Positions of leadership have always been a part of Khalid Latif’s life. Born and raised in Edison, New Jersey, Imam Latif was captain of his high school football and track teams, Student Council president, and one of only three Muslims in his graduating class. Imam Latif moved to New York City in 2000 to attend New York University and attained his Bachelors degree with honors in Political Science and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. It was during this time that he was exposed to a diverse array of Muslims from all over the world and for the first time was taught to really reflect on and embrace his Islam. He began to take classes in the Islamic Sciences with local scholars and, after graduating from NYU, Imam Latif completed coursework at the Hartford Theological Seminary in the field of Islamic Chaplaincy. In 2005 he was appointed as the first Muslim chaplain at NYU where he began to initiate his vision for a pluralistic future on and off campus for American Muslims.
Imam Latif was also appointed as the first Muslim chaplain at Princeton University in 2006. Spending a year commuting between these two excellent institutions, he finally decided to commit full-time to New York University’s Islamic Center where his position was officially institutionalized in the spring of 2007. Under his leadership, the Islamic Center at NYU became the first ever fully established Muslim student center at an institution of higher education in the United States. Imam Latif’s exceptional dedication and ability to cross interfaith and cultural lines on a daily basis brought him recognition throughout the city, so much so that in 2007 Mayor Michael Bloomberg nominated Imam Latif to become the youngest chaplain in history of the New York City Police Department at the age of 24.
Juggling all these responsibilities, Imam Latif has not only managed to solidify the basis of a strong Muslim community at NYU that seeks to emphasize inclusiveness and understanding of others without compromise, but has also worked tirelessly to foster dialogue with people of other faiths in order to clarify misconceptions and encourage mutual education. Outside of his defined roles as chaplain for NYU and the NYPD, Imam Latif has served as an educator for Abraham's Vision, a group focused on Jewish-Muslim relations and conflict resolution, Independent Viewpoints, a group focused on Sunni-Shi’a relations, and is a member of the Muslim Consultative Network, an organization made up of numerous Muslim leaders from New York City.
Imam Latif’s numerous speaking engagements and awards have kept him in the public eye as one of New York City’s most promising and well-known young Muslim leaders. He has been invited to speak at the United Nations, Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall and a number of prestigious universities, including Princeton, Harvard, the University of Massachusetts, Stonybrook and the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he has done consultation work for the State Department’s International Visitors Program and its Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the British Consulate and Parliament. Imam Latif is currently featured in the Islamic Center at NYU’s podcast which gets over 15,000 hits per month from around the world.
Through his work Imam Latif has demonstrated not only an exceptional dedication to gaining and disseminating religious knowledge and values, but has begun to carve out a much-needed space for young American Muslims to celebrate their unique identity and have their voices heard in the larger public sphere.
Director of Alumni Relations | Nabila Sheikh | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Nabila
Sheikh is an alumna of New York University, with a degree
in Psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences, with
minors in Pre-Business Studies and Middle Eastern Studies.
Currently, she works as a consultant/analyst at Kennedy Information Advisors while attending CUNY Baruch College for her Master's in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is an Honor's degree candidate, as well as a member of Baruch's graduate student government.
Prior to working at Kennedy Information Advisors, Ms. Sheikh was a research assistant in clinical psychology at the NYU Medical Center affiliated Manhattan Psychiatric Center.
As an undergraduate she was active in the Islamic Center at NYU's events, operations, and activities, in addition to serving as the President of the Pakistani Students Association from '03-'04.
Since attaining alumna status in 2004, Ms. Sheikh has been an active member of the Islamic Center's Alumni Association.
Director of Public Relations | Haroon Moghul | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Haroon
Moghul graduated from New York University in 2002, with
a degree in Middle Eastern Studies and Philosophy. He
is currently a graduate student at Columbia University,
in the program of Middle East and Asian Languages and
Cultures. His field of study is late 19th century South
Asian Muslim history and religion, with a strong interest
in the changing understanding of religion, government
and authority in the early modern Islamic world.
Mr. Moghul is Contributing Editor as well as a regular columnist for Islamica Magazine. His essays, book reviews and articles have been published in a variety of international media, including Pakistan's Dawn and The Friday Times. His first novel, "The Order of Light," was released by Penguin Global in Fall 2006. A French translation by Cherche Midi is planned for October 2007. He has spoken at numerous American Muslim, Christian and Jewish organizations, as well as working in educational and interfaith workshops to advance understanding and dialogue on the Islamic world and modernity.
Mr. Moghul is married and lives in New York City.
Director of Social Work | Maryum Khwaja | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Maryum
Khwaja is a licensed social worker, who is currently working
at St. Luke’s Hospital Center. Ms. Khwaja graduated
with a Master’s in Social Work from New York University
in 2001. Since her graduation, she has worked at New York
Foundling Hospital with children who have been abused
or neglected and their families. At her current employment
at St. Luke’s Hospital, Ms. Khwaja works with seriously
and emotionally disturbed children and adolescents and
their families. She has also recently completed training
at Columbia University’s year-long International
Trauma Studies Program, to develop skills to work with
victims of trauma.
Through these positions and various training programs, Ms. Khwaja has acquired the skills to provide counseling to children, adolescents, parents, couples and families on issues such as trauma, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicide, substance abuse, sexuality, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, developmental disabilities, and other mental health issues.
Director of Technology and Multimedia | Rayad Khan | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Rayad
Khan is an alumnus of New York University. Holding
degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics, Mr. Khan
today serves as Director of Technology and Multimedia
Services for the Islamic Center.
As a student, Mr. Khan worked with the Center's undergraduate-wing, now called the United Muslim Association, by serving as its Webmaster, a position he held for over three years. In his current role, he continues to oversee website development and planning by working with the Center's affliate club webmasters, designers and contract developers. Mr. Khan also manages the production cycle of all audio and visual material for the Center, from initial recordings at programs, seminars and retreats to final publishing on the web. He initated work that led to the creation of the Center's highly successful podcast of weekly khutbahs as well as a podcast of regional lectures and talks from across the tri-state area.
In the future, Mr. Khan hopes to expand on his work of building an online image for the Center by seeking creative and innovative ways to enhance the nexus between programming and technology.
Community Service Coordinator | Halima Samad | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Halima
Samad graduated from NYU with a B.A. in Economics and
Middle Eastern Studies and currently works at Dow Jones
& Company Inc. As Community Service Co-ordinator,
Ms. Samad heads up the Islamic Center's Khairat program
which focuses on community service.
Outreach Coordinator | Amber Hampton | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Amber
Hampton graduated from NYU in 2007 with a Masters of Education
in Higher Education Administration. Ms. Hampton is also
an alumna of Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, where
she obtained a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in Spanish
and Psychology.
Currently, Ms. Hampton is employed at the NYU School of Medicine as a Project Associate. Her past positions have involved education, programming, and counseling support for undergraduate students of color. Ms. Hampton has planned and conducted various trainings for students, as well as educational and social programs in addition to recognition ceremonies.
Ms. Hampton's research interests center on unconscious student development and educational access for students from low-income families.
Senior Development Associate | Omar Taha | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Omar
Taha is Co-Founder and Managing Director of The S&T
Group, an executive search company, and Co-Founder and
Managing Partner of Gulf Financial Careers, an internet
based financial services job search service.
Prior to The S&T Group, Mr. Taha was a Foreign Exchange trader at Bank of America. He was also an Investment Banking analyst at Morgan Stanley in the Energy and Utility Group and Credit Suisse First Boston in New York City.
Mr. Taha graduated from the Honors Program at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He is also a recipient of the Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He is also a recipient of the Stern School of Business' prestigious Sphinx Award, an award for his outstanding student leadership.
He is currently an active participant and leader with the Academy of Finance, Arab Bankers Association of North America, and Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA). Omar is married to Maissa Elzamack.