Our Purpose
Despite the size and impact of transnational Muslim development and aid organizations, they are often viewed skeptically by stakeholders and policy makers due to Islamophobia, perceived ties to terrorism, accountability concerns, and insular practices. Additionally, Muslim humanitarian actors are not well represented amongst mainstream information hubs. The ZFI (Zakat Foundation Institute) through its Muslim Philanthropy and Humanitarian Studies Fellowship cohort is working to fill this data gap through The Portal on Muslim Humanitarianism.
This Portal will serve as a resource hub, database, and knowledge center designed to educate and support stakeholders in the aid and development communities to make more informed decisions when engaging the Muslim humanitarian NGO sector. All content, therefore, is intended to achieve the following goals:
- Understanding and improving the lives of downward stakeholders, such as forced migrants, for whom programming and services must primarily be designed and delivered.
- Demonstrating excellence and thought leadership in Muslim humanitarianism in order to become a leading source of knowledge on the subject in the public space.
- Encouraging religious literacy and cultural sensitivity about Islam and Muslims resulting in programs and services that resonate with the affected populations.
- Improving dialogue between Muslim humanitarian actors and other humanitarian actors leading to the development of innovative solutions and coordination of efforts.
Ultimately, this Portal on Muslim Humanitarianism seeks to bridge recognition and understanding of the Muslim humanitarian sector which is playing a large role in humanitarian aid globally but marginalized from mainstream conversation.
Zakat Foundation Institute
Founded by Zakat Foundation of America in 2020 as an independent, professional graduate program, Zakat Foundation Institute provides hands-on training and thought leadership to serve Muslim charitable work by offering advanced degrees in humanitarian and development studies. In partnership with leading institutions, scholars, and organizations. Zakat Foundation Institute believes no human being should be subjected to preventable poverty, hunger, or displacement while the world has the knowledge, tools, and ability to respond to humanitarian challenges.
Mission
We offer a solution-oriented educational experience that accelerates the success of the social good sectors through empowering local charitable-work leaders with specialized knowledge and professional skills and integrating them into the service of global humanitarianism and philanthropy.
Vision
Build a diverse, multi-generational alumni body that develops sustainable, evolving, socially responsive projects that engender inclusive cultures of compassion and mutual respect and changes the world for the better.
About the Fellowship
The Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI offers a Fellowship in Muslim Philanthropic and Humanitarian Studies in collaboration with the Zakat Foundation Institute (ZFI).
Zakat Foundation Institute awards humanitarian tuition fellowships annually – fully funded by the Zakat Foundation of America – to professionals with a demonstrated commitment of service in established Muslim charities. The program commenced in the 2020 Fall Semester, with Fellows from the US and abroad.
This remarkable inclusion reflects the Institute’s aim and commitment to bringing about effective and much-needed informed and fundamental change to Muslim charitable work in the world and to the global humanitarian sector, which faces unprecedented and dire systemic crises.
This Muslim Humanitarianism portal is the capstone project of six ZFI Fellows from the first 2020-2021 cohort. It is a direct outcome of the research, discussion, and landscape analysis of the needs of the Muslim humanitarian sector.
Dr. Abbas Barzegar – ZFI Academic Director
Dr. Barzegar is Zakat Foundation Institute’s Academic Director where he oversees curriculum development and research programming. He is a term-member of the Council on Foreign Relations and maintains research and teaching affiliations with Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Emory University’s Masters in Development Program, and George Mason’s Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies. He has years of applied research experience covering the transnational Muslim civil society at the intersection of Islamic revival and geopolitics. Recent projects he has led include the European Union funded “Bridging Transatlantic Voices” initiative at the British Council USA, the digital archive, “After Malcolm” at George Mason, and the Hijacked by Hate study on US philanthropy and anti-Muslim special interest groups. In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, he is the co-author of Islamism: Contested Perspectives on Political Islam (Stanford). His work has been supported by The European Union, The British Council, The US Institute of Peace (USIP), the Mellon Foundation, The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). His commentary and analysis can be found in a variety of print and broadcast media outlets, including CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, The Hill, The Huffington Post, and Aljazeera.
Portal Team
Handbook Author
A visionary leader, with a professional career reflecting close to two decades of creative, transformational leadership, in corporate and non-profit organization development. From high-profile organizations to local individuals and entrepreneurs, Arshia serves as an experienced transformational organization development and human emergence leader and adviser. She has led organizations effectively with cross-functional & multi-cultural teams to transform and expand organizations throughout her career.
In August 2018, Arshia joined the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) as their first ever Chief Development Officer (CDO) spear heading organizational development strategies, building development infrastructure, enhancing development activities, and planning and executing comprehensive development campaigns for the Muslim Legal Fund of America.
On June, 2nd 2020, Arshia was appointed by the MLFA Board of Directors to become the Interim CEO of MLFA, leading an organizational through a transformation in order to achieve nonprofit best practices in the service of its mission to advance equality and justice for American Muslim organizations and individuals by combating the injustices done in the name of national security. Arshia is also a Fellow of the Zakat Foundation Institute.
Content Creator
Yusuf Aydın was born in Cologne, Germany in 1986 as a child of an immigrant family. He completed his undergraduate education in International Relations at Selçuk University in 2010. For 6 years, he worked in various units of WEFA, an international aid organization headquartered in Cologne that conducts humanitarian aid activities in 70 countries. In his capacity as a WEFA project manager, he visited project sites in more than 30 countries. He also conducted training programs to improve cooperation with partner organizations and to strengthen them in their own countries. Until 2016, he served as board member and head of foreign affairs. Since 2016, Aydın has been based in Ankara, Turkey and has been working as an expert in an international think tank that carries out various projects related to European Turks.
Aydın also took an active role in various youth associations. Between 2013 and 2015, he served as the general chairman in charge of youth branches at UID (Union of International Democrats), which has a total of 253 branches in 17 countries in Europe. He has pioneered dozens of activities to accelerate the integration of immigrant children in Europe into society and increase their political participation.
He has a master’s degree in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid from the Kalu Institute, Spain. He is currently completing his second master’s degree in Philanthropy at Indiana University and is a Fellow of the Zakat Foundation Institute. Aydın is married and has two children. In addition to his mother tongue Turkish, he is fluent in German and English.
Web Designer
Rainie Grant is a Zakat Foundation Institute Fellow based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She holds a BA in Political Science, French and Religion from Butler University. Rainie works in community development at a local nonprofit organization and serves as the youngest member on the board of directors for two organizations: the Indianapolis Muslim Community Association and the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, where she is also the Chair of PR and Marketing.
Project Manager
Samer Nasereddin is a Fellow of the Zakat Foundation Institute at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy where he is pursuing a graduate certificate in philanthropic studies. He is a community servant living in San Diego who has served Muslim nonprofits for the last 6 years. Samer is currently the Development Officer at the Family & Youth Institute which is aimed to strengthen and empower individuals, families, and communities through research and education. Before his current position, Samer served as youth department director for the Muslim American Society in San Diego, Muslim chaplain at Northeastern University, and college Programs Director at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center.
Samer studied both psychology and family and human development at Arizona State University. Upon graduating, he proceeded to work as a youth minister and interfaith coordinator at the Islamic Community Center of Tempe. Samer is a proud community activist with the Muslim American Society (MAS) working to develop thought leaders and dynamic activists. Samer’s passion is in helping others find theirs, and assisting in people’s journey to God through that passion, thoughtful reflection, comprehensive self-development, and meaningful activism. He enjoys playing sports, being outdoors, and spending time with family.
Relationship Manager
Afshan Paarlberg is a Visiting Assistant Professor with the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy where she is leading an MLFA-funded research and legal audit project on nonprofit governance, risk, and compliance for Muslim-led nonprofits. Afshan has a JD from the University of Houston Law Center as well as a BBA and BA from the University of Texas at Austin. She is furthering her pursuit of knowledge as a doctoral student at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Fellow of the Zakat Foundation Institute. Afshan’s research, publications, and public speaking engagements are focused on nonprofits, philanthropy, and forced migration.
Afshan serves as the President of the board of Exodus Refugee Immigration – an Indiana based refugee resettlement agency. Afshan also serves on the board of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, the advisory board member to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, member of the Muslim Women Giving 100 Giving Circle, and member of the American Muslim Women’s Giving Circle. Previously, Afshan has developed and executed nonprofit access to justice initiatives, represented clients in affirmative and defensive immigration proceedings, and supported international and domestic nonprofits with governance, risk, and compliance.
Content Creator
Fatima Sadaf Saied is the Executive Director of the Muslim Women’s Organization (MWO) based in Orlando, Florida. As the daughter of Pakistani immigrants and a native Floridian, she witnessed her parents build and dedicate their lives to inclusive Islamic institutions including mosques, schools and civic organizations throughout her childhood. Following their example, in her time at the University of Miami, she was a founder and President of a student organization that was an inclusive alternative to the existing MSA which was not open to women or those with differing Islamic opinions. After graduating from UM with a degree in Psychobiology, she started her family and dedicated her time to raising her five children. Realizing that a gap existed in women’s involvement and opportunities in the Muslim communities in Central Florida, she and a group of like-minded women, established the MWO in 2010. It is a nonprofit dedicated to harnessing the leadership of women to create meaningful change in the community. Fatima leads a team of 50 women running a dozen programs at the MWO Hub, a space for Muslim women to connect, grow and find belonging. Fatima is also on the Board of Directors of Eid Orlando, an organization dedicated to establishing family-friendly Muslim holiday celebrations. As part of the Zakat Foundation Institute’s Muslim Philanthropy and Humanitarian Studies Fellowship program at IUPUI’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, she is continuing her education with the intention of building the nonprofit leadership expertise of Muslim women. She is a breast cancer survivor that loves road trips, karaoke, and board games. Above all else, she is passionate about uplifting the lives of her daughters, her team members and her community through compassion and love.
Symposium Team
Team Project Manager
General Manager
Strategic Narrative Team
