2025
Benefit Gala
Tonight’s Schedule
4:30pm:
Registration/Social Hour
5:30pm:
Program Begins
Meet this Year’s Honorees:
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Former First Minister of Scotland
Humza Yusuf is a dedicated public servant and a trailblazer in civic engagement, known for his tireless work in advancing equity, justice, and representation. As one of the rising voices advocating for inclusive leadership, Humza has championed policies that uplift underrepresented communities and build bridges across faiths and cultures. MPAC is proud to recognize Humza for his leadership, integrity, and vision of a more inclusive America where every person has the opportunity to serve and thrive.
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GHF Whistleblower, LTC (ret.)Anthony Aguilar is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (Green Beret) who, after 25 years of service, brought his skills and sense of duty to humanitarian missions, including a deployment in Gaza in 2025 with a private contractor supporting the aid distribution effort of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. During his time on the ground, he witnessed and publicly spoke out about practices he believed were consistent with war crimes. His decision to share what he observed reflects courage in the service of accountability and justice. MPAC is honored to recognize Anthony for his commitment to truth-telling, his willingness to stand for the voiceless, and his embodiment of the principle that holding power to account is part of protecting human dignity for all.
Our Thanks to this Year’s Sponsors
Anonymous
Firdous & Ramsey Hakim
Fiza & Dr. Mansoor Shah
The Manar Foundation
Nurya Shabir & Muhammad Adaya
SP Funds
Tamie Adaya & Amr Tannir
Aliya Khan & Shakeel Kazi
Al-Marayati Family
Anonymous
Dr. Hareem & Adil Khan
Halima & Suleman Mohammed
Islamic Center of Southern California
Mrs. Azmeralda Alfi
Veera Family
Zubeida & Dr. Iftikhar Khan
Azhar Majeed
Beerman Foundation
Dalia Mahmoud
Dr. Faisal & Ruquiya Khan
MPAC-WNY
Drs. Nidal and Asad Khaja
Shia Muslim Council of Southern California
MPAC STAFF
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Salam Al-Marayati
President
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Sue Obeidi
Senior Vice President, Hollywood Bureau
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Rebecca Huseini
Vice President, Operations and Administration
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Haris Tarin
Vice President, Policy and Programming
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Lydia Burgos
Director of Administration and Finance
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Blake Wood
Director of Communications
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Mohammad Ali
Director of Legislative and Congressional Affairs
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Preston Nouri
Director of Government Affairs
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Grace Tapia
Administrative Coordinator
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Neelab Yousafzai
Program Manager
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Dahlia M. Taha
Young Leaders Policy Manager
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Yusef Burppe
Administrative Assistant
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M. Faiyaz Hussain
Senior Advisor for Strategy, Policy, and Programs
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Misaal Irfan
Policy Communications Coordinator
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Stephen Rohde
Special Advisor on Free Speech and the First Amendment
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Maggie Siddiqi
Non-Resident Fellow on Muslim-Jewish Partnerships
Our Thanks to OUR MAJOR DONORS
Rania & Hazem Abdellatif
Anas & Aly Abouzaakouk
Amina Adaya
Nargis Adaya and Iqbal Dada
Tamie Adaya & Amr Tannir
Yasmin & Salim Adaya
Dr. Louai Alassar
Mrs. Azmeralda Alfi
Altalib Family Foundation
Al-Marayati Family
Anonymous
Anonymous
Ayco Charitable Foundation
Beerman Foundation
Farah & Dr. Rizwan Bhatti
Boukai Family Foundation
Nagwa & Magdy Eletreby
El-Gamal Family Foundation
El Hibri Foundation
Asma & Irfan Furniturewala
Wafaa & Ali Gamay
Donna & Cadry Genena
Good Planet Foundation
Firdous & Ramsey Hakim
Holly & Kamal Hamdan
Alya Haq & Mohsin Ansari
Mahrukh & Faiyaz Hussain
Islamic Center of Southern California
Mohammed Kamal
Drs. Nidal and Asad Khaja
Aliya Khan & Shakeel Kazi
Dr. Faisal & Ruquiya Khan
Zubeida & Dr. Iftikhar Khan
Dr. Hameed Khan
Dr. Hareem & Adil Khan
SP Funds
Tamie Adaya & Amr Tannir
Ahmad Nassar & Bayan Jondy
Altalib Family Foundation
Alya Haq & Mohsin Ansari
Amina Adaya
Anas & Aly Abouzaakouk
Anas Rehman
Asma & Irfan Furniturewala
Zubeida & Dr. Iftikhar Khan
M3K Foundation
Dalia Mahmoud
Azhar Majeed
The Manar Foundation
Halima & Suleman Mohammed
Ruksana and Saleh Mohammed
Mariam & Zeki Mokhtarzada
MPAC-WNY
Dalia & Hatem Naguib
Ahmad Nassar & Bayan Jondy
Anas Rehman
Sadiya & Dr. Arif Rizvi
Omaima Salous & Omar Hamoui
Nurya Shabir & Muhammad Adaya
Fiza & Dr. Mansoor Shah
Kashif & Theresa Sheikh
Shia Muslim Council of Southern California
SP Funds
Tarik and Dalia Trad
Veera Family
171 Foundation
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Safiya Ghori-Ahmad
Chair
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Noor Zubeida Khan
Vice Chair
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Hammad Shah
Treasurer
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Shahed Amanullah
Secretary
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Habib Veera
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Hassan Zeeni
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Jihan Hamdan
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Kamal Hamdan
