About Us

Imam Shamsi Ali is the Chairman of the Al-Hikmah Mosque in Astoria and the Imam & Director of Jamaica Muslim Center, the largest Muslim Center in Queens area. Imam Ali serves as an Advisory Board member to numerous interfaith organizations, including the Tannenbaum Center, the Federation for Middle East Peace, the Partnership of Faith in NY, IMSA (Indonesian Muslim Society in America) and ICMI (Indonesian Muslim Intellectual Society in America). He is co-founder of the UNCC (Universal Clergy Coalition-International), Assistant Director and Board member of the Muslim Foundation of America, Inc., and Chairman of the annual Muslim Day Parade in NYC. He serves as the Vice President of the Asian-American Coalition USA (AAC-USA) and is its UN Representative.

Among the religious leaders invited to accompany President George W. Bush on his visit to Ground Zero after September 11th, he represented the Muslim community during the Yankee Stadium Prayer for America event alongside President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Imam Ali is an annual participant of the International Conference of Imams and Rabbis for Peace, represented the Muslim community at an interfaith discussion on Religions and Sustainable Development at the White House in 2007, and participated in the 2008 Transatlantic Interfaith Dialogue in Frankfurt, Germany.

Imam Ali was appointed “Ambassador for Peace” by the International Religious Federation in 2002, in 2006 was named one of seven most influential religious leaders in New York City by New York Magazine, received the 2008 ICLI Interfaith Award, the 2009 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award and in 2009, 2010, and 2011 was chosen as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in Jordan and Georgetown University.

Imam Ali is a frequent speaker at the United Nations forums and a media guest contributor for ABC, PBS, BBC World, CNN, Fox

News, National Geographic, al-Jazeera, the Hallmark Channel.

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Katherine Vizcaino has studied Anthropology, Religion, and International Relations, at Hunter College and New York University. She is active in inter-faith dialogue and works with various cultural organizations in the city (Alwan for the Arts, ICC, MEMEAC, HISPA) encouraging education and dialogue between peoples of different traditions, and Islam. Her studies are concentrated on the settlement of Medina in the early 7th Century, tribal politics and socioeconomics, the study of fiqh, and the contemporary application of Islamic Sharî’a in Northern Africa, especially with regards to women’s rights.

Born and raised in Indonesia, Hajar has over ten years of experience as a tax accountant.  She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Hasanuddin University of Indonesia, and spent time during her third year of college working in the accounting department for a superintendent company in Geneva. After graduation, she was awarded a scholarship to continue her studies at Foothill College in Mountain View, California.  Hajar now works as a tax accountant in Long Island, New York.

Mobina Salahuddin holds a Masters from The London School of Economics and Political Science, and brings diverse background to Nusantara Foundation. She spent her formative years in Saudi Arabia, her higher education years in London, and ten years working with multinationals in New York City. Mobina currently lives in London, where she leads Nusantara’s UK programs.

Dalia El-Newehy is a marketing coordinator for a Manhattan law firm. She holds an MBA from the Sage College of Albany and studied Political Science at the American University of Cairo.