CAIR Staff and Board Member Activism

10/14/2017 – Harrisburg

CAIR-Philadelphia president Osama Al-Qasem, an advisory board member, and staff members Timothy Welbeck and Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu traveled to Harrisburg to meet with community leaders and mosque representatives from the Harrisburg and Mechanicsburg area communities. The meeting was kindly hosted by Islamic Society of Greater Harrisburg (ISGH) and brought together more than 15 community leaders.

The meeting sought to create a list of action items to increase CAIR-Philadelphia’s services in the area. Community leaders shared their ideas, the challenges that face their communities, and their suggestions.

Anti-bullying initiatives and interfaith work emerged as two primary action-items that CAIR-Philadelphia will address. The leaders agreed to form two teams to advance and monitor progress on these action-items.

The interfaith relations team will work to intensify interfaith work, build local alliances, and conduct educational initiatives to help enable community leaders to spearhead these initiatives. The anti-bullying and school districts teams will help identify anti-bullying workshop opportunities and cultural sensitivity trainings in addition to working with school districts to ensure curriculum and educational offerings on Islam are balanced and accurate.

In the afternoon, Timothy Welbeck, CAIR-Philadelphia’s Civil Rights Attorney, and Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, Education and Outreach Director, conducted a Civic Engagement workshop at the ISGH attended by more than twenty community members (below). In light of the forthcoming Muslim Capitol Day III on October 24, community members learned about importance of civic engagement and practical tips to lead and conduct effective work in this area. In the Q&A Session participants shared their experience and expertise with one-another and asked questions to CAIR-Philadelphia staff members.

Additional Speaking Engagements by CAIR Staff and Executive Committee Members

Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, Outreach and Education Director:
• Khutbahs (Sermon after Friday afternoon prayers): MYCP in Bensalem on 09/08; ICCL in Lancaster on 09/15 and 10/06.
• Community Events: United Muslim Masjid in Philadelphia on 09/20; Foundation for Islamic Education in Villanova on 09/29; Philadelphia Masjid on 10/01; West Chester University MSA Dinner on 09/30; Sister Clara Cafe on 10/01; North Penn Mosque in Landsdale on 10/07.

Timothy Welbeck, Staff Attorney:
• Conference Presentations: The Intersection of Hip-Hop and Title IX Administration and Investigation ATIXA/SCOPE joint Conference in Philadelphia on 10/05; Advance Conference on Race and Social Justice in Philadelphia on 10/20.
• Community Events: Councilman Bobby Henon 6th Annual Fall Fest on 09/23.
• Media Appearances: The Mid-Morning MOJO with Renee, WURD 900 AM on 09/20; The Mid-Morning MOJO with Stephanie Renee WURD 900 AM on 08/16.

Asheq Fazlullah, Executive Committee Member:
• Presentation on “Spirituality and Ethics” (above) as part of a multi-part series about the tradition of Islam at Expanding Horizons in Souderton, PA. Over 80 seniors attended the event from several senior centers in the surrounding community.