Muslim Public Service Network - Engaging American Muslims in Public Policy and Public Service

Profiles of Selected Alumni

Minha Husaini (MSN/MPSN 1995) interned with Senator Joe Lieberman during her MPSN summer. She graduated from University of California-Irvine with a degree in Political Science, and went on to complete a Masters in Health and Public Administration at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles complemented with certificates in Biostats and Epidemiology and Clinical Trials Design and Management. After several years working in e-commerce healthcare supply chain management, Minha moved to Banda Aceh, Indonesia as the Project Coordinator for Tsunami reconstruction efforts with the NGO Gemma9 where she worked on coastal reforestation and capacity building initiatives. Minha is currently an International Development Consultant with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Banda Aceh, developing strategic plans to educate women and families on health, social and nutritional issues.

Farid Senzai (MSN/MPSN 1996) interned at the Brookings Institution during his time at MPSN, and is currently a Fellow and Director of Research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU). At ISPU he leads research efforts, focusing on the Muslim community in the United States and promoting alternative voices in the policy sector. Mr. Senzai is also an Adjunct Professor in the Political Science departments at California State University and Santa Clara University. Prior to joining ISPU, Mr. Senzai was a research associate at the Brookings Institution, focusing on U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East. In addition, he was a research analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations for the Muslim Politics project. He has also served as a consultant for Oxford Analytica and the World Bank. Mr. Senzai received his MA in International Affairs from Columbia University and is completing his Ph.D. in Political Science at Oxford University.

Firas Ahmad (MSN/MPSN 1997) interned at the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. He graduated cum laude from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and went on to obtain a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is currently the Senior Editor of Islamica Magazine and writes and speaks on various topics related to the media, current affairs, politics and international development. Firas has worked as an international development consultant for various firms and organizations including the Human Development Taskforce in Pakistan and Abt Associates. He is currently an Associate Director at Emergence BioEnergy Inc., a Cambridge MA based company that is developing a distributed platform for renewable energy in rural parts of South Asia.

Su'ad Abdul-Khabeer (MSN/MPSN 1998) is currently a PhD student at Princeton University in the Department of Anthropology and received her BA from Georgetown University in International Politics. She also completed the Islamic Studies Institute at Abu Nur University in Damascus, Syria. During her MPSN summer, Su'ad worked at the National Democratic Institute. At Princeton, her work investigates American and Moroccan Muslim hip hop and its relationship to identity, tradition and place. Prior to pursuing her PhD, Su'ad worked for the Annie E. Casey Foundation where she was instrumental in formulating a community development initiative. She also helped create Esperanza/Hope an initiative of the Vera Institute of Justice, Esperanza is an alternative to incarceration program for New York City's youth. Su'ad has spoken and presented papers at various conferences and universities across the country. She speaks Spanish, Arabic and a tad of French and traces her heritage to the Caribbean, Latin America, and Brooklyn, her hometown.

Intisar Rabb (MSN/MPSN 1998) interned for the United States Commission on Civil Rights as well as the Research Bureau of the United States Information Agency (now subsumed into the State Department) for Russian and Middle Eastern Affairs. Intisar graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University in 1999 with a degree in Government and Arabic. She went on to study at the Abu Nour Institute in Damascus, Syria as a part of a one-year program in Islamic law. After a period of working, Intisar went on to pursue a joint JD/PhD in comparative American and Islamic law. She graduated from Yale Law School in 2006 and is currently writing her dissertation at Princeton University on legal maxims as interpretive tools in the two legal systems. Currently, Intisar serves as a law clerk to The Honorable Thomas L. Ambro of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Intisar serves as a consultant for the MPSN curriculum and lectured on 'Legal Maxims in Islamic Law' during the 2006 program, leading an exploration of the foundations of Islamic jurisprudence and the major issues that arise in its application today. Instisar also spoke on her article in Islamica Magazine, 'Hurricane Katrina: Lessons for Muslim and American Communities'.

Nushin Huq (MSN/MPSN 1999) interned at Market News International, a business newswire specializing in economic policy where she covered press conferences at the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and the White House. In 2001 she completed her Bachelors degree in Journalism with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin and in 2005 obtained a Masters degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She currently works in Washington DC as an energy reporter for SNL Energy covering the natural gas industry and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Nushin also covers state commissions that regulate the public utilities on the state level, such as approving rates customers pay for retail natural gas.

Amna Akbar (MSN/MPSN 2000) interned for Congressman David Bonior, then Democratic Whip in the House of Representatives during her MPSN summer. Immediately after MPSN, she went on to work fulltime for Congressman Bonior, first as a legislative correspondent, and then as a legislative aid on issues of international affairs and human and civil rights. After working on the Hill, she graduated from University of Michigan law school, where she served as editor-in-chief of the law review, and then clerked for Judge Gerard E. Lynch in the United States District Court, southern district of New York. Currently, she works as a staff attorney in the Asian Battered Women's Legal Project at Queens Legal Services, where she represents low-income and battered South Asian, Indo-Caribbean, and other Asian immigrant women in orders of protection, child custody/visitation, child/spousal support, divorce, and immigration. Amna also coproduces the Asia Pacific Forum, a radio show on WBAI, 99.5 fm, in New York City, which covers underreported stories from Asia, as well as Asian American politics and culture.

Sana Fadel (MSN/MPSN 2000, 2001) interned for Friends of the Earth, an environmental advocacy organization where she was involved with lobbying members of Congress on economic matters with an environmental impact. Currently, Sana directs the Public Policy program at Rosie's Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston. She is responsible for advocating at the state-level on issues affecting Rosie's Place guests as well as empowering them through voter mobilization and advocacy trainings. Sana holds a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University, New York and a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Augusta State University, Georgia. Sana currently coordinates MPSN admissions.

Faiz Shakir (MSN/MPSN 2001) is the Deputy Research Director for the Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the non-partisan progressive think tank, Center for American Progress. Faiz holds a degree in government from Harvard University and is currently a J.D. candidate at the Georgetown Law Center. Faiz has previously worked as a Research Associate for the Democratic National Committee, as a Legislative Aide to Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and as Communications Aide in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Zarinah 'Ali (MSN/MPSN 2002) is a Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Division of Reproductive Health. Zarinah graduated from Tuskegee University with a B.S. in Biology and went on to complete her Masters in Public Health in 2004 from Morehouse School of Medicine with a focus on social and behavioral sciences. At Morehouse she served as consultant on several research projects related to maternal and child health (MCH), violence prevention in children and heart disease. During her MPSN summer, Zarinah interned with the Public Health Foundation where she researched and compiled data on performance management and public health status of various state and county agencies. Zarinah's primary interest is to improve the health status and well-being of women and children. She hopes through her continued work in public health she will help to reduce MCH disparities, prevent illness and improve health outcomes. She also has an interest to pursue her PhD in public health as well as a medical degree in pediatrics.

Maryam Khan (MSN/MPSN 2002) interned on Capitol Hill with Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland, her state representative. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2003 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and minor in Entrepreneurship and Business Management. Maryam has worked with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) since her graduation and was voluntarily deployed to Afghanistan to help rebuild infrastructure for six months in 2004 and in 2005. When the earthquake in Pakistan struck during her deployment in 2005, she was immediately sent to the affected areas for 3 weeks to assess the structural integrity of devastated roadways and buildings. Maryam returned to the US in February 2006, and continues to work at USACE in Baltimore, Maryland as a Design Manager for Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) military work.

Jihad F. Saleh (MSN/MPSN 2005) is the Diversity and Outreach Coordinator for Amnesty International USA. His outreach focuses on African American, Latino, and American Muslim youth communities. He works out of the National Office located in Washington, D.C.

In June 2006, Jihad completed his Master in Public Affairs degree at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs where he studied domestic affairs issues focusing on education and anti-poverty policy. While at Princeton, Jihad was the Chairman of Princeton's Black Graduate Caucus and in 2006 was honored by The Association of Black Princeton Alumni with their 2006 Patrice Y. Johnson Memorial Service Award in recognition of his high level of commitment and service.

Jihad is an organizer and speaker in African American, Muslim, and progressive communities. His organizing focuses on creating spaces where minority and marginalized youth can give voice to their political, cultural, and gender concerns. In July 2006, he was invited to the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow Conference, an international meeting held in Copenhagen, Denmark focused on the development of indigenous Muslim youth leadership in North America and Europe. Jihad presented on a panel concerning the importance of different art forms and movements to the development of American Muslim youth activists and leaders.

Originally from Los Angeles, Jihad acquired a BA in Political Science/Sociology from UCLA and went on to complete an MA in Education from Stanford University. Before graduate studies, Jihad was a high school special education teacher and community activist in Los Angeles. He continues to be a consultant for multicultural dialogue and outreach in community-based organizations.

Laila Al-Arian (MSN/MPSN 2001) has worked with USA Today, United Press International and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. In 2003, Laila graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in English literature and went on to complete her Master�s degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, with a concentration in print media. She has also worked for The Current Newspapers, a group of community newspapers in Washington D.C., where she focused on issues such as crime, education, housing, health and politics. She covered everything from the DC Council�and�liquor license�regulation to fair housing laws and disabled access to local parks. Laila currently works for The Nation magazine where she focuses on the Iraq War.

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