Dawud Walid
Executive Director
Dawud Walid is an educator, community activist and decorated veteran who has been active in the Detroit Metropolitan area for years.
Currently, he also serves as the Assistant Imam of Masjid Wali Muhammad in Detroit, Michigan, a member of the North American Imams Federation (NAIF), and an executive board member of the Metropolitan Interfaith Workers Rights Committee.
He has lectured across the country at several mosques and universities including Harvard University, the University of the Virgin Islands and Youngstown State University. He also has had numerous articles on Islam and Interfaith dialogue published as well as appearing in major media outlets such as CNN, Al-Jazeera, the New York Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and the BBC.
Other past leadership positions, which he has held in the community include Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, a pre-K – 12th grade private Islamic school in Detroit, Chairperson of Religious Studies for The American Society of Muslims' National Young Adult Association, and Congregational Organizer for The Interfaith Partners wing of The National Conference for Community and Justice – Detroit now known as the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion.
He also served in the United States Navy for four years receiving two Navy & Marine Corp Achievement Medals for his work under the Administrative Officer and the Command Judge Advocate of his unit.
Lena F. Masri, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Lena F. Masri, Esq., Staff Attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Michigan, is a community leader and human rights activist of many years. As an attorney, she has worked in different areas pertaining to civil rights, national security, and international human rights, including ethnic cleansing, genocide, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, torture, use of child soldiers, money laundering, and sex trafficking.
She is licensed to practice law in Michigan, New York, and Washington, D.C. She has been admitted to practice in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Indiana University - Indianapolis, School of Law, where she focused her studies in International & Comparative Law and International Human Rights Law. She was awarded the Norman Lefstein Award of Excellence as a Gold Level Participant in the Pro Bono program and a Certificate of Recognition for United Nations Human Rights Reporting Initiative & Advocacy. She holds a Certificate from the University of Oxford in Investigating, Monitoring, and Reporting on Human Rights Violations. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan.
In 2008, she principally authored and presented a shadow report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and delivered a speech before the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, concerning U.S. violations related to arbitrary arrests and detentions, use of secret evidence in closed proceedings, secret detentions, refoulement, and proxy torture. She has worked with the Center for Justice & Accountability in San Francisco, California; Akeel & Valentine, PLC, in Birmingham, Michigan; the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic in Indianapolis, Indiana; and the Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac, Michigan.
She has lectured across the United States on issues related to human rights, civil rights, and Islam. She was featured in several documentaries and on major media outlets including HBO, FOX, CBS, Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, WWJ Radio, the Detroit Free Press, and the Detroit News.
In addition to her work with CAIR Michigan, she serves as a court-appointed probate attorney, court-appointed guardian ad litem, and a volunteer attorney for the Family Law Assistance Project, the Legal Aid Defender Association, Lakeshore Legal Aid, and the Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Project.
Raheem Hanifa
Outreach Coordinator
Raheem Hanifa is responsible for the PITFA workshop (Presenting Islam to Fellow Americans), Communications (Email newsletters and website), Outreach, and Volunteer/Intern Coordination. Raheem graduated with a B.A. in pre-law/political science and sociology from Michigan State University and has experience working on political and social grassroots campaigns.
As a campaign organizer and Michigan House of Representatives intern, Raheem brings extensive advocacy, political, and communications skills to CAIR-MI. He has worked as an assistant director for political and social grassroots campaigns across the country. Raheem has run campaign offices in Nevada, New Hampshire, and throughout Michigan. As an intern for the Michigan House of Representatives, Raheem worked in different areas pertaining to media and communications. He assisted with press releases, television broadcasting, and research.
Raheem Hanifa is dedicated to social justice and activism; he recognizes the need to not only bridge the gap between all Americans and American Muslims, but also among American Muslims of different communities. He plans to enter law school and further his pursuit of social justice.
