FOUNDER AND CEO - SALIMA SUSWELL
In 2023, Salima Suswell founded the Black Muslim Leadership Council. BMLC is a national nonprofit organization, with a 501(c)(4) arm, dedicated to policy advocacy for urban communities, nonpartisan voter registration and voter turnout, civic education, and leadership development.
In addition, Salima serves as Founder & CEO of the award-winning Evolve Solutions, a government affairs and community engagement consulting firm founded in 2010 to address the racial and socio-economic disparities within urban communities. She also founded the Philadelphia Ramadan & Eid Fund, which provides the community with programming and shared experiences for children, youth, and families while celebrating the rich diversity within the Greater Philadelphia region.
Some of Salima’s other noteworthy contributions include: her role as Chair of the Muslim American Host Committee for the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia; her role as Pennsylvania Deputy Senior Advisor for the Biden-Harris 2020 Campaign; and her role as Vice President and key organizer for Women’s March on Philadelphia, which drew over 60,000 attendees. Salima serves on the Leadership Council for the United Negro College Fund (Philadelphia Chapter). In 2017 Salima made history as the first Muslim woman appointed to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women by Governor Tom Wolf. In 2020 Salima was appointed by Mayor Jim Kenney to the Mayor’s Commission for Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs. In 2023 Salima was reappointed to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women by Governor Josh Shapiro.
501(C)(4) BOARD
Mu'min Islam, Esq, (GA)
Board Chair
Mu’min Islam has more than 15 years in the practice of law within the areas of Corporate Law, Public Finance, Personal Injury, Labor Law, Civil Rights, and Employment Law. Mu’min is currently in private practice but spent the previous two years as an Assistant City Attorney for a municipality in Georgia. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mu’min received recognition from the Super Lawyers as a Rising Star from 2017 through 2021.
Prior to relocating to Georgia, Mu’min served as General Counsel to the largest minority developer and charter school operator in Philadelphia. In addition to his legal expertise, Mu’min was an adjunct professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business & Management where he taught Law and Society, an introductory law class to undergraduate students, for over ten years. He holds a B.B.A. and an E.M.B.A. from Temple University’s Fox School of Business Management, a J.D. from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, and an L.L.M. from Georgetown University’s Law Center in Securities and Finance.
Mu’min is a father of six children and is often seen across Georgia traveling with his children’s youth sporting teams. Mu’min is an avid Eagles fan and proudly witnessed the Eagles win their first Super Bowl in Minneapolis in February 2018. Mu’min has also been a certified NFLPA Agent since October 2023.
Sahr Ali, (NY)
Board Vice-Chair
Sahr Ali, President & Co-Founder of Black Muslims Now, is a native Philadelphian and second generation Aboriginal American Muslim. She counts her parents, Hasan and Rebecca Ali, among the pioneers of the free expression of Islam in America, both having been a part of the brother and sisterhood since the 1960s, which spawned the likes of the great Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali.
In 2020, Sahr was blessed to come into contact with a group of passionate New Yorkers with the same dream. Together, they formed Black Muslims Now (BMN), a grassroots organization aimed at serving NYC’s Black Muslims in their pursuit of self and community advancement by working to increase visibility and connections for and between Black Muslims. As President of BMN, Sahr endeavors to create a community that celebrates the beauty and brilliance of Black Muslim culture while striving to build solutions around key challenges facing the Black Muslim population in New York City, including Islamophobia as well as structural racism and discrimination from within the Muslim world and society at large.
Doing this work that acts as a continuance of that great, courageous, and bold tradition of those who came before – to grow the Deen by being instrumental in building black Muslim families, Black Muslim networking, businesses, friendships, and love of our heritage – has become Sahr’s mission. She defines it as some of the most important work she’ll do in her life and continues to be grateful for the opportunity to lead BMN in their committed efforts to create collective success, empowerment, racism-free spaces, and to build a strong and unified Black Muslim NYC community, that Insha’Allah, Sahr prays will spread beyond the city borders, to one day reach across the country, and eventually, the world.
Ibrahim M. Small, (NJ)
Board Secretary
Ibrahim M. Small is a community activist and Muslim political operative in the state of New Jersey. Currently, he works for the Board of Elections in Essex County, NJ. In addition to his work in government, he has worked on political campaigns for the last 20 years in six states and has helped elect and re-elect governors, U.S. Senators, and U.S. Congressional members, as well as state, county, and municipal officials. He has worked in the U.S. Senate and for the City of East Orange, NJ.
Ibrahim is a graduate of Rutgers University: Newark with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History and a Minor in Public Administration. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration from Rutgers University: Newark.
He is a proud father of two boys, Ishmael and Isaiah. Ibrahim is a second-generation Muslim in politics.
Ali Uqdah, (PA)
Board Treasurer
In 2017, Ali Uqdah founded ATU Advisors, LLC. With 17 years of experience in accounting and tax, Ali wanted to create a tax firm that was different from most. With a goal of giving more than just papers filled with numbers, but to provide knowledge to help empower his clients to make smart decisions for their tax and financial position. Ali Uqdah has a master’s degree in taxation from Philadelphia University. He is an active member of the Tax Rep Network, National Association of Tax Professionals, and holds an Enrolled Agent license issued by the Internal Revenue Service.
Dr. Alia Ammar, Ph.D., (IL)
Board Member
Dr. Ammar has a long history of community organization and leadership among the Chicago region’s Muslim community, including past positions on the boards of two of Chicago’s largest mosques. She has recently been elected to the Board of Directors for the Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN) an organization that has worked for the past 25 years to address the challenges and struggles confronting marginalized urban communities. She is a member of the Civic Engagement Committee for the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicagoland (CIOGC) and is affiliated with the Northern Illinois American Muslim Alliance (NIAMA) to foster political engagement of the Muslim American community. In her political and social justice work, she strives to honor the work of her late uncle, Dr. Timuel Black.