About the Committee
Since 9/11, Muslim students have encountered Islamophobia in the United States and across campuses nationwide, including at USC. In Spring 2023, President Folt convened an Advisory Committee on Muslim Life at USC to consider a number of tangible solutions to support Muslim students, faculty and staff, and ensure USC remains a destination university for the Muslim community. Over the course of the Spring and Summer 2023, this committee held five meetings and developed a set of actionable recommendations to support Muslim life on campus across disciplines and domains. They included: understanding and educating the campus community on the experience of Islamopobia; clarifying the university’s policies and processes related to harassment and discrimination; supporting Muslim student life; and expanding education, training and engagement across religious studies.
Muslim Life Committee Members (Spring 2023)
Varun Soni, Chair
Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life
University of Southern California
Shafiqa Ahmadi
Associate Professor of Clinical Education
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
Laila Al-Marayati
Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology
Keck School of Medicine
University of Southern California
Evelyn Alsultany
Associate Professor, American Studies and Ethnicity
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
University of Southern California
Vanessa Gomez Brake
Associate Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life
University of Southern California
Darnell Cole
Professor of Education and Higher Education Psychology,
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
Dafer Dakhil
President
Omar al-Khattab Foundation
Hebah Farrag
Assistant Director of Research at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
University of Southern California
Linda Hoos
Associate Vice President and Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Office of EEO-TIX
University of Southern California
Naseeha Hussein
Doctoral candidate in Islamic Studies
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
University of Southern California
Sherman Jackson
Distinguished Professor of Religion, King Faisal Chair in Islamic Thought and Culture & Professor of Religion and American Studies and Ethnicity
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
University of Southern California
Elyse Levine
Senior Director, Special Projects and Initiatives
Office of the President
University of Southern California
Christopher Manning
Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer
University of Southern California
Hafeez Mir
Vice President of the Muslim Student Union
University of Southern California
Naddia Palacios
Assistant Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Student Equity, and Inclusion
University of Southern California
Aisha Patel
President of the Muslim Student Union
University of Southern California
Hadi Qazwini
Ph.D. graduate and Shia community leader
University of Southern California
Amr Shabaik
Civil Rights Managing Attorney
Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)– Los Angeles
Jihad Turk
President of Bayan Islamic Graduate School
Doctoral candidate Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California