A New Secretary General at the ISNA

Islamic Society of North America is our closest partner in the US Muslim Community. Recent changes included Dr. Sayyid Syeed moving to Washington DC to become the head of ISNA's new office of interfaith and Community Alliances. Their offices in Washington DC will be located in the Methodist Building, the same building the NCC offices are located. We wish Dr. Syeed well in his new responsibility and look forward to continuing to partner with him.

ISNA has just appointed a new Secretary General. Here's ISNA's news release.

Plainfield, IN – The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Muneer Fareed will be joining ISNA as the new Secretary General starting November 1, 2006. This is the conclusion of an eight month search for a replacement for Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, who will head ISNA’s new Office of Interfaith and Community Alliances in Washington, DC after serving as Secretary General at the headquarters since 1994.

A Search Committee actively advertised and recruited for the Secretary General position, reviewing applications and interviewing final applicants. After completing this process, the committee recommended Dr. Fareed for the head position at ISNA headquarters.

Dr. Fareed has been trained in both traditional Islamic and American academic settings, studying in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India and Michigan, where he earned a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan. Ingrid Mattson, President of ISNA has said of this appointment, "I am delighted to welcome Dr. Fareed to ISNA. He has served as an Imam and in academia in South Africa and in Michigan, so he brings both practical knowledge of lived Islam, as well as a depth of scholarship to this position. In addition, Dr. Fareed has a good understanding of the challenges faced by youth, as he has been one of the founders and core scholars of the ALIM Program, a successful program in “Islamic literacy” for Muslim high school seniors and college students."

The challenges and opportunities are many for the Islamic Society of North America as a leading organization of the Muslim American community. Dr. Fareed will fill a key role in guiding the headquarters staff as they strive to carry out the mission of the organization and contribute to American society at large.