Community News (V14-I46)

Professional Award for Sarah Kureshi

The University of Central Florida’s Burnett Honors College announced Dr. Sarah Kureshi as the recipient of its  Professional Achievement Award for 2012. 

She is a Family Medicine physician and Assistant Professor at Georgetown University. Sarah’s work has focused on gender-based violence, health & human rights, and empowerment, especially pertaining to refugee/immigrant populations and survivors of trauma. Being a former NCAA college athlete and the first US female athlete to compete in Iran since the 1979 revolution, she has a passion for using sports as a tool for peace, violence prevention, and health education. Sarah works at Unity Health Care where she provides primary care to a multicultural, urban, underserved population.

Dr. Kureshi also serves as a Physicians for Human Rights Asylum Network Provider, teaches courses on Global Health & Human Rights, and serves as the Director of Youth Programming for Project REACH, a DC organization focused on inner city Muslim youth. She holds a B.S. from University of Central Florida, an M.D. from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and an M.P.H. from Harvard School of Public Health.

Muslim-Jewish students cooperate to get halal/kosher food on campus

Jewish and Muslim students at the Carnegie-Mellon Universities are working together to have halal and kosher meals served on campus.

A spokesperson from CMU confirmed that the university was exploring kosher and halal food options, but would not comment further on the matter. He said the university was not ready to make a formal announcement, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

University of Kansas MSA holds Islamic Awareness Week

KANSAS,MO–The Muslim Students Association at the University of Kansas  hosted several events  throughout this week in conjunction with Islam awareness week.  The organization also has an informational table set up in the Kansas Union to display and distribute literature about Islam.

“Our goal is to open up to the community and let them know that we’re a part of the community as much as everyone else is and show people that we can all co-exist together, and that we do not hate anyone,” said Saima Azad, the secretary for MSA, in an interview to the student newspaper.

Islam Centre plans move to Cooksville

COOKSVILLE,MD–The College Park located Dar-us-Salam Islamic Centre is planning to move to Cooksville in rural Howard County. According to the Baltimore Sun is interested in acquiring the Woodmont Academy property and has an agreement in place to purchase it for $8 million.

Stephen Ferrandi, a principal at KLNB commercial real estate, confirmed that a contract was in place and said Dar-us-Salaam is in its “due diligence period” which includes performing any feasibility studies to determine if the property fits their needs.

Dar-us-Salaam, a nearly 800-family Muslim community, is planning to relocate its pre-kindergarten through 12th grade Al-Huda school and its community center activities to the Cooksville area.

Even though nothing has been finalized yet local residents already voicing their opposition to the plan. They are concerned that the relocation of the centre will change the area’s rural face.

Prayer vigil for Hurricane Sandy victims held at mosque

MOLINE, IL–The Interfaith Fellowship of the Quad Cities hosted a prayer vigil for the victims of Hurricane Sandy  at the Bettendorf Mosque in  Bettendorf.

Apart from the prayers a collection was also  taken to support American Red Cross relief efforts.

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