July 19, 2014

Last week, more than 60 community leaders and young professionals joined MPAC at our L.A. office for our annual Community Iftar. Community leaders, alumni from our young leaders programs and young professionals from all over Southern California who have worked with MPAC in one way or another came togehter to see old friends and to make new ones.

The purpose of this iftar was for the attendees to get to know MPAC better and the different services that we have to offer.  Salam Al-Marayati, MPAC’s President, talked about our different programs like “I Am Change” that focuses on empowering American Muslims to become active citizens. We also discussed our “Let’s Be Honest” forums that create an open and safe space where community members can talk about any issue they want. We also discussed our work in shifting perceptions of Muslims in Hollywood and the media, and raising the next generation of young American Muslim leaders.

MPAC Senior Adviser Dr. Maher Hathout made a special appearance at the iftar and shared timely reflections on the month of Ramadan and the central role of youth and community in MPAC's work.

Edina Lekovic, Director of Policy and Programming, shared MPAC’s desire to bring these programs into as many cities as possible throughout the U.S. and urged all those attending to join the effort. She also introduced the team focusing on Community Outreach: Community Outreach Coordinator Cherif Abou El Fadl, Community Outreach Fellow Marwa Abdelghani and I Am Change L.A. Fellow Abeer Gaber.

This past year marked MPAC's 25th anniversary and we will not forget that MPAC was created by community leaders, for the community, and can only succeed with the continued support and influence of the community. We look forward to working with these leaders and any other leader who would like to engage us in order to build a better and stronger American Muslim community.