Book Talkback – Muslims in Milwaukee: Placemaking, Belonging, and Activism 

• M. Sc., PhD., University of London. Scientist (retired). 
• Founder president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, 1983. 
• Founder of Islamic Information Service Inc., 1985. 
• Founder Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center, 1993. 
• Edited various journals including: Islamicus, The Commentator and Shahadah. 
• Initiated the demographic survey of Muslims in Milwaukee with mutual agreement between the Dawah Center and the Chancellor of UWM, 2010/11. The project was developed by the team that authored the book: “Muslims in Milwaukee”.

• Served as President of the Executive Board of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and currently serves as its Executive Director and primary spokesman. The ISM is the largest Muslim organization in Wisconsin and operates three Mosques in the greater Milwaukee area as well as the largest Islamic school in the nation.   

• Worked as an attorney in private practice for over 20 years. 
• Former Advisory Board Member, Marquette University Law School 
• Former Representative of the Islamic Society on the Board of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee 
• Former Adjunct Faculty Member at Cardinal Stritch University (taught courses on Religious Culture of Islam). Also taught courses on Islam and Middle-East Politics for UW-Extension. 
• Recipient of the Wisconsin Chapter – ACLU “Civil Libertarian of the Year Award” 
• Recipient of Wisconsin Law Journal’s “Leader in the Law Award” 
• Former Member, FBI Civil Rights Advisory Group. Graduate of FBI Citizen Academy and Milwaukee Police Department’s Citizen’s Academy 
• Former Commissioner, Milwaukee Commission on Police-Community Relations 
• Former Board Member, Wisconsin Chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee 
• Delivered hundreds of speeches to business, interfaith and other groups and participated in numerous lectures, panel discussions and debates at local universities.  
• Married with four children. 

Amal Azzam is a Muslim American interdisciplinary artist based in Milwaukee, WI. Her practice explores the layered complexities of identity, trauma, and freedom through mediums including screen printing, found objects, fiber, and photography. She aims to reflect society back onto itself, showing its contradictions and the struggles of belonging.  

In 2025, Azzam was awarded the Mildred L. Harpole Artist of the Year by the Milwaukee Arts Board. Her work has been nationally exhibited at the Hunter Museum of American Art (Chattanooga, TN), the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, WI), Woman Made Gallery (Chicago, IL), and the James Watrous Gallery (Madison, WI). She has also co-curated exhibitions such as Wherever Home Is at the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters and Al-Nisa at Walker’s Point Center for the Arts.  

Amal is also the co-founder of Fanana Banana (“Fanana” meaning female artist in Arabic), a Milwaukee-based arts movement that creates space for Muslim, MENA, and underserved artists to share their work. Fanana Banana has grown into a community hub for exhibitions, panels, and collaborations.  

Her work and story have been featured in WUWM – Milwaukee’s NPR, PBS Wisconsin, Artdose Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, and Cream City Review, where her art appeared on the cover in 2024. 

Janan Najeeb is a pioneering Muslim community leader, advocate, and educator, widely recognized for her work at the intersections of faith, justice, gender and civic engagement. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Muslim Women’s Coalition (MWC), and the Islamic Resource Center, Wisconsin’s first Muslim library and cultural hub. 

Najeeb has founded several groundbreaking initiatives, including the Wisconsin Muslim Journal, Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival, and the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine. She also serves on the Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse and holds board positions with the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Public Radio, and the Wisconsin Historical Society. She chairs both the Religious Leaders Caucus of MICAH and the City of Milwaukee Commission on Community Wellness and Safety. For more than two decades, she has co-chaired and emceed Milwaukee’s citywide Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. 

A frequent media voice and public speaker, Najeeb has delivered more than 2,000 presentations across the country on Muslim identity, civil rights, women’s rights, refugees, and interfaith dialogue. Her published works include contributions to The Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies, The Journal of Disability & Religion, Interfaith Engagement in Milwaukee, as well as training manuals for statewide agencies. She has been featured in major outlets including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The New York Times, Islamic Horizons, Aljazeera, Wisconsin Public Radio, among many others.  

Her trailblazing leadership has earned her numerous awards, including the 2025 City of Milwaukee Lifetime Achievement Award, 2024 Milwaukee Magazine Woman of Distinction Award, the 2023 Lucille Berrien Humanitarian Award, the 2022 Milwaukee Rotary Person of the Year Award, and the 2019 Frank Zeidler Award for Social Justice and Activism. 

Najeeb is married to Dr. Waleed Najeeb and is the proud mother of five and grandmother of six. 

Will Perry is a lifelong Milwaukee resident whose career reflects a deep commitment to faith‑based civic engagement and community building. He holds a master’s degree in management and is widely known for his long tenure as Executive Director of the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center (MIDC), where he played a key role in strengthening community institutions, expanding social services, and fostering collaboration across Milwaukee’s diverse neighborhoods.

Under his leadership, MIDC became a vital hub for outreach, re-entry service, and support for individuals and families facing social and economic challenges. 

In addition to his work at MIDC, Will currently serves on the Board of the Muslim Community Health Center, supporting efforts to improve access to culturally responsive healthcare. His broader leadership experience includes previously serving as Director of the Milwaukee Muslim Funeral Home, as well as serving as Past President of the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance. 

Will is a retired member of the Milwaukee Fire Department and an honorably discharged Sergeant of the United States Marine Corps. He is widely respected for his integrity, steady leadership, and commitment to dialogue, belonging, and compassionate community care. 

Will Perry is a devoted family man, serving as a husband, father, and grandfather. 

Dr. Fahed is a Senior Teaching Faculty member in the Department of Global Studies at UW-Milwaukee and serves as the coordinator of the Arabic Program. His academic and professional path has been anything but conventional.

Initially trained in the STEM disciplines, he holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Engineering and spent a significant portion of his early career in the corporate sector. While that chapter provided valuable experience, it ultimately left him searching for deeper intellectual fulfillment and a greater sense of purpose. 

This pursuit led him back to academia, where he transitioned into the humanities. He earned an MA in Comparative Literature from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and went on to complete a PhD in Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2021. His interdisciplinary training—spanning technical, literary, and theological fields—continues to shape both his teaching and his scholarship in meaningful ways. 

His work is anchored in two main areas of inquiry; both rooted in Qur’anic Studies. The first centers on Arabic language instruction, with a particular emphasis on pedagogical approaches that make the language accessible and meaningful across diverse learning environments. The second engages the field of Islamic Studies more broadly, with a focus on how it can respond thoughtfully to the intellectual and cultural needs of students in Western educational contexts.