Muslimish Boston Conference 2018: Growing Communities and Extending Dialogues - Q&A - Part 3

Muslimish: Growing Communities and Extending Dialogues

Speakers

Ali Rizvi is the award-winning author of the book, The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason (St. Martin’s Press, 2016). Ali grew up in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, as part of a progressive Muslim family, before he moved permanently to Canada in his twenties. As a physician, he trained in pathology (with fellowship in oncologic pathology) at SUNY Buffalo and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and also holds a master of science degree in biochemistry from McMaster University. In 2011, he switched his career to medical communications so he could focus more on his writing. Ali is an avid and vocal advocate for secularism, science, and reform, particularly in the Muslim community. He has been featured on CNN, in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vox, The Huffington Post, CBC, BBC, the New York Post, and a range of other major media outlets. The Atheist Muslim won the 2016 Morris D. Forkosch Award for Best Book from the Center for Inquiry. Link to longer bio: www.TheAtheistMuslim.com

Ginan Rauf is an activist, educator, photographer, oral historian and mother. Rauf received a doctoral degree in comparative literature from Harvard University and a joint MA degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. Rauf has taught in various institutions of higher learning including Brandeis, Rutgers, University of Connecticut and University of Bridgeport. She is the co-founder- along with her son Sherif Ahmed- of a company called Narrative lives that produces oral histories using various mediums including photo essays, videos and audio recordings. Rauf is a secular humanist and feminist committed to promoting critical thinking and a nuanced knowledge of human cultures.

Hannah A. is from Austin, Texas. At UT-Austin she studied Middle Eastern Studies and Religious Studies, then went on to study at seminaries in Iran and Lebanon. She is now completing her Master’s at City College of New York. Hannah grew up Christian and converted to Salafi Islam at 15, then became a Shia Muslim in college. She now teaches at an international high school in Manhattan with a large Muslim population. Hannah is socially and politically active and believes in building bridges across lines of faith and culture.

Wissam Charafeddine is the Co-Founder of Muslimish, and an Arab American educator, engineer, and entrepreneur who is also a former Imam and a current Islamic reformer and freethinking secular activist. Mr. Charafeddine co-founded Muslimish in 2012 in order to create an environment for support and dialogue among exMuslims and questioning Muslims, and fight for the freedom of expression and against blasphemy laws in Islamic countries. Mr. Charafeddine works in the field of Educational administration, and he is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of W Design and Developement, W Institute, and Dearborn Blog. In his free time, he enjoys Sailing, Poetry, reading, music and traveling with his 2 daughters and son.

 

Rafya Oskui is a Muslimish co-organizer, business owner, and healthcare professional. A Pakistani American, Rafya is also a women’s rights activist, a mother, and a change maker.