Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF) is a 501 C (3) non-profit organization with the goal to address the underrepresentation of American Muslims in the fields of humanities, social sciences, liberal arts, and law by providing academic scholarships for higher education.

ISF was initially launched in January 2009. Through the support of the American Muslim community, ISF has gained national recognition in less than five months. Similar to major universities, the Islamic Scholarship Fund is operated with an endowment fund like structure where the majority of the principal of the Fund is intact and scholarships are awarded from the Sharia compliant investments earned by the Fund. With an experienced Board of Directors and Advisors, the daily operations are managed by one Director of Operations and the tireless efforts of devoted volunteers.

Our Selection Committee just completed a rigorous process of reviewing applications received from more than 170 Muslim students nationwide. The Selection Committee is composed of university professors, non-profit organization leaders, and community members with years of experience in the academic and non-profit world.

From the total applicant pool, the Selection Committee evaluated 93 applications that were considered complete and met ISF's minimum requirements as stated on our website. Out of the 93 semi finalists, over 70% were from students at the graduate level. Each application was scored by two members of the Selection Committee and the average score determined the finalists who received a personal interview. The Committee interviewed 20 graduate and 11 undergraduate students.

ISF's initial plan was to award 3 scholarships for the first year, but the Committee was so impressed by the caliber and eloquence of the applicants that it requested from the ISF Board (which was subsequently approved) to increase its awards to six finalists for 2009.

Considering the quality of the applicants, it has been quite a challenge to select the final scholarship recipients. The Muslim community is privileged to have such well accomplished and talented students. ISF congratulates them all.

Major: International Relations (Specialization Islamic History); Sociology Year: Starting 4th year of Bachelor of Arts; Starting 1st year of Master's Program in Sociology. School: Stanford

Mohammad Ali is currently a senior majoring in International Relations at Stanford University. At Stanford, he is currently acting as president of MSAN [Muslim Students Awareness Network] and has been elected to serve as a senator by the Stanford student body. He loves to read & write fiction, study classical Arabic, and play basketball. In the future, he hopes to work as a civil-rights lawyer to help empower the Muslim community. Fun fact: He shook hands with Barack Obama at a fundraiser in 2007.

Message to ISF:
I am very thankful for this scholarship opportunity--it is a wonderful initiative, and will help young Muslims aspire to do great things.

Major: Economics Year: Senior School: University of California Los Angeles

Zafir Shaiq was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently attends UCLA, where he is studying economics. He serves as the President of the Muslim Student Association at UCLA, and is a former director of the Incarcerated Youth Tutorial Project. Zafir plans on attending law school and pursuing a career in prison reform.

Message to ISF:
ISF is an important organization that recognizes the need to promote involvement in the greater society from the future leaders of the Muslim American community. The scholarship I received will allow me to put more time and energy into my academics and community work, and less on earning an income. The founding of ISF is an important step forward for our community.

Major: Film Year: Masters (MFA) School:Florida State University

Iman Zawahry was born in Panama City, Florida in 1980. To get through the mundane and interesting societal norms of Panama City, Iman and her friends used movies and their young imagination to pass the time. They created spoof productions of the Arsenio Hall show and 90210, complete with full commercial breaks in between. In 1998, she moved to Gainesville, FL to attend the University of Florida where she received a BA in Religion and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. Upon graduation Iman worked with Bridges TV, the first American Muslim Television network, as a free-lance journalist. In 2006 Iman attended Florida State University Film School and directed three short films, of which "Tough Crowd" was awarded an Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Emmy Award and the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Award of Merit. "Tough Crowd" has also been accepted to over 15 film festivals around the country. In 2008 Iman was awarded the Princess Grace Award and is in currently finishing her fourth film in the fall.

Message to ISF:
Our culture encourages studies in the sciences and many times discourages careers in other areas, especially in the artistic fields. ISF encourages Muslims to venture into other fields and provides hope and opportunities for those whose talents exist outside the sciences. Furthermore, ISF helps to create jobs where American-Muslims are needed in our society, thus strengthening Muslims in America

Major: Law Year: Judicial Doctorate School: University of Maryland School of Law

Ali Hossein-Khan-Tehrani is a first year J.D. student at the University of Maryland School of Law. Ali was born in Teheran, Iran and migrated with his family to Germany at the age of two, where he was raised until moving to Seattle, WA in 2003. He has earned an undergraduate degree in Law from Germany, an A.A.S. in Computer Science from Bellevue College, a B.A. in Political Science (Legislative Affairs) from the University of Washington, and an LL.M. from the University of Washington School of Law. Ali is a very active member of the Muslim community in Seattle and has been engaged in community development, teaching, lecturing, conflict resolution, and legal advising. He has frequently lectured on Islam at the University of Washington School of Political Science and the IMAN Center in Kirkland, WA. In the past years, he has been working as an IP Law Specialist for corporations and law firms, whilst influencing the landscape for Muslims in the legal industry. He is also currently the Director of Sustainable Development at the American Leadership Institute for Prosperity and Hope (www.a-liph.com). As a future Legislative and Government Affairs Attorney, Ali aspires to become an advocate to Muslims across the U.S.

Message to ISF:
In the name of Allah, the All Gracious, the All Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, Who has bestowed upon me the great privilege of receiving a scholarship from ISF. May He shower His blessings upon all the ISF members and sponsors, who have worked so hard to contribute to our success in a pursuit of a higher education.

Major: History Year: Ph.D. School: Graduate Theological Union (GTU)

Jason Hamza van Boom received his BA in liberal arts in 1994 from Thomas Aquinas College, a "Great Books" school focused on Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. He then taught English in Lithuania and South Korea. From 1998-1999 he studied Eastern Orthodox Christian history and theology at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, and gave a lecture series at an Orthodox cathedral on St. John Chrysostom's commentary on the Gospel according to John. He received an MA in philosophy at Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, where he studied Thomism and Neoplatonism, in 2002. From 2000 to 2002 he taught Introduction to the Old Testament at St. Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Theological Seminary. He is currently in the PhD program in the history of Christianity at Graduate Theological Seminary, and insha'Allah plans to defend his dissertation in May 2010. Hamza is a specialist in late medieval and early modern Christian intellectual history, with a focus on gender and witch trial literature. In the course of his studies on Christian intellectual history, Hamza investigated Islam privately for 14 years. In January 2009 he made shahada. He currently teaches a public outreach introductory course on Islam at Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, where he has joined the staff as director of development and marketing. Insha'Allah, he plans to do comparative studies of Islamic and Christian theologies of the human person, and write a history of Christianity from an Islamic perspective.

Message to ISF:
Alhamdulillah, I am very grateful for Islamic Scholarship Fund's generous assistance at this critical time in my studies. The material benefit is substantial, but what is even more helpful is this vote of confidence from the Islamic community. It is a great encouragement to see that my academic work is not just for myself, but can benefit my American Muslim brothers and sisters.

Major: Political Science Year: Ph.D. School: Rutgers University

Dalia Fikry Fahmy was born and raised in New Jersey. She received her BA from New York University where her majors were Politics and Middle Eastern Studies, and her minor was Peace and Global Policy Studies. Ms. Fahmy then completed an MA from New York University, summa cum laude in International Relations, where her MA thesis analyzed the efficacy of economic sanctions as a US foreign policy strategy towards the Middle East. She then worked at the United Nations as an advisor to the Organization of the Islamic Conference before joining a PhD program in Political Science at Rutgers University. While pursuing her PhD, Ms. Fahmy earned a second MA in Comparative Politics, summa cum laude, from Rutgers University. Her MA thesis analyzed the role of women in revolutionary movements in the Middle East. Ms. Fahmy is currently a PhD candidate in Political Science. Her dissertation looks at the prospects for democracy in the Muslim World and the role of Islamic Political Movements. While working on the completion of her dissertation, Ms. Fahmy teaches several courses in the Political Science department at Rutgers University, which include: International Relations, Conflict Resolution in World Politics, and Islam and Democracy. Ms. Fahmy's research agenda is committed to highlighting the critical role Islam will play in the establishment of stable democracies in the Muslim World.

Message to ISF:
The grant from ISF will allow me to complete my dissertation and receive a PhD in Political Science, Insha'Allah. Receiving a grant from ISF, a fund founded by Muslims, for Muslims, signifies a collective shift in the American Muslim community--that we are now able to support our own students and projects. The impact of having my research project supported by ISF means that the knowledge that will be produced will not just have a place in the Political Science discourse, but that it also has utility for our community. It is one thing to have the support of my academic program, it is another to have the support of the Muslim community. I cannot thank the directors of ISF enough, I can only share with you my commitment to be a supporter of this fund in the near future. May Allah reward your efforts, Insha'Allah.

Please be aware that all of you can re-apply next year as Insha'Allah, the number of scholarships will increase each year. Next year's call for application will start on January 11th, 2010.

You can help ISF increase the number of scholarships awarded each year by donating to ISF.

ISF awards scholarships to Muslim students nationwide; therefore, it needs to receive support on a national level from everyone who believes in our cause. ISF is asking you to support this much-needed cause. Similar to major universities, ISF's endowment structure is set up in a manner that strives to preserve your financial support whereby scholarships are provided from the investement returns of the endowment fund. This structure will afford us the abbility to support more and more students in the coming years. Your contributions will support the most active and qualified Muslim students nationwide who will be tomorrow'a potential lawyers, politicans, educators, journalists, and filmmakers. All donations are tax deductable. We encourage you to put aside from your zakat to help fund education. May Allah reward you for your generosity.

You can help in two ways:

1. Donations to the endowment fund at ISF.
2. Field specific donations that will be paid out as scholarships within one year to students selected by our local partners and ISF.