Muslim Space invites you to participate in a new, 4-part Ramadan halaqa titled Human Dignity Series - Affirming and elevating God's honor to humankind. The goal of this series to elevate the notion that all creation has been granted dignity from the Divine and it is incumbent on all believers to uphold this dignity, not only to ourselves but to others. The 4 topics that will be addressed are issues that have historically diminished God's gift of dignity: gender-based oppression, racism, classism/poverty, environmental destruction and how it robs current and future generations of dignity.
We have invited a diverse slate of scholars to present on a topic each week. The event will be interactive and following the presentation there will be a Q&A session.
Speaker Line Up
Ghada Ghazal is an educator from Syria but has lived outside her country since 2012 due to the violence. In Syria, she taught Islam and Arabic at the Al-Anduluse Institute for Islamic Studies, an institute which worked to empower women to become social and Islamic activists. She was also a member of the Islamic Studies Center of Damascus, an influential group of religious and spiritual leaders.
Ghada is currently pursuing her PhD at The Catholic University of America. She received a Master’s degree in Comparative Religions from the Qatar Foundation’s School of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Her thesis was a study of the praise of Prophet Muhammad in the poetry of contemporary Arab Christian poets. She holds a Master’s degree in English from the United Kingdom and an undergraduate degree from Al-Baath University in Syria.
Imam Dr. Bilal W. Ansari is Director of Campus Engagement at Williams College and Co-Director of Islamic Chaplaincy at Hartford Seminary and Faculty Associate in Muslim Pastoral Theology. Dr. Ansari offers courses in the following areas: Islamic Law, Contemporary Islamic Ethics, Prison Ministry, Muslim Pastoral Theology and Islamic Spirituality. Dr. Ansari believes in the notion of shepherding as a Muslim form of institutional leadership. His scholarship and activism includes serving on the Institute of Muslim Mental Health, Professional Advisory Committee and work in the field of Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad is the Founder and President of Muslim Wellness Foundation (MWF) and the founding co-Director of the National Black Muslim COVID Coalition, an initiative launched in collaboration with Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative to address need for effective planning, preparedness and organizing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Rashad, who previously served as University of Pennsylvania’s Muslim chaplain, now serves as the Fellow for Spirituality, Wellness and Social Justice and advises the Black Muslim student organization. Dr. Rashad’s clinical and research areas of interest include: diversity, religious identity and multicultural issues in counseling, healing justice and faith based activism, racial trauma and healing, identity and emerging adulthood, psychological impact of anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Blackness, and Black Muslim intersectional invisibility. Dr. Rashad has degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, the International Institute for Restorative Practices, and earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA.
Kori Majeed - Since 2013, Kori Majeed has used her Green Ramadan platform to encourage Muslims to eat mindfully and tread lightly by cultivating sustainable habits during Ramadan. These habits are based on Islamic teachings and principles that call humanity to give all of Allah’s creation their rights. Kori is a GreenFaith fellow, Master Watershed Steward, a Muhammad Ali Scholar at Bayan Islamic Graduate School, and co-chair of the Green Team at Masjid Muhammad, the Nation’s Mosque, in Washington DC. Kori is also co-author of the ebook Forty Green Hadith: Sayings of the Prophet Muhammadﷺ on Environmental Justice & Sustainability.
Saarah Yasmin Latif is a Guyanese American Muslim raised in New Jersey. Her enthusiasm and work focuses on the intersection of sustainability, urban farming, community building and faith based education rooted in Islam. Saarah has a Master’s degree in Sustainability and Leadership from Montclair State University. She is a part of the Greenfaith Fellowship Program and co-authored an e-book entitled "Forty Green Hadith: Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) on Environmental Justice & Sustainability." Saarah takes much inspiration from her faith and believes that nature should be used to better know, serve, and worship God.