ Coordinator (Dawah at University of Michigan Hospital and Clergy).
Coordinate visitation from local schools and community colleges

2003-2011- Hidaya Mosque- Michigan

Board of Director Hidaya Muslim Community Association for its inception to departure from Michigan

Formed Hidaya Muslim Community Association to establish a second Islamic center in the area
Purchased 7 Acers of land through fundraising events, work with architectures to develop site master plan, organized meetings with township planning commissions and architecture for approval.
Negotiated to purchase a 59,000 Ft. School from 4 million down to 3.5 Million and obtain school board approval.
Assisted the purchase of 25 Acres of Land for the Local Islamic School MIA through Hidaya with an agreement to donate for free to the Islamic

Other volunteering efforts:

UNIS Prison Newsletter. Distribution manager & part time editor of the nationwide newsletter for Muslim and non-Muslim (Circulated monthly to >250 prisons across USA)
Pakistan Earth Quake Relief. Coordinated a drive to collect and ship containers of winter clothing for the victims of 2005 Major Earth Quake in Pakistan
Assisted Local MSA of Eastern Michigan Universities and U of M organizing activates and bringing Masjid resources to them

GOALS IF ELECTED (INSHALLAH):

To be advocate for the youth.
To strengthen the current running programs at the center.
Work to complete the projects initiated.
Improve services for the community members.
To strengthen financial of the center
Work to enhance the community’s experience of the center.
To improve transparency at the center.

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Boys Scout Troop 321 – 5 years

Assistant Scout Master
Advancement Chair
Merit Badge Counselor

Sunday School

Teacher – 5 years
Helped in developing School Curriculum
Principal – 2 years

Arabic Class Coordinator

One year during Imam Nick’s time

Dawah and Outreach

Committee member
Interfaith group meetings
Ramadan Gift distributions to neighbors

Masjid Council

Area Rep for 77429 – 2 terms
Masjid Administrative Secretary since 2016
Fund raising team member

Other volunteer services

Carnivals
Islamic Art Festivals
Eid Salah set-up and clean-up
Harvey Relief team

GOALS IF ELECTED (INSHALLAH):

Unite the community and provide a platform for them to nurture and develop brotherhood/sisterhood. Promote a culture of respect-for-all.
Encourage volunteer empowerment with accountability.
Work on and support efforts towards timely communication and transparency all at levels.
Develop a social networking system where administration and volunteers should be able to connect and respond to needy community members, whether it be financial, psychological, physical or moral support. I would like to see our Area Representatives work closely with their constituents and encourage them to be the eyes and ears of the masjid administration to point out needy families and individuals.
Support the Houston Peace Academy School. The school building is a big project in the pipeline that will have a long lasting impact on the community. This project needs lot of support from the administration and community members.
Continue and improve well received programs for all ages and genders.

ABOUT ME: Here are the areas that I would like to focus on.

Accountability and transparency:

I will work and support at all levels to benchmark performance against key operational targets and goals.
Enforcement of organizational hierarchy for efficient functioning at all levels.
Develop Key Performance Indicators and provide objective feedback to community regarding performance of their elected officials.

Women, Youth, and Diversity within our community:

Women – I would like to focus on female empowerment and provide women with a platform to bring their unique perspectives and skillsets for the betterment of our community. I’ll work to provide them with opportunities for their involvement in masjid activities. We need to work on helping out single mothers, widows, and vulnerable sisters in the community.

Youth – Youth is our future. I’m a strong believer in the notion that it’s okay if they make mistakes while we are around to guide them. I also realize the enormous challenges our youth faces every day, whether it be peer pressure, drugs, religious doubts and many more. I believe in the youth being welcomed into the Masajid, overlooking any and all shortcomings they may have. I’ll work with our future Youth Director on developing programs for them and try to make Masjid Al Salam as the most attractive hangout place for them.

Diversity – I’m a firm believer that diversity is a strength, not a source of weakness, in any community. I’ll strive to work on developing programs and activities that will bring out the best in our diverse community and involve all to build teamwork and unity within our Masjid.
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Amel Abdulla is a candidate for the At-Large Sister Seat at Masjid As-Salam (Champions) in the North Zone, and currently serves in the construction committee responsible for the design of the new school building.

Amel Abdulla and her family moved to Spring area in 2007. A proponent of young girls’ programs Ms Abdulla was one of the founders of Masjid As-Salam Girls Scout Troop 13467 in 2008, and is currently the troop leader. Ms Abdulla is an advocate of Islamic schools and was recently appointed as the Chair of the Advisory Panel of Houston Peace Academy.

Education:

Master of Architecture – Tulane University

Professional:

Ms Abdulla, a licensed Architect, has over 15 years of experience in the United states and the Middle East in architectural design; master planning; program management; interdisciplinary team leadership; client representation and stakeholder interface.

Volunteer work:

Masjid As-Salam Girl Scout Troop 13467 – Leader 2009-2012, 2016 – Present
Masjid As-Salam Construction Committee – joined Oct 2017
Chair of the Advisory Panel for Houston Peace Academy – appointed July 2017
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
- 2009 – 2011, member AIA Houston -Executive Committee of Gulf Coast Green Symposium & Expo.
- 2014- 2016, Board member of the AIA Middle East Chapter, served as Director of Communication and Treasurer.
Qatar University Department of Architecture – Advisory Board Member 2015-2016

Goals (if elected Inshallah):

Represent the Sisters’ voice in all council resolutions and ensure that our concerns and issues are addressed in a timely manner
Energize and mobilize the sisters to take ownership of defining and implementing programs needed by women and youth in the community
Facilitate the provision of resources and support for women and youth program
Empower the youth to take leadership roles and lead “for youth by youth” programs

Proposed Programs (if given the opportunity Inshallah):

Support programs for sisters in need – single mothers, domestic abuse victims
Counselling services for women and teenagers
Monthly Lecture series for women by women
Rahma committee: embrace new sisters in community; meal trains for people who are sick or just had a baby; babysitter’s data base
Sister’s social events: ladies’ potluck dinner; tea parties; mother daughter events; hijab swaps
Youth fun and social nights

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Education: Graduate of University of Houston – Management, English

Resident of Spring/Champions for 30+ years

Work: Lone Star College, EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), Sherwin Williams Corporate HR (retired)

Volunteer work: Social activist, interfaith speaker, promote Islamic Arts festival and manage several other programs involving:

Refugee resettlement
Women and youth concerns
Address Islamophobia and other factors impacting Muslims
Interfaith programs all over Texas as well as nationally
Relief efforts during hurricanes, floods and natural disasters
Social services for families needing government assistance

Served with Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) as volunteer for 30 years most recently as Chair interfaith programs

Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston hosting dinner dialogs in several mosques across Houston.

Spring Interfaith Dialog Council – member 18 years

Dinner Dialogs
Interfaith services, social service projects
Annual interfaith thanksgiving

Goals for 2018

Open new avenues for advancement of women and youth
Bring an awareness of Muslims’ contributions to Houston
Recognition of our masajid within the interfaith arena
Be an advocate for those who are underrepresented in our area
Demand accountability and responsibility from our faith based organizations
Reach out to community for assistance where ever needed
Be accessible and open to suggestions and reviews
Bring positive change as per community needs
Foster civil dialogue and encourage friendly discussions
Work for the entire community to create a positive image in print/news and social media

As a resident of Houston for over 40 years and the most outspoken desi auntie in town, I stand up for the oppressed, the needy and those who are underrepresented. May Allah swt help us do what is best for Houston’s Muslim families. Ameen

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NAME: Mufutau Adewunmi

CANDIDATE FOR: Area Representative for zip code 77379

CURRENT OR PAST ROLE(S):

Islamic Arts Festival volunteer
Member of Masjid Security Team
Houston Peace Academy volunteer
Masjid Al-Salam Sunday School volunteer coordinator
Eid prayer set-up and clean-up
Volunteer voter registrar for city of Houston
Membership Secretary – Masjid-Al-Salam (Spring, TX) 2012 – 2016
Job Opportunity Specialist – City of New York Human Resource Administration(New York City) 2005 – 2009
Publicity Secretary – Masjid Ibaadul Rahman (New York) 2004 – 2008

PURPOSE
I am a hardworking and reliable real estate professional, committed to serving the community and helping improve in many aspects including finding solutions to long term problems of membership list, social and business networking that will bring economic improvements & empowerment to our community.

EDUCATION
• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Science

EXPERIENCE

Membership Secretary – Masjid-Al-Salam (Spring, TX) 2012 – 2016.
• Improved masjid decision making process by enrolling new members
• Created new ways to generate funds to offset Masjid Expenses
• Promoted healthy community relations

Job Opportunity Specialist – City of New York Human Resource Administration(New
York City) 2005 – 2009.
• Supervised social workers and social welfare recipients
• Aided in economic development of working class families
• Collaborated with businesses and organizations to set up job opportunities for welfare recipients in order that they would become economically independent

Publicity Secretary – Masjid Ibaadul Rahman (New York) 2004 – 2008
• Encouraged community relationships by coordinating events
• Facilitated networking opportunities among community members and professionals
• Development of outreach and welfare programs to benefit community members
• Sustained fund-raising programs

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I worked at Hewlett Packard for the last 17 years in several countries with the last 7 years spent at Houston office – that is the primary reason how my association with AlSalam masjid started. I am currently working at DXC Technology.

GOALS IF ELECTED (INSHALLAH):

Getting more muslims to the masjid to build a stronger Muslim community that gets noticed by the society at large.
With honesty and responsibility, facilitate & enable the masjid administration and leadership in my capacity to remove roadblocks and carry out planned projects effectively and on time.
Ensure unity in diversity within the community.
Understand and cater to community needs from the masjid and be a voice of the community influencing decision making for consistent improvements in the community.

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NAME: Mohammad Amjad Usmani

CANDIDATE FOR: Area Representative for zip code 77379

CURRENT OR PAST ROLE(S):

Served as teacher of Islamic Studies in the Weekend Islamic School from its inception. Held the position of Principal for 3 years.
Working in Zakat committee for last 10 years. Led as chair for this committee also but handed charge to another respected member due to extensive travel in my job.
Managed the masjid water well since its inception. Planned to Increase its capacity to meet future demand; it has been working well so far.

I am Amjad Usmani, full name is Mohammad Amjad Usmani. Married with 3 children, residing in this Community for over 20 years. I completed my undergrad studies in chemical engineering from
University of Punjab and did MS from the PV A&M University in Texas.

GOALS IF ELECTED (INSHALLAH):

Wherever I had been involved, my goal is to develop procedures to streamline work and maintain records for transparency.
Weekend School was started with few children but it grew in a short time to more than 100 kids. Thanks to brothers who initiated this school, may Allah grant them success and removes any hardship.
As area representative in council, I can be reached to discuss issues. Focus here is to facilitate ownership of masjid As-Salam by everyone. Our Masjid represents a dynamic Community in Houston and its suburbs. I believe we will continue to flourish, InshaAllah.

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Thahira Ahmed is a graduate of University of Missouri’s Master’s program in Counseling and Education. She graduated with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is credentialed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the State of Texas. She went on to further specialize in working with children and adolescents by obtaining additional certification as a Registered Play Therapist (RPT).

She has been practicing as a Counselor and providing therapy to the community for more than fifteen years. She has volunteered her professional services to the Muslim community in the Houston Metropolitan area since she moved to Houston in 2003. She currently manages and volunteers at the Sakina Center, a Community Mental Health Center for the Muslim community.

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NAME: Adnan Fareed Zafar

CANDIDATE FOR: Area Representative for zip code 77429 and 77068

CURRENT OR PAST ROLE(S):

I was elected to serve as your ISGH area representative for the 77429 zip code in 2016 and for 77014/065/066/302/373/382/389/395/429 zip codes in 2017. As your area representative, I diligently serve on Masjid Al Salam’s council, where I vote on your behalf to make decisions that impact the operation and improvements in the masjid.
As a volunteer with the media team, I am leading the development of a state-of-the-art video streaming system used for our Facebook videos.
I also lead the Youth and Programs Director hiring process.
You can email me directly at [email protected], to which I will reply within 48 hours.

I was born, raised, and attended Islamic schools in Houston at Moonmist and Conrad Sauer (NW Zone, Spring Branch Islamic Center). My family has volunteered for ISGH at NW-SBIC, where my mother was the Sunday school principal, my father was associate director, and I was an area representative for the 77077 zip code for 2 years. Additionally, I hold advanced degrees in electrical engineering with over 12 years of professional experience in a Fortune 100 company.

GOALS IF ELECTED (INSHALLAH):

Engage the community to make sure your voices are heard
Making Masjid al Salam a model masjid for the rest of Houston
Support the youth by helping them shape the future of the masjid, volunteering to lead special events (e.g. robotics), coaching them to work with the administration, and helping the Youth and Programs Director
Develop the best masjid event video/streaming system in the state and help propagate it to other masajid.

I will strive to operate with integrity, objectivity, dedication, and hold paramount the knowledge that I will be held accountable for my actions on the day of judgement. I pray that, if Allah gives me the opportunity by being elected, that Allah also gives me the ability to carry out the role to the best of my ability, and for the betterment of the community. Ameen.

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GOALS IF ELECTED (INSHALLAH):

To create stable programs for youth ranging from 5-24 years of age.
Maintain effective communication with all members of my zip code.
Continue to listen to youth concerns and suggestions in making masjid programs better and more suitable for everyone.
Continue working with the youth of the masjid to become independent and allow them to take on leadership roles.

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Abdurrehman Ansari works as Software Engineer at HPE.
He moved to North Houston in 2015 and has been an active member of the community since then.
Abdurrehman and his wife feel blessed to be part of ISGH community.
They have a 4 year old daughter who is a Pre-K student at Houston Peace Academy.

GOALS IF ELECTED (INSHALLAH):

Regular communication with my zip code members.
Due Diligence on expenses.
Help Houston Peace Academy & Sunday school so that schools can grow and prosper.
Keep my zip code membership list updated and help new members in the area.
Use my engineering background to leverage technology for the betterment of schools and the masjid.

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Other Masajid

Involved in various levels in other Masajid over the years

GOALS IF ELECTED (INSHA ALLAH)

Help increase Masjid attendance and ISGH memberships with more focus on youth, women, and diversity. Higher attendance and robust membership strengthens our center’s financials which will enable us to expand the center and add more needed programs for the youth and women. Furthermore, higher memberships give us a more powerful voice on local, state, and national levels of government.
Improve the overall experiences of the congregants at the center by providing best customer service practices to exceed their expectations. Make this center the best run center in Houston.
Help promote higher standards of accountability, professionalism, transparency, and common courtesy.
Explore alternative means of efficiency to reduce the center’s operation expenses

A united community is a stronger community! Therefore, we must strive to achieve unity thru mutual respect, trust, appreciation, compassion, kindness, understanding, acceptance, team work, tolerance, and forgiveness for the sake of our Creator.

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NAME: Misbah Ahsan Abbasi (known as Nadeem Abbasi)

CANDIDATE FOR: Area Representative for zip code 77375

CURRENT OR PAST ROLE(S):

Area representative of zip code 77375 during the last two terms (elected for the 2015 term, and appointed by the council for the 2016 term)
Leads the Media Team
Responsible for the development, maintenance and enhancement of various communications channels used to advertise the activities and events taking place in the masjid. This includes the Masjid AlSalam website, the Masjid AlSalam Facebook page, the community Newsletter and emails, and the TV screens that run announcements and paid advertisements.
Islamic Arts Society volunteer since its inception. Responsible for the development, maintenance, and enhancements of the Islamic Arts Society website, and any A/V setup during the annual Arts Festival.
I can be reached at [email protected] if anyone has any question they wish to ask me.

Education: B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston

Professional Experience:

~ 5 years at NASA working on the Space Shuttle and then the International Space Station programs
~ 15 years of experience working in various software development related positions

Goals

I am simply interested in helping to run our masjid as efficiently and smoothly as possible. Serving in the masjid council is an honor but it is also a serious responsibility that does make me nervous. I am far more comfortable serving while staying in the background. There are other candidates running for my zip code that will probably be more effective as our Area Representative, but if I happen to get elected, I promise to do my best to honor the trust that comes with that position. Here is what that specifically means:

I promise to not cater to specific groups or people but focus on each proposal or decision that comes before the council on its own merit.
I will strive for an open and transparent relationship between the council and the people it represents (though I cannot promise to deliver this as it requires support from many). That means:
- That council meetings should be advertised in advance across all the media channels available to the Masjid
- Any resolutions to be discussed in each meeting should also be advertised on our media channels so community members can contact their area representatives to voice their opinion before the meetings where these resolutions are to be discussed.
- The outcome of these resolutions should also be published for all to see.

May Allah (SWT) always guide me and my fellow candidates to fulfill our obligations to the community in a righteous and honorable way. Ameen.

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Served in many areas of the masjid and Inshallah will continue to do so.

Coordinator weekend School Lunch
In charge of Friday Night dinner
Volunteer Parking and Security team
Manage volunteers for Shifa Salam Clinic
Worked with the Construction Committee

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