Project100: Who's Who Profiles

In this episode we speak with Lamise el Betar, who describes how her medical condition gives her empathy for others and inspires her to serve those in need. Never afraid to stand out, Lamise is a role model who encourages Muslims to be their authentic selves and help those around them.

Lamise is a non-profit professional who first came to the US as an international student from Egypt on a special scholarship funded by then President Barack Obama. She talks about how important it is for Muslim immigrants and international students to build connections by giving back to their host communities, even if they plan to be there for a short time. Lamise and a small group of friends founded Akron Muslimas, an community organization dedicated to challenging stereotypes and supporting new Muslims.

Every masjid has them. A quiet brother or sister who shuns the limelight but is always there putting in the work and getting things done. Adam Aly is one such unsung hero. He proves that even those who are on the quiet side still have a lot to say. Listen to his story about finding community and finding his voice in the process. It's a story that proves that anyone can change and that change can come from unexpected places at unexpected times. 

Time is not promised. This is the lesson that Sr. Tahira Wellman learned as a frontline healthcare worker during the Covid-19 pandemic. While continuing to work full time as a physician assistant, Sr. Tahira decided to go back and continue her Islamic education by enrolling in the first ever cohort at the Boston Islamic Seminary. In doing so, she has deepened her spirituality and elevated her status as a role model to her two sons. The road has not been an easy one, but Sr. Tahira is committed to making the most of the time she has been given by striving to embody the prophetic example. This is a must-listen episode for all parents and professionals thinking of undertaking full-time Islamic education. In this episode we ask the vital question - if the pandemic has taught us about the preciousness of time, how are we using it?

This is a must-listen episode for all Muslim youth and young Muslims professionals. Brother Harith talks about growing up in a predominantly African American Muslim milieu in Brooklyn, a supportive community that prepared him well for the academic challenges of studying mechanical engineering in the top engineering programs in the country. At a certain point in his life, Harith realized he had to start practicing his deen more intentionally, and questioning it more critically. In an important message, he calls upon Muslim communities to create supportive spaces for Muslim youth to ask the critical questions, and grow stronger in their faith as a result. Today, he seeks to improve the world through his skills in engineering, putting the pleasure of Allah over profit.

In this episode, we speak with business developer and lifelong entrepreneur Dr. Maher El Jamal, a man who comes from a long line of enterprising Palestinian immigrants who have built themselves with nothing. Dr. El Jamal has a history of turning tragedy into triumph, having earned his master's and doctoral degrees without having even graduated high school. Listen as he tells about the tragic moments and tough love he experienced, and how it all comes together when you are willing to listen and have faith. 

All her life, Sister Amina Saad saw herself headed for law school. But something happened along the way. She found her true calling. Today she is a successful family and marriage counsellor, therapist, life coach, inspirational speaker, wife and mom. Find out how she found her path, inspirational stories about the people she has helped, and those who helped her along the way. 

Hamza Reed is Director of Operations at the Muslim Community Center in Houston Texas, a Muslim-led community center serving all of Houston's many culturally diverse communities. When he began work at the new center in February 2020, he had no idea that he would need to carry his community through the Covid crisis. Listen and learn about brother Hamza's inspirational work, and hear his crazy story about how he became a Muslim in the first place. 

How many of us sacrifice our own physical health and spiritual wellbeing just to keep up with the daily grind of work? What if you were told that this lifestyle was literally killing you? Would you be prepared for a total transformation, a complete personal makeover? Where would you begin? Who would you turn to for help? These are the questions that Nia Rankin was faced with at a crucial juncture of her life. She went from being an out-of-shape workaholic to a personal trainer, life coach, and free-lance web-developer who lives life according to her own values, not the demands of an employer. More than that, though, she embarked upon a spiritual journey of seeking Islamic knowledge and putting it into practice, striving to be a true servant of Allah, rather than a servant of the nafs. 

An interview with Imam Dr. Mohamed Abu Taleb becomes a lesson in perseverance. Dr. Mohamed, now a leading figure in American Islam, was once told it was too late to study the Quran.

Imam Dr. Mohamed Abu Taleb has a Master's Degree and a PhD in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering From MIT, and degrees in physics and mathematics. A hafiz of the Quran, he has pursued Islamic seminary training through the Cambridge Islamic College and Al-Salam Institute in the United Kingdom, and studied with various teachers and scholars at Islamic universities in India, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. He is the Imam of the Islamic Association of Raleigh, as well as a husband and father. Listen to his story to learn about how he balances all these commitments and why it is never too late to pursue Islamic knowledge.