Welcoming Remarks by Mateen Afzal,
CAIR-Philadelphia Interfaith Pillar
Interfaith Panel Speakers
Jawaad Abdul Rahman is an Executive Producer and Director of Development at Unity Productions Foundation. At UPF he has worked on over 10 award-winning films including the Emmy-nominated Sultan and the Saint, The Great Muslim American Road Trip and Lamyas Poem. He has also consulted on episodes of numerous scripted series in Hollywood.
Imam Quaiser D. Abdullah, Ph.D., serves as the inaugural director of the Mayor’s Office of Muslim Engagement for the City of Philadelphia. In this role, he works to strengthen relationships between Muslim communities and local government, ensuring inclusive access to city resources and opportunities. A scholar, faith leader, and advocate, Imam Quaiser is committed to advancing equity, civic engagement, and Mayor Parker’s vision for a safer, cleaner, greener, and more prosperous Philadelphia.
Rabbi Lizzie Horne Mozes (she/her) is a 2023 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and a proud member of the burgeoning list of rabbis who are patrilineally Jewish. A native of the Washington, D.C., area, her Judaism and politics were deeply influenced by the progressive community in which she grew up – she learned early on what it meant to weave together spirituality and justice. She currently serves as the Director of Community Engagement at Kol Tzedek Synagogue in West Philadelphia, where she works with congregants to create a greater shared sense of community and to build closer relationships with one another. Previously, she was the rabbi at Congregation Beth Tikvah in Marlton, New Jersey, where she helped steward the community through a major moment of transition. Outside of her role at Kol Tzedek, Rabbi Lizzie serves as a board member for POWER Interfaith and IfNotNow, rabbinic member of the Reconstructionist Movement’s Tikkun Olam Commission, and protest chaplain with Philadelphia’s Movement Chaplaincy Network. She loves living in South Philly, growing food in her community garden, cooking her friends Shabbat meals, and biking around town with her partner, Eric, and their kiddo, Shai.
Rev. Matthew Arlyck is a chaplain and ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA). Matthew is a former organizer with POWER Interfaith, where he organized with congregations in Northwest Philly around housing and gentrification. Since 2011 Matthew has been involved with several faith-based justice movements including Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Justice, and has worked in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter Louisville. Matthew currently lives in West Philly, continues to work as a chaplain and pastor, and organizes for Palestinian liberation and an end to US militarism with Christians for a Free Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
Moderator: Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu is the Executive Director at CAIR-Philadelphia. Ahmet joined CAIR- Philadelphia in 2017 and previously served as the Education and Outreach Director. Ahmet is a Turkish-American academic and organizer. He serves on the boards of several non-profits in the greater Philadelphia area, including POWER Interfaith and New Sanctuary Movement. Ahmet’s academic research focuses on American Muslim history and identity. He received his PhD in political science from Boston University in 2016. Concurrently, Ahmet directs the digital Islamic Studies project themaydan.com at George Mason University where he is a research fellow at the Center for Global Islamic Studies.