Faizan Syed is the Executive Director of the Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MO), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.
Faizan was born in Lahore, Pakistan and moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1992. He attended Kirkwood High School and was the Vice-President of his senior class. He then studied at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he earned his degree in Political Science. During his sophomore year, he witnessed the Iowa Caucus which helped him decide to pursue political science. Upon graduation, he returned back to St. Louis and was offered the position of Executive Director for CAIR-Missouri, becoming one of the youngest Executive Directors of CAIR.
Faizan is also a co-founder of A Continuous Charity Foundation, the first Muslim charity empowering American Muslims to pursue higher education through College preparatory courses and providing interest-free student loans.
Faizan is passionate not only about defending civil rights, combating bigotry, and building a world in which all people are treated with compassion and respect, but also about empowering the American Muslim community. He currently serves on the Al-Salam Day School board of directors and has helped launch and support various Muslim charities and causes.
Faizan is a professional and inspiring public speaker who routinely gives informative and engaging presentations at Universities, Schools, religious institutions, youth programs and much more. He regularly speaks on T.V. and radio to clear misconceptions about Islam and American Muslims.
Faizan is not afraid of engaging with all people regardless of political belief and potential hostility. He was thrust into the media spotlight in 2016 when he passed out doughnuts at a Trump rally in St. Louis in order to engage in conversations and build bridges with Trump supporters. He is more than happy to dialogue with people who have different opinions because he fundamentally believes that the best way to build bridges is by actually building bridges with those who think differently than you.
Video: Muslims Wielding Doughnuts Fight Hate at Trump Rally
Faizan is happily married to his Jordanian wife and has two beautiful children. He enjoys spending time with his extended family and keeping the bonds of kinship. He speaks English and Urdu fluently.
Faizan firmly believes that history doesn't repeat itself, but in reality, human nature never changes. That every nation and time will have their own struggles and injustices and he is truly blessed to be in a position where he can stand for justice.
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Mojda "Moji" Sidiqi was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1990. As a child, she moved to Russia as a refugee, where she attended school from pre-kindergarten to fourth grade. Her family then migrated to the United States in 2000, a year before the deadly September 11th terrorist attacks. Moji grew up in an era of the United States where she witnessed her religion become vilified and her nation of birth invaded in the longest U.S. war in history.
