CAIR-Ohio Hosts Islam 101 Session for Columbus Students  

by CAIR Ohio in Recent News, Uncategorized

(COLUMBUS, OH, 03/23/23)– On Thursday, March 16, CAIR-Ohio collaborated with the Noor Islamic Cultural Center (NICC) in hosting an Islam 101 information session for the Columbus School for Girls.  

CAIR-Ohio Community Relations Assistant Shireen Shaaban organized and lead an informative discussion on Islam with students from the Columbus School for Girls as part of a religious diversity learning objective. Throughout the presentation, Shaaban discussed the fundamentals of Islam and what it means to be a Muslim, which included the five pillars of Islam, the significance of Ramadan, the experiences that come with wearing Hijab in America, and much more. Towards the end of the session, students had the opportunity to ask questions, which in turn helped them understand and resonate more with the material they had learned.  

Additionally, Shaaban and Directors at NICC walked the students and teachers through a tour of the masjid, highlighting what each space is utilized for and the meaning behind the architecture of the building. 

Interested in having CAIR-Ohio present to your school? Contact CAIR-Ohio Outreach Director Victoria Hickcox: vhickcox@cair.com | 513.906.5728. 

CAIR-Ohio Speaks on Parent Advocacy Panel at Youth Conference 

by CAIR Ohio in 2023, March, Recent News

(COLUMBUS, OH, 03/23/23)– On Saturday, March 18, CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Amina Barhumi participated in a “Parent Advocacy in Schools” panel hosted by the Noor Islamic Cultural Center’s (NICC) MYImpact Youth Committee.  

The MYImpact (Muslim Youth Impact) Committee is a leadership development initiative that serves the NICC youth community by organizing lectures, awareness campaigns, activities, and the annual NICC Youth Conference. All of which aims to develop God-consciousness and nurture upright Muslim youth.  

Barhumi was joined by Lila Alsibai and Sumaya Hamadmad, the founding members of the Muslim Parents and Educators for Understanding, Barhumi opened the session with an introduction to advocacy and the process CAIR-Ohio uses as a guideline when advocating for important policies and causes. 

Alsibai and Hamadmad continued the discussion by sharing the opportunities their group has provided over the years, which includes the historical effort in getting the Hilliard City School District to implement days off for the Eid al-Fitr holiday. They also provide programming around cultural competency for schools, where they address the challenges of being Muslim and how teachers can support their Muslim students.  

The panelists also highlighted the importance of small interactions of being involved in educational environments, as they help lead to the ability to make bigger changes.  

“CAIR-Ohio supports educator, student, parent-volunteer led efforts to create a culturally responsive school environment for Muslim students.” said Barhumi.  

Interested in CAIR-Ohio speaking at your event? Fill out our speaker request form.