Rami Nashashibi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Rami Nashashibi is a Palestinian-American activist, community organizer, sociologist, and Islamic studies scholar. He founded the nonprofit organization
Inner-City Muslim Action Network Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), founded in 1996 by Rami Nashashibi, is one of the leading Muslim charity organizations in the United States. According to the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, IMAN seeks "to utilize the tremendous possib ...
in 1997, working as its executive director for many years, and has been involved in a number of efforts to improve the welfare of residents of the
South Side of Chicago The South Side is an area of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It lies south of the city's Loop area in the downtown. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sides of the city that radiate from downtown, with the other two being the north and w ...
. He has also worked as a sociologist and religious studies scholar at universities, and as a musician. Nashashibi was a 2017
MacArthur Fellow The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 indi ...
.


Early life and education

Nashashibi attended
Saint Xavier University Saint Xavier University (or SXU) is a private Roman Catholic university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy, the university enrolls 3,749 students. History Saint Xavier University was founded as a women's college by ...
for the first year of his university education, where he held a soccer scholarship. After his freshman year he transferred to
DePaul University DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...
, where he graduated with a B.A. degree in 1995. Nashashibi then attended graduate school at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
, obtaining an A.M. degree in 1998. While working as an activist, Nashashibi continued to study sociology at the University of Chicago, and he completed a PhD in 2011. His scholarship and his activism both involved identifying or building connections between African American and Muslim immigrant communities.


Career

In 1997, while still a graduate student at the University of Chicago, Nashashibi founded the nonprofit Inner-City Muslim Action Network, which aims to address systemic injustices affecting communities of color living on the South Side of Chicago. He continued to work as the executive director of the organization for many years after it was incorporated in 1997. The MacArthur Foundation described Nashashibi's work with the organization as involving organizing a coalition of African American Muslims and Muslim immigrants to advance social justice for residents of the South Side who are vulnerable to such problems as housing foreclosure, unemployment, and violence. The nonprofit also lobbies for socially progressive policies, and converts vacant properties into housing for lower-income residents. Though the Inner-City Muslim Action Network is informed by Muslim social ethics, a major emphasis of the organization has been to build coalitions both within and outside of the Muslim community in Chicago, reflecting the diversity of the Marquette Park neighborhood in which it is based. Nashashibi's activism on the South Side of Chicago has also included drives to make healthy food available in areas where stores do not typically carry affordable healthy groceries, both through the Inter-City Muslim Action Network and through the Muslim Run Corner Store Campaign. The Inter-City Muslim Action Network also hosts cultural events, such as the Takin' It To The Streets festival in Marquette Park, and has opened a second chapter in Atlanta. In addition to his activism, Nashashibi has worked as an academic, teaching subjects related to sociology and Islamic studies at universities and colleges. This includes working as a Visiting Professor at the
Chicago Theological Seminary Founded in 1855, the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is the oldest higher education institution in the City of Chicago and was established with two principal goals: first, to educate pastors who would minister to people living on the new west ...
in the Sociology of Religion and Muslim Studies. In 2016, Nashashibi served on the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, which developed recommendations to the Obama administration on how to collaborate with faith-based and neighborhood organizations to serve people in need. In 2020, Nashashibi was the executive producer, lyricist, and guitarist on an album, ''This Love Thing'', with fellow activist Drea D'Nur and sound engineer Elijah Hooks.


Awards and recognition

In 2009, Nashashibi was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by The
Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre is a research centre affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought. Its publications include: *'' A Common Word Between Us and You'' *'' The Amman Message'' *''Forty Hadith on Divin ...
and the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding by
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
. In 2014, the
Center for American Progress The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The president and chief executive offic ...
listed Nashashibi as one of "14 Faith Leaders to Watch in 2014". In 2017, Nashashibi was named a MacArthur Fellow, for "confronting the challenges of poverty and disinvestment in urban communities through a Muslim-led civic engagement effort that bridges race, class, and religion". In 2018, he won the Opus Prize, a faith-based award for social entrepreneurship.


See also

* Nashashibi clan


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nashashibi, Rami Living people DePaul University alumni University of Chicago alumni Chicago Theological Seminary faculty American sociologists Activists from Chicago 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam 21st-century Muslim scholars of Islam American community activists American Muslim activists American people of Palestinian descent MacArthur Fellows Year of birth missing (living people)