Meet the Mu’addhins*

 

 Doug Williams creator and producer of Azan is a Paraprofessional at Niles Township West High School in Skokie, IL. and is an active organizer in the Chicago Muslim community. He has worked closely with IMAN, the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, Community Builders Chicago, Interfaith Youth Core and other non-profit organizations catering to the needs of the community.
 

Shahzeen Karim is currently pursuing a J.D in Criminal Law at DePaul University. She graduated from the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) with a degree in Criminal Justice and Philosophy and minors in Law and Society and Political Science. At UIC, she served on the executive board of the Muslim Student Association, the Alpha Phi Sigma, and the Honors College Leadership Council. She was also the co-captain of UIC’s nationally ranked Mock Trial team for three years, receiving several Outstanding Attorney Awards. She served as the Chair and Editor-in-Chief for the Islamic Society of North America’s newsletter for the past six years. Upon completing her undergrad, she worked as Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Chicago’s Government Affairs Coordinator as well as the Jewish-Muslim Outreach coordinator at the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA). She also worked extensively with the Obama campaign in 2007 and she recently starting helping out i-appreciate.org. Her plans for the future include pursuing a doctoral degree in Islamic Law, starting a non-profit organization, and becoming a professor after working as a prosecutor. Shahzeen joined Azan after coming on the show as a guest for CAIR-Chicago in the summer of 2008.

Alumni

Veronica Zapata is currently pursing a second M.A. degree in Cultural and Educational Leadership Policy Studies with a concentration in Comparative Education at Loyola University Chicago. Her first Masters degree is in English as a Second Language and Multicultural Education, which she earned at Saint Xavier University . Veronica completed an intensive summer program entitled “Islamic Civilizations: Government and Politics” at Northeastern Illinois University through the Institute of Islamic Studies . Upon completing a B.A. in Elementary Education at Loyola University Chicago, she taught English as a Second Language in China . Veronica has taught at various educational levels, from preschool to undergraduate students and adult learners in the United States . She is a strong advocate for intercultural exchange, and seeks to build bridges of understanding and mutual respect. In 2005, she presented a co-authored research paper on multiculture education at Oxford University. Her thesis examines the educational goals for minority indigenous peoples and rural poor populations in Mexico . Her plans for the future include pursuing a doctoral degree in Comparative Education, teaching at the college/university level, and becoming an education consultant for international NGOs working with marginalized populations.

 

Usra Ghazi completed her studies toward a B.A. in Religion, Ethics and Social Justice at DePaul University in 2007. She is extensively involved with the Muslim community in Chicago and has interned with the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). She is an alumna of Interfaith Youth Core’s Chicago Youth Council (CYC), and was a member of the IFYC Board of Directors. While at DePaul, she served on the Board of her university Muslim students association, United Muslims Moving Ahead (UMMA), as well as the Interfaith Council of DePaul as a student interfaith scholar. Usra joined Azan after a 5-year stint as host and producer of “Youth Talk 1590 AM,” a monthly radio program addressing social and political issues facing the Muslim community of Chicago.

*A mu’addhin is one who makes the call, the adhan.