A Muslim American Mosaic: Celebrating Islam, Activism and Enterprise in America
You are invited to a networking mingle with Muslim entrepreneurs to discuss their innovative ideas and inspiration from a faith-based perspective. Come learn how Muslim Americans are promoting enterprise in America. The event is free and open to the public.
Co-sponsored by the ICNYU Alumni Association and Americans for Informed Democracy.
Islam and Innovation:
Muslims Talk Business
Friday, March 30, 2007
7:00 PM
Kimmel Center, Room 802
New York University
60 Washington Square South,
New York NY 10012
Dinner and desserts will be served.
Entrepreneurs include:
Nabeel Kaukab
UBS, Associate Director
Moushumi Khan
Attorney, Law Offices of Moushumi M. Khan
Asma Shikoh
Visual artist
Omar Taha & Yasser Salem
S&T Group
Musa Syeed
Filmmaker
Sarah Musa
Fashion designer
Sajjad Chowdhury
Editor, Dinar Standard
Toufique Harun
Internet start-up
Extended Biographies of Panelists:
Zeeshan Suhail our moderator, is a graduate student in Political Science at The Graduate Center (CUNY). Zeeshan was recently appointed Board Member for Americans for Informed Democracy and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in International Relations at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Zeeshan was also an active member of student government at his undergraduate school, Queens College-CUNY, where he was the first Pakistani and the first Muslim to be elected Vice President in the 35 years of student government history. Zeeshan has appeared on CNN and his work has been published in Q-News (Britain), The World Scholar (New York), Pakistan Post (New York) and The Nation (Pakistan).
Asma Shikoh is visual artist, whose main concerns are her immediate environment. She grew up in Karachi, Pakistan--a society constrained by tradition, threaded through with colonial legacy and subjected to the most rapid changes due to the impact of globalization. Her work there attempted to define national and cultural identities of a society in flux. ‘Ronald’ from McDonalds and ‘Colonel Sanders’ of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) became revered icons in the imagery of my artwork; celebrating, dancing, invading, controlling, and challenging the very vulnerable/sacred ideals of nationalism in our society. She recently had an exhibit at the Ceres Gallery in New York City.
Sajjad Chowdhry is creator of Dinar Standard, a new business strategy e-magazine, released the first ever ranking of top businesses in the Muslim world covering companies from the 57 member countries of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference.)
Yasser Salem is a former consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York and Dubai. Prior to McKinsey & Company, Mr. Salem held several positions within the financial services industry, including investment banking and buy-side investing. Mr. Salem works with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, a non-profit organization which recruits, trains, and places outstanding minority college students in substantive financial services internships. Yasser graduated with honors from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He is currently a recruiter for Sponsors in Educational Opportunity, nation’s premiere summer internship program for talented students of color leading to full-time job offers. Since its inception, SEO’s Career Program has placed over 4,000 Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Native American students in internships that lead to opportunities in exciting and rewarding careers in the most competitive industries worldwide.
Omar Taha has various experiences in the financial services industry, including Foreign Exchange trading in New York. Prior to Foreign Exchange trading, Mr. Taha was an Investment Banking analyst at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Taha graduated from the Honors Program at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He started The S&T Group, a financial services executive search firm catering exclusively to Dubai and the greater Gulf; focusing on direct investing (private equity and hedge funds), investment banking, capital markets, and accounting opportunities. They were founded with the mission of being primary contributors to the economic and corporate development of the Middle East. They believe, with the right professional talent, the Middle East has all the resources necessary to become leaders in the corporate world. The S&T Group focuses on high quality long-term relationships with clients and candidates.
Moushumi Khan is an attorney and business consultant in private practice in New York City. She has had extensive experience with cross-cultural issues affecting companies dealing with Muslim employees, customers or suppliers. She has been active in the non-profit, economic development and legal sectors. Since February 2001 Ms. Khan has been in solo legal practice concentrating on corporate and civil rights law. Her clients include the Muslim immigrant populations, and companies with Muslim employee and community relations issues to resolve. Ms. Khan is a co-founder and President of the Muslim Bar Association of New York and is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Toufique Harun is a technology entrepreneur at heart. He is currently the founder and CEO of an Internet search start-up. He was formerly the VP of Systems & Technology at an oil trade facilitation company he helped build from conception. Prior to that, he was consulting at Deloitte. Toufique has a Bachelor's and Master's in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. In his spare time, he enjoys talking to and learning from ambitious leaders and entrepreneurs who want to change the world for the better.
Sarah Musa started Haya, LLP to meet the overwhelming demands for modest, contemporary clothing for women living in the West. There are countless stories by women who have spent hours in shopping malls, only to find that they have to compromise simply to get a long garment, perhaps something that is not walk-able, has slits, is made to be fitted, etc. She is currently a student at Fashion Institute of Technology.
Musa Syeed is a 2005 Fulbright Fellow producing experimental films related to identity in the Muslim world. His work has taken him from the deserts of Egypt to the mountains of Kashmir. His other filmmaking honors include being named a finalist for the George A. Heinemann Film Production Award. As a writer, he produced original theatrical work for the Children's Museum of Manhattan and serves as a film critic for Islamica Magazine. Syeed has worked as an educator in schools, community centers, and prisons. He focuses on interfaith education and serves as an advisor for film and television companies, including Thirteen/WNET, the PBS affiliate in New York City. He is an alumnus of New York University's Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and Tisch School of the Arts.
