United for Change Board

Zaid Shakir, Chairman

Zaid Shakir is amongst the most respected and influential Islamic scholars in the West. As an American Muslim who came of age during the civil rights struggles, he has brought both sensitivity about race and poverty issues and scholarly discipline to his faith-based work. Born in Berkeley, California, he accepted Islam in 1977 while serving in the United States Air Force. He obtained a BA with honors in International Relations at American University in Washington D.C. and later earned his MA in Political Science at Rutgers University. While at Rutgers, he led a successful campaign for disinvestment from South Africa, and co-founded a local Islamic center, Masjid al-Huda. After a year of studying Arabic in Cairo, Egypt, he settled in New Haven, Connecticut and continued his community activism, co-founding Masjid al-Islam, the Tri-State Muslim Education Initiative, and the Connecticut Muslim Coordinating Committee. As Imam of Masjid al-Islam from 1988 to 1994 he spear-headed a community renewal and grassroots anti-drug effort, and also taught political science and Arabic at Southern Connecticut State University. He then left for Syria to pursue his studies in the traditional Islamic sciences. For seven years in Syria, and briefly in Morocco, he immersed himself in an intense study of Arabic, Islamic law, Quranic studies, and spirituality with some of the top Muslim scholars of our age. In 2001, he graduated from Syria’s prestigious Abu Noor University and returned to Connecticut, serving again as the Imam of Masjid al-Islam, and writing and speaking frequently on a host of issues. That same year, his translation from Arabic into English of The Heirs of the Prophets was published by Starlatch Press. In 2003, he moved to Hayward, California to serve as a scholar-in-residence and lecturer at Zaytuna Institute, where he now teaches courses on Arabic, Islamic law, history, and Islamic spirituality. In 2005, Zaytuna Institute published Scattered Pictures, an anthology of diverse essays penned by Zaid Shakir. He is a frequent speaker at local and national Muslim events and has emerged as one of the nation’s top Islamic scholars and a voice of conscience for American Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Tariq Subhani, President

Tariq Subhani is an architect by profession and has worked for some of the top architectural firms in the country including Gensler, The Phillips Group and Hillier.  He was also a founding member of M.E.C.C.A. (Muslim Education and Convert Center of America) located in New York.  He served as the Vice President & Director of Marketing.  He also served four years as a board member of the Stroudsburg Islamic Center, the last two years as the President.  He was responsible for the construction of the main school building for the center.  He currently teaches Islamic Studies for adults at the center.  Mr. Subhani was responsible for the recent online fundraiser for Imam Siraj Wahhaj to raise funds for his cancer treatment.  This event was an historic event as it brought together for the first time scholars from many different organizations and background both nationally and internationally.  He has been involved with faith-based initiatives for over 15 years at the grassroot level. Email Tariq here: president@unitedforchange.com

Amadou Shakur, Vice President & Director of Marketing

Amadou Shakur is Director of Development / Marketing for the International Museum of Muslim Cultures. As Director, he lectures to museum and gallery audiences. The museum is currently featuring a traveling Islamic exhibit “The Golden Legacy of Timbuktu, Wonders of The Written Word”. The exhibit features original African manuscripts covering a period from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries in Timbuktu, Mali. Mr. Shakur was formerly Executive Director for the Shahan Institute, an Islamic research foundation and think tank. Mr. Shakur was former host of a television show entitled “Islam In View” where in-depth interviews on a variety of Islamic and community- oriented topics were discussed. Mr. Shakur lectures on Islamic social and cultural affairs, Islamic Spain, African American and African Islamic history. Email Amadou here: marketingdirector@unitedforchange.com

Asma Mirza, Board Member

Asma Mirza serves as a board member and co-founder of United for Change.  Previously she served on the Board of the Muslims Students Association (MSA) National as President (2007-2009), Treasurer (2006-2007), and East Zone Rep (2005-2006) and is currently the Ex-Officio.  During her service, she founded the MSA Legacy Fund (MLF), an innovative donor’s club, and redesigned the organization’s media and communication division.  In her capacity as MSA National President, Asma served as a board member for ISNA and an advisor to MYNA. Asma attended the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University where she double majored in Leadership & Change Management and Operations Informations Management.  After working for Accenture as a management consultant, she obtained her MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.  Currently Asma works as a strategy consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton and specializes in project management, organizational design, and organizational strategy.