Dear Friends and Supporters of CAIR-Philadelphia,
Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, I would like you to know that staff and officers of CAIR are constantly working to find new and improved ways of serving the American Muslim community of the Greater Delaware with innovative programs, such as our virtual town hall meetings, and our educational webinars.
Internally, CAIR-Philadelphia is changing as well, most notably with the stepping down of our longtime chapter President Osama Al-Qasem after 8 years at the helm. It is hard to exaggerate what Osama has meant to this chapter; his leadership, dedication, and commitment were second to none. The good news is that he will be assuming the position of Vice President; we therefore will continue to be blessed by his wisdom, as well as by his phone calls at any hour of the day or night.
Osama has been voted Chairman of CAIR-PA where he replaces our very own Iftekhar Hussain who was also our Vice President at CAIR-Philadelphia. We are grateful to Iftekhar for all his tireless contributions as one of CAIR-Philadelphia’s founding members. Iftekhar will remain on our board and assume the role of fundraising chair.
We will also certainly benefit in the months and years ahead in having Mohammed Zubairu as our new chapter President. I hope and pray that as COVID-19 slowly leaves these shores, and progress is made on a workable vaccine, you will have the opportunity of getting to know Br. Mohammed, and that you will be as impressed as I was by his professionalism and the clarity of his thinking.
Our new chapter Secretary will be the talented Rabiya Khan of York, a longtime member of our Advisory Board. Many of you will remember her for her indelible turn as our Banquet MC in 2018. Thank you Rabiya for coming on board.
Finally, Kareem Ali stays as our dedicated Treasurer, and Khaled Ashraf is a new member to our Advisory Board.
To both old and new officers, and all our supporters, I and my staff — Timothy Welbeck, Esq, our brilliant Staff Attorney; Ahmet Tekelioglu, our tireless Outreach and Education Director; and the indomitable Leena Jaffer, our Operations Manager — offer our sincerest gratitude for helping us to both survive and thrive in what often seems like the strangest of times.
Jacob Bender,
CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director
