Islamic Scholarship Fund

Meet ISF's 2024 Building Bridges Film Grant Recipients. With generous support from the Doris Duke Foundation's Building Bridges Grant, ISF is awarding $115,000 to ten groundbreaking projects, supporting 14 talented filmmakers committed to sharing authentic and transformative narratives. This year's films explore stories of resistance and resilience, including painful perspectives from Gaza, the experience of Rohingya refugees escaping genocide, reclaiming the word "jihad," and more. This year, we are deeply honored to award the Shireen Abu Akleh Memorial Award to a Palestinian filmmaker as part of our ongoing commitment to amplifying voices for justice. Since the program's inception, ISF has proudly supported over 100 filmmakers with $625,000 in funding, helping American Muslim creatives tell stories that center our communities' humanity, resilience, and unique experiences. We encourage you to keep an eye out for each film as they are released in the close future! We'll share information as it's?available. Finally, we want to thank our film grant judges for participating in the judging process and our supporters, donors, and sponsors for continuing to empower American Muslim storytelling. Thank you for standing with us and helping us amplify these voices. Your continued support ensures that these vital stories will reach and inspire audiences everywhere.

Congratulations to Amber Alirahi for receiving a 2024 ISF Scholarship in Law. Amber Alirahi is a Muslim Pakistani-American and incoming 1L Student at Haub School of Law (Pace University). She graduated with a BA in Individualized Study from the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she created a project on globalization and the representation of identity in media with a focus on displacement. She also co-founded a chapter of MDA at NYU to help Muslim women pursue their professional and spiritual goals. She is passionate about social justice, human rights advocacy, religious education, and community service. She hopes to pursue either public interest or tech law and is motivated to continue being a leader for young Muslim women in her community. ISF is committed to supporting future leaders like Amber. Our ISF 2025 Scholarship Program is now accepting applicants. Learn more and apply now at https://lnkd.in/gtjXUkTZ.

Congratulations to Aminah Gassama for receiving a 2024 ISF Scholarship in Policy. Aminah, a first-generation student, plans to graduate with a degree in Critical Theory and Social Justice and double minor in Black studies and Media, Arts, and Culture. Drawing inspiration from her Gambian heritage and upbringing in Atlanta, Georgia, she is passionate about decolonized storytelling through utilizing historiography and Black feminist anthropology to expand the landscape of communal memory. On campus, Aminah serves as Historian for the African Students Association, Editorial Board Member for the Critical Theory and Social Justice Journal of Undergraduate Research, Newsletter Editor for The Occidental student newspaper, and Vice President of the Transfer Students Union. Off-campus, she collaborates with the UndocuBlack Network's Narrative and Media team, providing support to current and former undocumented Black immigrants. She aspires to pursue a Master's in Visual Anthropology to create multimedia projects spanning anthologies and experimental textbooks to television series and documentaries. If you know of anyone who is a future leader like Aminah, let them know that applications for ISF’s 2025 Scholarship Program are now open. More information is available at https://lnkd.in/gtjXUkTZ.

We are thrilled to share that the application for ISF's 2025 Scholarship Program is now live. Applications are due?on March 21st, 2024, at https://lnkd.in/gtjXUkTZ. Students in the fields of policy, public interest law, media/journalism, or film are eligible to receive funding for their undergraduate or graduate education. Recipients receive: - Scholarships up to $10,000 - Professional Mentorship - Professional Development Opportunities - Access to a community of like-minded individuals dedicated to increasing American Muslim representation in policy & media Know someone eligible for this scholarship? Tag them in the comments below.

Congratulations to Ajarat Bada for receiving a 2024 ISF Scholarship in Policy. Here is Ajarat's biography below. With over 15 years of experience in consulting, managing teams, leading start-ups, and overseeing multi-million dollar projects, I am a healthcare innovation expert and a performance improvement specialist. As a consultant, I have delivered on comprehensive strategies to improve healthcare operations, solve for digital equity, redesign homecare, enhance patient outcomes, advocate for peace and solve for food insecurity and natural resource management for organizations like Kaiser Permanente and Qatar Foundation. I have also contributed to publications, certifications, and honors in the fields of public health, policy, and development. I speak four languages and have a keen interest in mountaineering. I am passionate about creating user-centered solutions that address the complex and evolving challenges of the global health and development landscape.

Congratulations to Lara Hafez for receiving a 2024 ISF Scholarship in Law. Lara Hafez '27 graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with University Distinction from Stanford University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, complemented by a minor in Human Rights & Islamic Studies and will attend Columbia Law School. Her academic pursuits at Stanford culminated in an honors thesis titled "Compromised Marginality: Rethinking Political Engagement and Identity Formation within MENA Communities," which explores the nuanced intersections of identity and political activism for members of the Middle Eastern and North African community. During her tenure at Stanford, Lara was deeply involved in various leadership roles, including being President of both the Muslim Student Union and Students for Justice in Palestine. Lara also made substantial contributions as a Legal Research Intern at Her Lawyer in Los Angeles supporting women through their legal troubles. She has been recognized with several accolades, including the Stanford Award of Excellence and the 30 under 30 Award.

Join us at an in-person event in Houston, TX with ISF alumni Alaa Elassar and Eshal Warsi to discuss the power of representation. The event will include a panel session addressing topics related to representation in media and law. Who should attend? - Community Leaders - Elected Officials - People looking to create change - Students (High school & University) - Anyone interested in elevating American Muslim stories, leadership and voices. Please share!

Help us relive ISF’s 15 Years of Impact Banquet as we reflect on the powerful speakers. We hosted a great fireside chat between Board Chair Dr. Hamid Rezapour and Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the Uncommitted Movement. The talented Yasmin Elhady was a fantastic MC for the evening. And we can’t forget our Executive Director Somayeh Nikooei, MPA, moderating our ISF Alum panel with Mussab Ali, Mayoral Candidate; Zahraa M. Saheb, MA Saheb, Legislative Director; Laila Ikram, Judge Pro Tem and Appellate Attorney; and Erum Salam, Reporter at the Guardian US. Like this post to help us celebrate 15 years!

Islamic Scholarship Recipient Lila Hassan testifying at the United Nations in Geneva. We are incredibly proud of her courage and continued activism. Please take a look at her remarks below.

What a sight to see! Nearly 400 of our closest friends, family, partners, supporters, volunteers, board, and staff celebrated ISF’s 15 years of impact on October 19th in San Francisco. This milestone is the beginning of great achievements ahead for our community nationwide. Thank you again to our sponsors, including Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California (ICCNC), HalalFest, Inc., Law Offices of Spojmie Nasiri, PC, Averroes High School, CAIR-CA, Muslim Americans in Public Service, American Muslim Community Foundation, Tayba Foundation, Muslim Community Center - East Bay, American Muslim Public Affairs Committee, Indian American Muslim Council, National Association of Muslim Lawyers, Muslim Legal Fund of America, and BLOSSOM VALLEY MUSLIM COMMUNITY CENTER. Thank you for your trust and support as we continue to grow together.