Laila Khan  |  Intern

Maraam Dwider  |  

Safaa Ibrahim  |  President

Safaa Ibrahim was born in Cairo, Egypt and immigrated with her family to Maryland at the young age of 6 years. Safaa holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Strayer University; her professional experience includes internet and software project management, operations, marketing, and she has contributed to the establishment of two small business start-ups. In the past five years, Safaa had shifted her career path by dedicating herself to non-profit endeavors by volunteering full-time to the San Francisco Bay Area Community. She has been active with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (CAIR-SFBA), the Muslim Community Association (MCA), and GiveLight Foundation. Safaa was appointed Executive Director of CAIR-SFBA in July 2005 and currently serves on the executive committee for the chapter. As part of her activism, Safaa has conducted numerous media interviews and press conferences, met with federal, state, and local public officials, and spoken at various universities and community forums across the bay area on topics that enhance understanding of Islam and issues relating to American-Muslim civil rights in a post 9/11 America. Safaa currently lives in Scotts Valley, CA with her husband Hisham and her son Zidan. Safaa’s efforts are inspired by the belief that “rights and freedoms can be preserved through unity and community empowerment”.

Athar Siddiqee  |  Vice-President

Athar remembers when the Muslim community in the Bay Area was quite small, having moved here in 1967, along with his family. He has been involved in numerous organizations for several years, and in addition to his role with CAIR, is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of SBIA (South Bay Islamic Association), on the Steering Committee of the Bay Area Chapter of HDF (Human Development Foundation), a teacher at SBIA's Sunday Islamic School, and in charge of Jummah Prayer arrangements at Napredak Hall in Milpitas. Professionally, Athar is the Vice President of Strategic Client Services for Salary.com and has worked in the field of Compensation for 15 years. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics/Economics from UCLA and an MBA in Marketing from Santa Clara University.

Donna Shaikh  |  Secretary

Donna is a native of the Bay Area, born in San Jose, California. She has a great interest in Civil Rights and in helping those less fortunate than herself. She joined the CAIR Executive Committee in February 2009. Donna graduated from California State University East Bay with a B.A. in Liberal Studies, and earned a Teaching Credential at San Jose State University. Donna taught and was Principal at the Peace Terrace Academy in Fremond, for several years. As such she was involved in curriculum development, event planning and meeting management. She taught pre-K and developed curriculum for pre-schoolers at the Islamic Sunday School in Colorado Springs. Donna is currently the volunteer coordinator for the North American Islamic Shelter for the Abused (NISA). She previously served on the committee of Christians and Muslims in Partnership for Peace.

Shafath Syed  |  Executive Committee Member

Shafath Syed has been on the CAIR-SFBA Executive Committee since 2001. He is active in the Bay Area Muslim community where he serves as President of the South Bay Islamic Association (SBIA). Shafath works in marketing at Adobe Systems in San Jose. Prior to Adobe, Shafath held marketing positions at Apple Computer, Microsoft and other Bay Area high-tech companies. He lives in Sunnyvale with his wife, Fareena, and daughter, Iman. In his spare time Shafath enjoys taking photos and videos at community events. His drive comes from the belief that “Muslims in America have a unique opportunity to educate people of other faiths about Islam and improve the lives of Muslims worldwide.”

Malika Khan  |  Executive Committee Member

Malika came to the U.S. from India in 1969, and moved to the Bay Area in 1980. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry and an M.S. in Biology. Malika worked as a Licensed Clinical Lab Scientist for 25 years. She is currently involved in various community building efforts with Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Muslim Community Association (MCA). In her capacity as an activist at MCA, Malika previously served on the MCA Board as the Women’s Representative for three terms. Malika is the widow of Dr. Mahboob Khan, and mother of give children, Suhail, Salman, Sumiya, Sajid and Sana.

Omar Ahmad  |  Executive Committee Member

Isa Shaw  |  Executive Committee Member

Abdurrahman Hamamsy  |  Executive Committee Member

Ahmed Shah  |  Executive Committee Member