Pathways To Success: Conversations With Community Leaders

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[0:00]In a time where many are against us, sister Duna's drive to

[0:04]succeed and Haj Musa Hanka's commitment to the youth.

[0:07]I want to thank them for for again proving their commitment to

[0:10]the community by showing up tonight and inshallah inspire and guide our

[0:13]youth to excel beyond all bounds.

[0:14]Let's give them three loud salawat.

[0:31]Now I briefly mentioned our speakers but I think it's important to

[0:35]discuss each individual speaker in a bit more detail for those who

[0:37]may not be aware of their stories.

[0:38]So we'll start with sister Duna.

[0:40]Let us begin with sister Dunya Bezi.

[0:42]She is the founding partner and CEO of ATLAW, one of Michigan's

[0:47]fastest growing law firms.

[0:47]She began her career in personal injury law and has since expanded

[0:50]her practice into civil litigation, business, tax, real estate, and immigration law.

[0:57]Recognized among the top 10 under 40 personal injury attorneys, Duna is

[1:00]not only a strong advocate for her clients, but also a leader

[1:03]in innovating how law firms operate.

[1:04]She continues to inspire young professionals through her vision, resilience, and commitment

[1:11]to justice.

[1:09]Let us welcome her with a loud salawat.

[1:15]Muhammad.

[1:16]Next we have our dear brother Sam Abis.

[1:19]He is the CEO of Brone Mod Modern Eyer and a a

[1:24]restaurant brand that combines fresh sustainable food with modern design and community

[1:29]spirit aka my favorite restaurant.

[1:30]Born and raised in Dearbornne, Sam's entrepreneurial journey reflects his deep commitment

[1:35]to the city.

[1:37]Since opening the first Bome in 2015, he has expanded into new

[1:39]concepts and projects including Yogurttopia, the Great Commoner, and others.

[1:43]Through his work, Sam aims to showcase Dearbornne as a hub of

[1:46]innovation, culture, and hospitality.

[1:48]Again, let's welcome him with a loud salawat.

[1:56]>> We also have a longtime NYC supporter, Dr.

[1:59]Ali Nullah.

[2:01]Dr.

[2:00]is a board-certified family medicine physician at the family doc clinic in

[2:03]Dearbornne Heights.

[2:06]After earning his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School

[2:10]and completing his residency at Corwell Health Wayne Hospital, Dr.

[2:16]Nola chose to practice in his own community.

[2:16]He cares for patients of all ages from children to seniors offering

[2:22]both primary and urgent care.

[2:23]Dr.

[2:24]Nisallah believes in building healthier families and stronger communities.

[2:27]He also started the muharam initiative if you haven't heard which is

[2:30]a way to provide health care for those in need around the

[2:32]community in honor of Allah subhana tala and Im Hussein.

[2:36]His initiative inspired many other clinicians and phys clinics and physicians to

[2:40]follow in his footsteps and contribute to this beautiful cause.

[2:43]Let's give Dr.

[2:46]a very loud salawat.

[2:51]>> Next is a dear brother of mine and a voice of

[2:54]the people state repabis forhead.

[2:55]Mr.

[2:56]Far serves as a Michigan state representative for the third district representing

[3:00]Dearborn and parts of Detroit.

[3:02]A proud son of immigrants, Alabis earned a degree in public health

[3:05]from the University of Michigan Dearborn and is pursuing a master of

[3:10]public policy from U of M and Arbor.

[3:12]But go green always.

[3:12]His journey in public service began early uh working on campaigns and

[3:17]in local government before running for office himself.

[3:19]Today he champions policies that strengthen working families, expand opportunity, and uplift

[3:24]his community.

[3:25]I want to thank you for your commitment to serving our community

[3:28]on the state level.

[3:30]Please join me in welcoming him with a loud salawat.

[3:37]>> Last but not least, we have Assistant Superintendent Haj Musa Hama

[3:41]with more than two decades of service in public education.

[3:43]Haj Musa has dedicated his career to advancing student achievement and supporting

[3:49]educators across metropolitan Detroit.

[3:50]He began his career as a mathematics teacher in West Bloomfield schools

[3:55]before transitioning into educational leadership.

[3:57]For over 10 years, Mr.

[3:58]Habka served as a principal of Gross Point South High School where

[4:01]he guided the school to numerous distinctions, including recognition as the fourth

[4:06]ranked traditional high school in Michigan and one of the nation's top

[4:09]secondary schools.

[4:10]A hallmark of his tenure was a deep commitment to character education,

[4:13]helping students with reflection, act with compassion, and perform with honor.

[4:18]Under his leadership, South embraced the belief that it is not sufficient

[4:23]for students to aspire to be the best in the world.

[4:24]Rather, they must strive to be the best in the world.

[4:28]He now serves as the assistant superintendent of human resources for Gross

[4:32]Point Public Schools, where he provides strategic leadership in recruiting, developing, and

[4:36]supporting exceptional staff.

[4:39]In addition, he is an adjunct professor of mathematics at Henry Ford

[4:43]College, where he continues to share his passion for teaching and learning.

[4:46]Mr.

[4:47]Hama is deeply committed to cultivating inclusive cultures and school environments that

[4:52]promote excellence, foster belonging, and empower students to realize their full potential.

[5:00]Let's give Haj Musa Hama a very loud salawat.

[5:04]>> Before we delve into the questions, I want to briefly explain

[5:07]how tonight's program will work.

[5:08]We have a couple general questions that will apply to all panelists

[5:10]in which they will be answering based on their own experiences.

[5:13]However, we want the audience to be involved.

[5:17]So, we will then follow up by asking each panelist their own

[5:20]individual questions based on the questions that you submit when you scan

[5:23]the QR code on the screen.

[5:26]So, let's keep that up there for a minute.

[5:26]Please pull out your phones if you have any questions that you'd

[5:28]like to ask and then submit those questions and inshallah we'll get

[5:32]to them as time permits.

[5:39]>> Panelists, are you all ready?

[5:42]So we'll begin with our first general question.

[5:46]Can you share a little bit about your journey?

[5:48]What led you into your career and some of the experiences that

[5:53]shaped you along the way?

[5:54]Let's start with Sister Duna and we'll work our way down inshallah.

[5:58]It all started when I was six years old when um I

[6:04]used to, you know, defend all of my siblings to my parents

[6:07]and they called me the Muhammad in the family from a very

[6:10]very young age and it stuck.

[6:11]That's what it was for me.

[6:15]Uh there was kind of no um options that that was a

[6:17]straight line path for me.

[6:21]So my journey through school was just that.

[6:24]Um then when I finished law school um I was planning on

[6:28]doing like business transactions or corporate law and my brother got into

[6:32]a a very serious accident.

[6:33]He broke his hip and his ankle on opposite sides.

[6:37]He couldn't walk for like six months and we were in the

[6:40]hospital laying there.

[6:42]My dad was overseas visiting his family for the first time.

[6:45]So I had to make the phone call to him at 4

[6:47]in the morning because it was like all over the news and

[6:50]I didn't want him to hear it from somebody else.

[6:51]Um, and they didn't operate on my brother for four days until

[6:56]they knew the insurance company was going to pay.

[6:57]And the second they knew the insurance company was going to pay,

[7:00]they put us up in a villa suite in the hospital.

[7:03]You could maybe fit 100 people in the room.

[7:04]And I knew right then that both of these things weren't right.

[7:08]Like it wasn't right to treat us like this if the insurance

[7:11]company isn't paying.

[7:13]And it isn't right to treat us like royalty if the insurance

[7:15]company is.

[7:17]And I took that as a sign just it was the pinnacle

[7:19]moment of where I was picking my career path.

[7:22]I was looking for jobs.

[7:24]I had just passed the bar exam.

[7:25]I took that as a sign from Allah to show me that

[7:29]like I need to help and serve these individuals who really don't

[7:32]have a voice in the hospital.

[7:33]They don't have anybody who's fighting for them.

[7:37]And how scary of a moment.

[7:38]I was technically a lawyer at the time and it was very

[7:43]scary for me.

[7:42]So, um, ever since then, I've loved every second of it.

[7:47]I love the courtroom.

[7:47]I love beating up insurance companies.

[7:49]I love advocating for the little guy.

[7:52]And, alhamdulillah, that's what brought me to where I am today.

[7:57]And now, I'm looking to inspire other attorneys to um, find their

[8:03]passion, who are they meant to serve in our career, and be

[8:06]the best possible attorneys they can be, and try to make them

[8:10]better so they can serve the clients in a better way.

[8:11]Thank you.

[8:12]And for those of you who don't know, Sister Duna I believe

[8:16]has correct me if I'm wrong maybe 50 employees at your forum

[8:19]about so there's anybody who could guide us in it'll be her.

[8:23]Um so thank you again for your answer.

[8:26]>> Um I think for me one of the things I I

[8:30]did that was a strength and it worked for me is I

[8:34]followed something I was really good at.

[8:36]I know sometimes people say follow your passions.

[8:39]Uh I was really good at mathematics and I also happen to

[8:42]have a passion for it.

[8:45]Uh and I remember when I was in college specifically there was

[8:48]a professor her name was Dr.

[8:50]Near.

[8:50]I had her for calc one.

[8:51]She was the most amazing teacher I ever had.

[8:54]Uh I actually went through high school did not take mathematics my

[8:58]senior year.

[8:59]Didn't want anything to do with it and it was because I

[9:04]had a really bad experience with a teacher.

[9:06]Uh but when I got to college and I started retaking some

[9:09]of my mathematics courses, her passion just inspired me.

[9:15]I loved her so much.

[9:14]I mean not in past I I I loved her class so

[9:19]much that I took her for calcul 2 and I took her

[9:22]for calcul 3.

[9:21]And at that point I said I'm going to go in a

[9:25]mathematical related field.

[9:26]Uh I tend to be a little more outgoing though.

[9:28]So working in a cubicle as maybe an engineer didn't align with

[9:34]my personality.

[9:33]So I guess you have to also know yourself.

[9:36]So my strength was mathematics.

[9:38]I'm a little more outgoing.

[9:43]Figured I'm also talkative.

[9:43]So uh teaching was a a way to go.

[9:47]But I also, you know, the big belief especially for our community.

[9:52]I I believe that the greatest institution that we have in America

[9:57]is public education.

[9:58]I don't know another country where immigrants can come and then their

[10:06]kids become doctors, entrepreneurs, lawyers, educators, right?

[10:10]And so I think as a young kid, you know, my dad

[10:15]always always tell me they can never take your education away from

[10:17]you.

[10:18]And when you work you when you live in a community like

[10:20]ours, you see you can open up a business, but the true

[10:27]pathway to success is education.

[10:27]And it's also for diversification, right?

[10:30]We can't we can't have everyone own a gas station.

[10:33]We also can't have everyone be a doctor.

[10:35]We have to get in a myriad of fields to grow our

[10:39]influence so that way we could advocate for ourselves, so we could

[10:45]lead ourselves.

[10:43]Um so but I guess that's kind of how I got into

[10:49]education just uh a passion something I love.

[10:51]>> Thank you.

[10:52]Haj um just to speak on his commitment to teaching I is

[10:56]Batul here at all is your daughter here if you're there.

[10:58]Batul got a 4.6 GPA.

[11:01]So let's just say teaching in that family is superb.

[11:11]>> You know that is impressive that 4.6 6 GPA.

[11:13]Uh my name is Alabas Far.

[11:17]I have the honor of serving as the state representative for the

[11:21]city of Dearbornne and parts of Detroit.

[11:24]Um my story, you know, I'll say isn't rooted in maybe academic

[11:27]success.

[11:28]I actually wasn't that good at kelk when I took it in

[11:29]high school.

[11:30]Um and uh you know, I actually intentionally avoided it when I

[11:33]got to college.

[11:34]That's why I have a degree in public health.

[11:36]Um, but you know, early on at early age in high school,

[11:39]I was very involved in in groups like uh NYC, the Arab

[11:43]Student Union.

[11:45]And I I really fell in love with the idea of serving

[11:47]my community.

[11:48]This idea that, like you said, only in America does this country

[11:51]and these the the city and the state give you the tools

[11:55]to build the kind of community you want to live in.

[11:57]And for me, at the time, there was a state representative in

[12:00]Dearborn, his name was Abdullah Hammud, and he had came to Fordson

[12:03]during career day.

[12:05]and him and I uh kind of went back and forth on

[12:06]some disagreements and uh he said, "You know what?

[12:09]You're a smart guy.

[12:10]I want you to come intern for me." I said, "Okay, great."

[12:11]But he got to pick me up.

[12:12]I'm 16.

[12:13]I don't have a car.

[12:15]And he did.

[12:15]He picked me up and we actually went to Lancing a few

[12:18]days.

[12:18]And I I really fell in love just seeing the way you

[12:22]can influence change in the state, how you can work in different

[12:25]rooms and meet different people.

[12:26]But I also realized something uh that when Abdullah was meeting many

[12:30]people and and even now to this day when I when I

[12:33]do it uh I would be the first Arab American they would

[12:34]meet most times and that's something that's strange right living in Wayne

[12:38]County living in Metro Detroit uh it's kind of hard but when

[12:43]you're living in Muskegan Heights or Lington uh they don't have the

[12:46]food or the culture or they've never met Arab Americans and so

[12:49]for me it was a new experience of kind of educating people

[12:54]teaching them about Arab culture being a Muslim and what that means

[12:58]and and really battling the stigma.

[12:59]And now more than ever, there is more stigma around being an

[13:03]Arab and being a Muslim.

[13:04]Um, and you know, there's a lot of ways we can approach

[13:05]it, but I think one thing we still see the mayor leading

[13:09]on is is pushing for understanding across culture, across, you know, religious

[13:14]differences.

[13:15]Um, but for me, it started there.

[13:17]I started at a young age in high school, volunteering on campaigns,

[13:20]getting involved, and you know, the heritage of being the son of

[13:23]immigrants is something I carry with me.

[13:25]How do we make it easier for people in my age group

[13:29]to continue calling Michigan home, calling Dearbornne home?

[13:31]How do we make it easier for people that are coming here

[13:33]to find their American dream?

[13:34]There was a time, you know, my parents and many of our

[13:38]parents could have came to this country, got started working a a

[13:40]part-time job or a full-time job somewhere, start their own business, but

[13:43]that dream seems like it's further away every day.

[13:46]And for me, I keep fighting to make sure the next kids,

[13:49]the next generation of people can have those opportunities I had.

[13:51]being seven years outside of high school.

[13:53]I'll tell you I I still go back to Fortson a lot

[13:56]of times.

[13:55]Love Fortson, by the way.

[13:57]I think they're playing Dear One High tonight.

[13:58]So, good luck to them.

[14:00]But, you know, every time I I go into the high school

[14:02]and I and I see the small things I used to have

[14:04]that I took for granted go away slowly.

[14:05]And how do we bring those back?

[14:07]How do we make sure this next generation's up for success and

[14:12]that we are doing everything we absolutely can uh for people in

[14:15]this state and and in Dearbornne?

[14:15]Um and so that's my why.

[14:17]That's kind of what drives me every day is just this idea

[14:20]that here in this country we can build the society we ought

[14:23]to live in.

[14:24]We can bring our values to the front and that's something I

[14:26]I take very seriously and something I drives me every single day.

[14:30]>> Thank you.

[14:32]And uh just a quick note, Alabis was actually nomin Michigan's independent

[14:36]um MS, right?

[14:38]Is it miss?

[14:38]Yeah, MS.

[14:39]So um he really is committed to the community and we thank

[14:43]you brother Sam.

[14:44]Thank you.

[14:50]So kind of hearing uh Haj Musa, it it brought back a

[14:56]lot of memories because I was really good at math and I

[15:00]was on a pathway to be an engineer.

[15:04]I finished calcul 1, calc 2, calcul 3, differential equations, etc., etc.

[15:08]I looked around and I realized I'm a lot more social of

[15:11]a person and I don't think that I could sit in a

[15:18]cubicle.

[15:16]And I loved business, but every time I'd ask my parents, I

[15:21]said, you know, I want to go into business, first thing my

[15:25]mom would do was shut it down instantly.

[15:26]Don't even think about it.

[15:28]You're going to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer.

[15:29]And she's sitting there in the audience right now looking at me,

[15:36]but it's the truth.

[15:35]And so I kept on and I decided, okay, if I can't

[15:40]do if I can't do that, then I'll push on to economics,

[15:42]maybe accounting, figure something out there.

[15:44]In the end, I found myself back with that entrepreneurial spirit, opening

[15:51]businesses one after the other and continuing to push on.

[15:57]And opening businesses is is not as easy or as glorified as

[16:01]it may seem.

[16:03]there are a lot of ups and downs and and that's the

[16:06]uh the grit that you you have to have in order to

[16:10]continue on with it.

[16:12]The one thing that I would say to the youth is although

[16:14]it's nice to say you own a business or to go into

[16:17]business or to aspire to be a business owner entrepreneur the best

[16:21]thing that you can do is root yourself in education the way

[16:25]that uh Haj Musa was was mentioning before with education it's like

[16:29]your insurance policy and you give yourself that foundation where you can

[16:35]always fall back and that was the those words resonate in my

[16:38]head since I was a child you you know, with my mom

[16:42]and my dad always telling me, "If you want to go into

[16:44]business, that's fine, but give yourself an insurance policy just in case

[16:49]it didn't work out." And when my first business failed, my parents

[16:55]said, "Well, you still have your education." And I said, "No, I'm

[16:58]going to keep pushing on." And I continued and I pushed.

[17:00]And after I graduated, I got my MBA.

[17:03]That still didn't make my parents happy.

[17:05]So, I pushed on and I got my CPA.

[17:08]And finally they said, "Okay, that's that's good.

[17:11]We'd love for you to push on to get a PhD." I

[17:15]said, "This is where I, you know, I kind of say, "No,

[17:18]this is it." You know, this this is where I stop.

[17:19]And and I continue to to uh diversify and go into uh

[17:26]various businesses and real estate and things like that.

[17:27]And it's something that I truly love.

[17:29]And I feel like a lot of times people, you know, they

[17:33]think they're attorneys, but you know, if I had to, if I

[17:36]had to pick what Duna is, she embodies the entrepreneurial spirit.

[17:45]Although she's an attorney, she really is an entrepreneur.

[17:48]Although I'm a CPA, I truly believe that everything about me is

[17:54]an entrepreneur because every time I hit a roadblock, I pivot and

[18:01]I continue to move on and I try to find ways to

[18:02]evolve as a business owner to continue to stay relevant, to continue

[18:08]to stay competitive in the marketplace.

[18:10]So, um, alhamdulillah for everything that I've that that I've encountered and

[18:15]I absolutely have no regrets, although I took the long route.

[18:18]Um, I feel like uh in the end it was it was

[18:22]quite worth it and my why ended up coming coming to fruition.

[18:24]So, alhamdulillah for everything.

[18:26]>> Alhamdulillah.

[18:27]And if we went to the CPA, we would not be getting

[18:29]our uh farmers market salad with chicken on top.

[18:31]But so, thank God it worked out the way it did.

[18:37]Um, >> everybody.

[18:38]>> So, funny story is I took calc with Haj Musa when

[18:42]I was in high school as dual enrollment.

[18:44]It was a hard class.

[18:48]And although I loved math, I wasn't that good at it.

[18:51]Uh but he was an excellent teacher and uh an excellent role

[18:56]model for a lot of us youth.

[18:57]And thank you, Hush, for everything you did.

[19:00]And thank you everybody here.

[19:00]Um growing up, I loved science, right?

[19:03]I was a nerd.

[19:06]I'm still a big nerd.

[19:06]Uh and I've always loved people.

[19:08]I've always loved meeting people and talking to people and learning from

[19:12]others.

[19:13]And like everybody here, I had important people in my life.

[19:16]And I was actually blessed to have a lot of those people

[19:20]who who who guided me and uh you know like a lot

[19:24]of you too my parents didn't go to college you know uh

[19:26]some of them you know my dad didn't go to high school

[19:29]but they worked hard and they were honest and they taught me

[19:34]the importance of uh remembering Allah and everything I do as well

[19:38]as you know education like my dad would take me to the

[19:40]smoke shop and he would tell me you want to clean the

[19:44]bathroom or you want to go to college and he'd make me

[19:47]clean the bathroom, make me wipe down the shelves.

[19:48]So, I I learned the business, you know, business through that hard,

[19:52]working hard and being honest.

[19:56]And uh like I said, I was a nerd.

[19:58]Did nerdy things.

[19:58]I still remember when my mom brought me a microscope uh microscope

[20:02]home.

[20:03]And um I I I went through college.

[20:06]Um I had you know as a role model at fortson who

[20:15]pushed me uh to to dream big and to go big.

[20:19]I remember uh I got into Ann Arbor in undergrad and it

[20:21]was a big now it's normal.

[20:23]Everybody's going to these big colleges.

[20:24]Uh but I I had got into Ann Arbor and I wasn't

[20:29]going to go.

[20:30]I didn't tell my parents.

[20:31]I didn't tell anyone.

[20:33]I was afraid of the financial burden and leaving my parents to

[20:36]go to Michigan.

[20:36]And I had a scholarship to Wayne State and I still remember

[20:40]he called me into his office and he's like, "You think I

[20:42]don't know?" He's like, "You have no choice." He called my parents

[20:49]and shipped me to Ann Arbor.

[20:49]And um I just kept working hard and when you become a

[20:52]when you want to become a doctor, you have to sacrifice a

[20:56]lot.

[20:56]People don't always see it, but like I want to be really

[20:58]good at it, you sacrifice.

[21:00]You miss birthday parties, you miss holidays, you miss family time, you

[21:05]lose a lot of friends.

[21:05]Uh but at the end of the day, you just work hard

[21:09]and alhamdulillah, I worked really hard.

[21:11]Uh I got into a very good medical school.

[21:12]But for me, it's I always knew that I wanted to come

[21:16]back to my community.

[21:18]And I always uh when I went through med school, I realized,

[21:20]you know, I kept trying to convince myself to become a surgeon,

[21:23]to become a cardiologist.

[21:25]And I kept coming back to the fact that I liked science

[21:28]and I loved medicine, but I also liked community and I also

[21:34]loved meeting people and and uh helping communities and and getting to

[21:37]know other people.

[21:37]And I felt like family medicine was the best route for me

[21:42]at that point.

[21:41]And family medicine, if you don't know, is a is a is

[21:45]a type of doctor, a family doctor that treats people of all

[21:49]ages.

[21:49]Um you're embedded in your community.

[21:51]You can practice any way you want.

[21:53]you there, you know, you practice based on the way you're trained,

[21:56]right?

[21:56]So, you do primary care, but if you pick up extra skills,

[22:01]you can do more stuff.

[22:01]Um, so knowing that, I came back, I did residency in Metro

[22:04]Detroit at a small community hospital.

[22:07]Everyone was like, "What are you doing?

[22:09]You went to Ann Arbor.

[22:11]You're coming to this small hospital.

[22:12]Where is this hospital even at?" But I knew that was going

[22:15]to set me up.

[22:17]So, the lesson for the younger generation is, you know, what you're

[22:21]passionate about.

[22:23]Do that.

[22:22]But also, you kind of sometimes have to silence the noise in

[22:27]the room and do things for the right reason.

[22:30]So, not always chasing that big name, but doing what you think

[22:33]is best for you.

[22:35]So, I came back to this community hospital because I knew it

[22:38]was going to set me up for the long dream that I

[22:42]had, which was to go into uh private practice to open my

[22:44]own clinic.

[22:46]So, I worked really hard in residency.

[22:48]I started preparing.

[22:51]Um, and then straight out of residency, I did what most people

[22:55]don't do is I opened up my own clinic.

[22:57]Um, and the reason I wanted to do that was because I

[22:59]wanted the freedom.

[23:01]I wanted the freedom to say when a patient comes in and

[23:05]they can't afford their medicine or their visit, it's okay.

[23:07]You know, we'll take the we'll take the payment from Allah.

[23:09]And I tell my patients this a lot of times they um

[23:13]they laugh, but if you work for corporate medicine, you can't do

[23:18]that, right?

[23:17]So, uh, there's that freedom in private practice.

[23:20]So, I've been working really hard the last four years at the

[23:23]Family Do Clinic and urgent care.

[23:27]We opened up four years ago.

[23:28]I have an amazing team that has allowed me to do what

[23:30]I do.

[23:31]I have an amazing wife who's supported me throughout.

[23:35]Um, and because of them, we've grown.

[23:37]Uh, we've grown through three clinics now.

[23:39]We have 10 providers.

[23:40]We have, you know, probably over 30 people on staff.

[23:44]And, alhamdulillah, we're growing.

[23:45]And shout out to Shireen if you see her.

[23:48]She's one of my partners in Hemraic and uh she's in the

[23:50]in the audience today.

[23:52]Um so my experiences they haven't been always been easy.

[23:55]Uh but I've been blessed to have people around me uh to

[24:00]guide me and uh to always allow me to remember that at

[24:03]the end of the day our time is limited to enjoy it,

[24:07]give back uh enjoy the pleasures of this life as well in

[24:10]the halal and and always remember to to move forward and work

[24:17]hard.

[24:16]>> Thank you.

[24:17]specific.

[24:18]He mentioned hard work.

[24:19]He mentioned honesty and community.

[24:20]And I think every panelist up here has embodied all of those

[24:24]words to the fullest of extent.

[24:25]So on behalf of the NYC, on behalf of the community, I

[24:27]really want to thank you guys for what you've done.

[24:30]Salah Muhammad Ali Muhammad.

[24:35]>> Inshallah.

[24:36]Now we'll move into asking each panelist their own questions uh respectful

[24:39]respect respectful to their individual fields um from the pool of questions

[24:43]that you have all uploaded.

[24:44]Um, Sister Don, is it okay if we start with you?

[24:47]Okay.

[24:48]If you want, we can go the opposite way.

[24:52]Yala, three minutes works.

[24:54]Let's do it.

[24:54]Sounds good.

[24:56]>> Okay.

[24:59]Um, >> you're awesome.

[25:01]Okay.

[25:01]So one of the questions we have is do you ever feel

[25:06]in the legal world or criminal just sorry let me give me

[25:09]turn off that.

[25:10]So do you ever feel in the legal world or criminal justice

[25:14]system it may intentionally or unintentionally harm the less fortunate recipients of

[25:21]legal power?

[25:20]Can we as Muslims prevent this in the criminal justice system?

[25:28]100%.

[25:30]Um there are innate issues with the system itself like the system

[25:39]they say the system is broken the system is really broken.

[25:44]Um, I think first, uh, people of, um, that don't speak the

[25:49]language have the toughest time in the system.

[25:51]And a lot of times they don't have, uh, attorneys or advocates

[25:54]who also speak their same language or they're going outside of the

[25:58]community for attorneys because that's what they've been told to do their

[26:05]whole life, like go outside the community.

[26:07]But then that attorney doesn't understand their language and they have a

[26:11]very very tough time navigating the system and getting the facts right.

[26:15]So I think um there are safeguards you could put in place

[26:19]in order to protect yourself against the innate issues that live within

[26:25]the system itself.

[26:27]Um, and I think that that's a big part of why we

[26:28]do what we do and why I've been trying to build a

[26:33]team of attorneys who can specialize in every single area of law

[26:36]because it's not just one area of law that has a defect

[26:41]within the system or, you know, people of um that don't have

[26:44]the ability to pay for legal services.

[26:47]Uh, they can't, you know, they don't know how to navigate it.

[26:52]They don't have any attorneys in their circles.

[26:55]They don't know who to go to.

[26:56]So trying to get the word out that we are here, we're

[26:58]here to serve.

[26:59]There are there's so many attorneys now in the community.

[27:05]It's amazing to see.

[27:05]Um so just you definitely need an advocate on your side.

[27:08]And even with that, know that the system isn't always fair, but

[27:16]there was a case, if I can tell like a quick quick

[27:19]story, there was a case I had um and everyone told me

[27:23]I was going to lose this case.

[27:24]I was going to trial.

[27:25]My my uh guy was seriously injured.

[27:28]Uh he fell in the back of a semi-truck.

[27:30]He only spoke out of it.

[27:32]Went to the hospital.

[27:31]The hospital didn't put um they called it a stroke because it

[27:37]was bleeding in the brain from the trauma when he fell.

[27:39]And nobody said that he fell in the back of the truck.

[27:42]So if you don't fall in the back of the truck, then

[27:43]the insurance policy won't pay for it.

[27:45]So that was a whole issue of the case.

[27:47]So like the injuries were there.

[27:49]Haram, he suffered so much he couldn't go back to work.

[27:53]uh couldn't provide for his family, had five kids, and everyone told

[27:55]me I'm gonna lose this case because my client was like a

[28:00]lot of them could not stop talking, you know, and sometimes we

[28:05]don't make the best witnesses.

[28:05]So, um we really sometimes we don't.

[28:10]So, um we navigated that process.

[28:13]We prepped him.

[28:14]We went to trial.

[28:16]He did what I thought he was going to do.

[28:20]He did not make the best witness, but the jury still came

[28:23]back in my client's favor.

[28:24]They still saw the evidence based on what we were able to

[28:30]position and show them.

[28:30]It moment in itself gave me like hope that if we go

[28:36]through the system and we do our part, it will work.

[28:38]So, alhamdulillah, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,

[28:43]but definitely get an advocate on your side, find some help, and

[28:45]there is a lot of help out there.

[28:48]>> We have one more question for you, actually.

[28:50]Thank you so much.

[28:54]Um, in your work as a lawyer, you may sometimes represent clients

[28:57]whose cases involve haram business.

[28:58]How do you approach those situations while staying true to your values

[29:03]as a Muslim?

[29:02]>> I don't represent them.

[29:05]Um I I have a choice and this is kind of going

[29:10]to um what my my um Dr.

[29:16]Al said is I started my own business for the freedom to

[29:19]be able to practice law the way I needed to in order

[29:27]to stay morally sound to what I believed in.

[29:29]And um I'm building a team that believes the same way that

[29:33]has the same values and it's allowed me the freedom to be

[29:38]able to practice in that way.

[29:39]I don't have to take every case.

[29:40]If a case comes in that I don't I think is haram

[29:45]I think the person is guilty I whatever the reason is I

[29:48]don't good about that I will not take that case and a

[29:52]lot of times in in my practice too in the auto accident

[29:55]field I remember when I first first started um there's a lot

[30:01]of people in the field that I'm in because there's a lot

[30:04]of money in the field that I'm in.

[30:06]So with a field that allows for a lot of money comes

[30:09]a lot of uh people that are just trying to run towards

[30:14]the money and they're not grounded in faith or uh and their

[30:16]moral compasses.

[30:18]So I remember um for the first like three years I literally

[30:22]had to walk people out of my office like I I don't

[30:25]I don't cross this line.

[30:27]I don't cross this line.

[30:28]I don't cross this line.

[30:28]It took about three years before they stopped knocking on my door

[30:32]about how to get clients, where to go, things like that.

[30:34]And now everyone knows.

[30:37]So nobody ever comes to me for it, but um you have

[30:39]to kind of establish yourself and stay firm and know that the

[30:45]money will come with time and hard work and you do not

[30:47]have to cross any lines to be able to get there.

[30:51]You really don't you can do it without them.

[30:53]>> Just a quick followup real quick and and you don't even

[30:57]have to go into detail if you don't want to.

[30:59]Do you feel like because you set your intention and your intention

[31:01]is rooted in in a true belief rather than chasing the money

[31:05]that's what allowed you to grow in your business and at your

[31:08]firm?

[31:09]>> I I I have no doubt in my mind that that's

[31:12]why that is it comes from Allah, right?

[31:14]So we we do our part uh we work hard and if

[31:18]that is it comes from that that's amazing and if not it's

[31:22]going to be seen in the hereafter and I've always hold held

[31:24]true to that.

[31:26]So I 100% believe that >> thank you so much >> Haj

[31:36]Musa we have a question for you and it goes what do

[31:39]you think of students that limit the careers they want to go

[31:41]into because of the money that comes from it um not being

[31:46]enough in their eyes.

[31:50]I think that is the question that faces every young adult.

[31:56]Um and so I guess I would tell you a few things.

[32:00]Uh number one that is whatever is written for you will come.

[32:07]Whatever profession you get into I think Allah subhana wa tala uh

[32:10]but a couple of points I can make and expand upon hopefully.

[32:13]One of the things when I was younger, uh, my father was

[32:19]an engineer and I did not see my father.

[32:22]He worked long days, he worked the weekend.

[32:26]Uh, I didn't see him much.

[32:27]When I got to be uh, you know, my formative years and

[32:32]I got into college, my dad, I remember he used to tell

[32:35]me life is like a scale.

[32:40]On one side is time, on the other side is money.

[32:44]You could have a lot of money, you won't have a lot

[32:47]of time.

[32:48]Or you could have a lot of time, you probably won't have

[32:53]a lot of money.

[32:53]And one of the reasons I went into education and and this

[32:59]is a positive thing.

[32:59]I wanted weekends off.

[33:01]I wanted holidays off.

[33:03]And I wanted my summers off.

[33:06]Not because I'm lazy.

[33:09]I think those who know me know that I am type A

[33:13]and I work really hard.

[33:13]But I think what my dad taught me at a young age

[33:19]and he didn't say these words but you know kvy if you

[33:21]guys study kvy and the habits of effective leaders one of the

[33:27]best habits begin with the end in mind that's what my dad

[33:30]was telling me begin with the end in mind and I will

[33:34]tell you and I think those who know I I got my

[33:39]family out there I wanted to raise a a righteous noble family

[33:42]I wanted to see my kids.

[33:46]I wanted to be involved in their lives.

[33:49]I was all about even at 19, 20 years old.

[33:53]I think uh those who know me, I got married at 23.

[33:55]I was 28.

[33:56]I had three kids.

[33:57]Alhamdulillah.

[33:58]I wanted family.

[34:00]So I could tell you that a begin with the end in

[34:05]mind.

[34:05]And I think no matter what profession you go to go to

[34:10]into, if you excel, if you work hard, you're going to climb

[34:14]and become the top at whatever it is that you do.

[34:18]Um, but it just comes with hard work.

[34:21]And I will say there is so much pressure in this country

[34:27]to make money.

[34:28]And we need money.

[34:30]We need money for our mosques.

[34:31]We need money in order to help give back, to allow clients

[34:36]to come in and get free treatment.

[34:39]All of these things would not be possible if we were not

[34:42]to garnish wealth as a community.

[34:44]And I'll tell you, there's also influence that comes with money and

[34:52]we have community members who have influence that's very beneficial.

[34:57]So I think we can't overlook the fact that money is a

[35:00]tool and money serves a purpose.

[35:06]Um but I think that can't be the only thing uh that

[35:08]you chase.

[35:09]I'd say begin with the end in mind.

[35:11]And I would just say this and I think and I've talked

[35:15]to so many of you privately.

[35:17]I know we probably all share this belief, right?

[35:21]Um there was a study done by Robert Lighter.

[35:26]He interviewed th over 10,000 people over the age of 65 and

[35:31]he boiled it down.

[35:33]He said, you know, if you had to go back and live

[35:35]your life over again, what would you do differently?

[35:39]And to sum it up, everyone at the end of their life,

[35:45]they just want to know that their life mattered, that their life

[35:50]had purpose, and that they added value to this world.

[35:54]And so we're all going to die, right?

[35:56]Like KVI, begin with the end in mind.

[35:58]Like begin with the very end in mind.

[36:01]We will all die.

[36:03]You won't take your money with you.

[36:05]You're not going to take the title with you.

[36:09]And even all your accomplishments in a hundred years, no one will

[36:16]know any of our names, right?

[36:18]And I think if you're an old man, inshallah we're all old

[36:22]men and women and we're having that cup of coffee that you

[36:25]owe me, right?

[36:26]I want to look back at my life and say I did

[36:30]something good and that my life mattered.

[36:32]And so I say like when you go to pick your career,

[36:37]let that be your litmus test because whether you had the money

[36:42]or not, if you could put your head on the pillow, if

[36:43]you knew that you had a fulfilled life, that you touched the

[36:47]lives of others, I think in the end you won at the

[36:53]game of life.

[36:53]No matter how many numbers you have in your bank account or

[36:58]not, right?

[36:59]Like I'll tell you like I have students in who had me

[37:02]for kelk who are doctors like I I'll see students they'll come

[37:07]up to me and they'll hug me they're like 35 years old

[37:09]and they'll thank me you know and I'm like man and I

[37:14]had a couple of students who couldn't speak any English who came

[37:18]from Lebanon they had me for kelk and now they're mashallah very

[37:22]successful.

[37:23]So you look back at that and can't put a price tag

[37:29]on it.

[37:30]That was more than 3 minutes.

[37:32]>> Thank you.

[37:33]Um no, no worries.

[37:34]Actually, I just want to talk on a quick point.

[37:35]You mentioned begin with the end in mind.

[37:37]Some call um some call it dua, some call it manifestation, but

[37:40]regardless of which school, you know, whatever you call it, they both

[37:45]say to believe that it's already there.

[37:46]So when you're manifesting or you're asking Allah for something, you have

[37:49]to believe that it's already there.

[37:50]Um so I wholeheartedly agree and thank you so so much.

[37:52]I have one more question for you if you don't mind that.

[37:56]Okay.

[37:57]Really, we'll limit this one inshallah.

[37:58]It's it's a loaded question so forgive me.

[37:59]But as a Muslim educator and leader working in a district um

[38:04]that is predominantly white, Christian, and conservative, have you ever faced challenges

[38:08]or racism because of your identity?

[38:10]And how did you navigate those experiences while staying true to your

[38:13]values?

[38:21]Um, you know, I think life is all full of challenges.

[38:25]Um, I'll tell you my journey in my with my current district

[38:31]was a roller coaster.

[38:33]I think when I first got hired, there was a tremendous amount

[38:39]of excitement.

[38:38]And then I do remember uh during my at the end of

[38:42]my second year, beginning of my third year, uh there was a

[38:44]presidential election, the climate got very charged in the country and there

[38:52]was talk about lists and deporting and Muslim ban.

[38:58]And I remember the day after the election, uh a parent put

[39:03]on Facebook, fire the Muslim principal.

[39:06]and she encouraged everyone in the community to come out to a

[39:13]board meeting to let the the school board know how they felt

[39:16]about me.

[39:18]Alhamdulillah.

[39:17]Alhamdulillah.

[39:18]I show up at this board meeting.

[39:20]There's nowhere to park.

[39:22]Channel 4 is there.

[39:25]Channel 7.

[39:26]And I'm like, Allah, I don't know what the heck is going

[39:29]on.

[39:30]And I walk in, probably 500 people packing packed in a gym.

[39:37]They were all there to support me.

[39:37]>> Kids, parents for two hours went up to the microphone, talked

[39:43]about their interactions with me.

[39:46]You know, basically our moral compass, right?

[39:49]How we treat people, how we interact with people.

[39:50]Uh that woman who started it, her and her three friends walked

[39:57]out and they didn't dare make a public comment.

[39:58]But I will tell you, it didn't end there.

[40:00]I would tell you for about a year, year and a half,

[40:05]I was under constant scrutiny.

[40:07]I was under the microscope.

[40:10]I uh went through a myriad of challenges because they're not going

[40:17]to stop attacking you.

[40:18]But alhamdulillah, after a few more years, right, that that storm passed.

[40:22]But I think um they see your true character.

[40:26]They know where your heart is at.

[40:29]They know your commitment to the students and to the community and

[40:31]ultimately the truth did prevail.

[40:33]Alhamdulillah.

[40:34]I would tell you that my time in gross point was the

[40:40]it's been the hardest challenge of my life, but it's also been

[40:42]the most fruitful.

[40:44]And I tell you that it reminds me of the surah, you

[40:48]know, sometimes and I had to I had a good friend who

[40:51]might be listening.

[40:53]His name is But he would always he would always remind me

[40:56]of that.

[40:58]It's not after the struggle comes ease.

[41:01]It's actually with the struggle comes the ease, right?

[41:03]And so you you have to lean into that.

[41:05]You have to embrace it.

[41:09]And I'll tell you, you have to and you have to be

[41:11]ready.

[41:12]I remember we had a big drinking problem at my high school.

[41:18]I go to the first prom.

[41:19]Uh kids are throwing up.

[41:22]Kids are passed out in the car.

[41:25]And I'm like, "Wow, this is crazy.

[41:28]you know, for with the school that I came from in Oakland

[41:32]County, we had a school resource officer.

[41:34]So, I say, "Well, you know, don't we have police who come

[41:36]to the dances?" They tell me, "No." Long story short, uh, I

[41:42]put a plan in place, and I know this is going to

[41:47]sound crazy.

[41:45]I said, "I'm going to breathalyze all the kids who come into

[41:51]our prom and our homecoming.

[41:52]You're going to randomly draw a stick and if the stick is

[41:58]marked, you're going to get breathalyzed.

[41:59]I bet you in Dearborn they wouldn't let me do that.

[42:03]You know what the community did in Gross Point?

[42:06]The the overwhelming majority stood behind me because my why is I

[42:14]want kids to be safe and healthy.

[42:15]I want them to make responsible choices.

[42:18]and our attendance plummeted.

[42:18]And then the some parents attacked me and they said attendance is

[42:22]down 30 40%.

[42:24]I said I'd rather have a half empty gym with students making

[42:28]safe, healthy, responsible choices than a gym that's packed and God knows

[42:32]what's going to happen when they all leave and get in their

[42:34]cars.

[42:35]Um but they came after me and said, "I'm imposing shar Allah."

[42:40]And I remember uh a group of parents came to me.

[42:45]She's like, "Well, you're Muslim and you don't drink." I said, "That

[42:47]is true.

[42:49]I Muslim and I do not drink." And then she's like, "And

[42:54]you're trying to impose Sharia law on our students." I said, "No,

[42:59]I'm not.

[43:01]It's called Michigan law.

[43:00]Under 21, you can't drink, right?" And so I think you but

[43:06]you have to be aware and you have and I knew before

[43:11]I I instituted this policy that I would get attacked.

[43:14]Do you have the courage to remain steadfast in your belief?

[43:18]Do you know your why?

[43:19]And for me the why was I wanted to keep kids safe.

[43:24]And every Michigan public school like we are a drug and alcohol-free

[43:31]campus.

[43:30]So if you know you have a problem and you're not willing

[43:34]to tackle it that by default you're condoning it.

[43:38]That was another long answer on it.

[43:40]Sorry.

[43:40]But the answer to all is yes.

[43:46]You will be challenged for your faith.

[43:47]And it doesn't matter.

[43:48]I've worked in conservative communities and I've worked in very liberal communities.

[43:53]Believe me, it's the same.

[43:54]I've had communities that say, "We welcome diversity and we're so glad

[44:00]to have you." And man, you get stabbed in the back just

[44:03]as hard.

[44:04]And I've had people tell and I've gone to other communities.

[44:06]I've worked in several who've said, "Ma, be careful when you come

[44:10]here.

[44:11]We're mildly racist and they've opened up their arms and it's been

[44:16]the best experience." Subhan Allah.

[44:20]Um actually when you mentioned the story about the schoolboard Marining I

[44:24]know you mentioned with hardship comes ease.

[44:24]The verse that came to my mind was um they plan B

[44:28]plans too and alhamdulillah the way that turned out.

[44:32]Thank you for such a beautiful answer.

[44:34]Um stay inshallah we'll get to you next.

[44:36]This is somewhat of a I know that last one was a

[44:37]load of questions is also a two-part loaded question.

[44:40]Um since you're in legislation uh it is going to be related

[44:43]to what's going on overseas.

[44:44]Are you okay with that?

[44:45]>> Yeah of course.

[44:47]Yeah of course.

[44:46]>> Okay.

[44:47]So um how do you navigate working in a place where many

[44:52]individuals around you are supportive of our government's complicity and the genocide

[44:55]that has been taking place in Gaza?

[44:59]Secondly, we've protested, sent emails, boycotted and two years later, not much

[45:04]has changed.

[45:02]So what can we do to actually make an effective change in

[45:07]our government's complicity?

[45:08]>> Yeah, this is a great question.

[45:12]Um, so I I I want to address the first part is,

[45:14]you know, how do you continue to advocate for what's happening in

[45:20]Palestine, the genocide happening in Palestine given the push back you might

[45:23]get from your colleagues and and and I'll tell you, you know,

[45:25]I serve in the Michigan legislature.

[45:26]It's a state body.

[45:29]We focus on Michigan issues.

[45:30]Um, but I have colleagues of mine that take the time they

[45:32]go on a trip every year to go to Israel.

[45:34]I have some that just went last week to meet with the

[45:38]prime minister over there.

[45:38]Uh it is disheartening.

[45:41]I'll be honest.

[45:41]Uh these are the people that I have to work with to

[45:44]help solve the pressing issues of public safety, of road funding, of

[45:47]school aid funding, right?

[45:47]These are the same people.

[45:50]Uh and for me, you know, I'll tell you, and I think

[45:52]the second part of the question is is tied, right?

[45:54]So you have these conversations, you talk to people, you write these

[45:58]emails, but I'll tell you something.

[46:00]Public opinion has changed.

[46:02]Public opinion has changed.

[46:05]If we go back several years ago, the majority of people were

[46:09]supportive of the bombings and the and the massacre that we see.

[46:13]If you go today, 71% of Americans believe America needs to stop

[46:16]the genocide in Gaza.

[46:16]Think of that.

[46:18]And that's not that doesn't happen by itself.

[46:21]That happens because people are tuning in.

[46:23]It happens because we refuse to stop talking about it.

[46:24]It happens because we, you know, unfortunately the genocide is is televised.

[46:28]It's on our Twitter.

[46:30]It's on our Facebook.

[46:31]It's on our Instagram.

[46:33]We see what's happening.

[46:34]And you cannot deny it with your eyes.

[46:36]And so for me, you know, I I I tackle it like

[46:38]I tackle most issues and that is I continue to just have

[46:40]conversations.

[46:41]You can never stop talking about it.

[46:43]You can never be shy from your position.

[46:46]You cannot cower away.

[46:45]Um you got to do it and I'm sure you you touched

[46:49]on this always in a respectful way, always in a polite way.

[46:51]You can never give them an excuse to walk away from the

[46:54]conversation saying, "Oh, this person, you cannot talk to him.

[46:56]He's hotaded.

[46:57]He has a temper." you have to always keep your cool because

[47:02]I have been hit with the most bigoted comments you could imagine.

[47:04]Um, even to this day, some people confuse me.

[47:07]I think I'm better looking than him, but they confuse me with

[47:09]Abdullah.

[47:10]And um, you know, there's no laughs.

[47:13]It's brutal for me.

[47:12]Um, but you know, I I I'll tell you, they still say

[47:16]that.

[47:16]And and and so for me, I think what I'll tell folks

[47:20]on the issue of the genocide in Gaza and of the issue

[47:21]in Palestine and even Lebanon and Yemen and Syria where the bombings

[47:24]have been happening, um, you can never be disheartened.

[47:27]They want us to stop talking about it.

[47:30]They want us to give up.

[47:31]They want us to think you're not getting anywhere with this.

[47:35]Yet, for the first time ever, you've had hundreds of dozens of

[47:40]countries recognize a Palestinian state.

[47:42]You've had people leave the United Nations assembly when Prime Minister Netanyahu,

[47:46]who was a war criminal, someone who the UN considered to be

[47:50]a war criminal, went up to speak.

[47:51]That doesn't happen by itself.

[47:54]That doesn't happen in a vacuum.

[47:55]And that happens because people keep talking about it.

[47:58]Happens because there's pressure that is building and and so whether it's

[48:01]with my colleagues or the work that people are doing when they're

[48:03]reaching out.

[48:04]The work is the same.

[48:07]You have to keep talking about it.

[48:08]You have to keep having the conversations.

[48:10]You have to open people's eyes because like I said, for many

[48:12]of them, I might be the first Arab American they ever meet.

[48:15]They might ask me, "Why does Palestine?" The first question I go,

[48:17]"Why does Palestine matter so much to the Arab community?

[48:19]Why why why doesn't Egypt just take everybody there?

[48:21]Why doesn't Jordan just take everybody there?

[48:23]It makes so much sense." and and you sit with folks and

[48:25]you just have to unpack years of misunderstanding of propaganda of just

[48:30]false narratives that they've been fed and it's brutally it's it's hard

[48:35]work I'll tell you you know the state of Michigan was facing

[48:38]a government shutdown uh if we didn't get a budget deal done

[48:40]by October one that was easier to do uh because we did

[48:45]get a deal than handling some of these conversations but we'll keep

[48:48]having these conversations we don't give up they want us to give

[48:50]up it's the easy thing to do is to give up but

[48:53]you just have know how to become comfortable being uncomfortable in in

[48:57]these conversations and know that look the ultimate the ultimate thing we

[49:01]have I'll say this also is we have the truth on our

[49:04]side we have the truth on our side and if that is

[49:06]what you have you need nothing else no matter how articulate no

[49:11]matter how presentable the truth is a liberating tool that we have

[49:15]distinctly you can't buy it you can't we have it and we

[49:20]keep speaking it to power every single day I think that's how

[49:21]you continue to win and that's how we are winning right right

[49:23]now when the majority of Americans are saying we need to stop

[49:26]sending weapons overseas when they're saying we need to feed Gaza when

[49:28]they say we need to li we need for declaration are now

[49:31]the ones saying a Palestinian it's time for a Palestinian state who

[49:34]would have imagined that so these are the things I think that

[49:36]you know we have to keep looking at and saying we are

[49:40]making progress we have to keep going thank you so much and

[49:43]even in the last couple weeks we've seen so much change so

[49:44]I I very much agree I'm going to ask one more quick

[49:48]question it's it's not going to be as in-depth um but something

[49:50]that they really want to know especially as a career as a

[49:54]polit politician is what skills or experiences best prepared you for a

[49:57]career in politics that you wish you had focused on earlier?

[49:59]>> Yeah.

[50:00]So, I I'll say this for the folks here.

[50:01]I I'm 25 years old.

[50:04]Um I don't hide the fact that I don't know everything.

[50:06]I don't hide the fact that people on this stage I'm learning

[50:11]from as they're speaking.

[50:11]Um and I think as long as you have a growth mindset

[50:14]and and I do start actually one thing I do is I

[50:15]do start with the ended mind.

[50:17]I I start with that.

[50:17]It's a good that you brought that up.

[50:18]And you seek out wisdom.

[50:19]There's times where I am stuck with moral questions where I will

[50:23]call S Kazuini.

[50:23]I will call leaders who I trust who I know I can

[50:27]talk to.

[50:28]I will call mentors of mine.

[50:29]I will call people who have done it before and I will

[50:33]have that growth mindset.

[50:32]It's not easy to think that when you're sitting at a table,

[50:36]you know, one of the reasons I love this job, but why

[50:38]it's so difficult, you mentioned being a CPA, you know, I I

[50:40]vice chaired in the majority the tax policy committee.

[50:43]Ask me how much I knew about what a standard deduction was.

[50:47]Zero.

[50:47]But I had to learn it.

[50:50]I had to learn what the the tax code.

[50:52]I had to learn what uh how property taxes work.

[50:54]Go from that to learning now how we pay for Medicaid in

[50:57]Michigan.

[50:58]I these are two different issues.

[50:59]But I love that thrill of learning things and and just being

[51:02]able to handle complex problems.

[51:04]But you do it with a growth mindset.

[51:06]And I guess that's the biggest thing I would encourage people to

[51:08]have is a growth mindset.

[51:09]Being willing to learn, seek out good advice and and finding the

[51:13]right people to tell you don't know using that.

[51:16]That's a good answer to the right Pino.

[51:18]Can you teach me?

[51:19]That's a good That's a good thing to say to the right

[51:22]people.

[51:23]>> Can I ask you a question?

[51:24]>> Did you use the Oh, this is off.

[51:26]>> Did you use the QR code?

[51:27]>> No, but do we have a school aid fund yet?

[51:30]>> I I can't talk about it.

[51:32]>> Tell about how I >> You still don't have a school

[51:35]aid fund.

[51:34]We don't have a school budget.

[51:39]Yeah, >> you'll have it on October one.

[51:43]>> Thank you so much for that amazing answer.

[51:45]Um Doc, we have a question for you.

[51:47]Um so the first one's actually not a question, it's more of

[51:52]a request actually.

[51:51]Tell us about your 40-day initiative during Maharam and what inspired you

[51:56]to start it?

[51:57]>> So before I answer that, it's so important to have people

[52:02]in our community take different fields because it really does empower us

[52:07]to make not only change but to to to serve our community

[52:10]members like Abbas Far and the state.

[52:13]It's people don't imagine how important this is.

[52:17]When they were talking about cutting funding for Medicaid, cutting funding for

[52:23]virtual visits that a lot of our patients use it, right?

[52:25]Because a lot of them don't have transportation, a lot of them

[52:29]have a hard time coming.

[52:30]It's a huge resource.

[52:30]Uh and I called him.

[52:33]I'm like, Abas, what's going on, man?

[52:35]Uh our patients are not going to be able to be seen.

[52:37]And um he said, don't worry.

[52:39]We're we're fighting.

[52:40]We're we're working really hard.

[52:41]and and honestly that it's a huge blessing that a lot of

[52:46]know about and it's a huge blessing and it's a need we

[52:48]always need someone in politics in the state nationally inshallah to fight

[52:54]for us and fight for working families uh across this country.

[53:00]So thank you.

[53:00]>> So can you repeat your question?

[53:04]um so much as a question, it was actually a request to

[53:08]tell us about your 40-day initiative during Muharam and what inspired you

[53:13]to start it.

[53:13]>> So, you know, when I decided to become a physician, it

[53:21]was to serve and a lot.

[53:23]It's it's really easy to give charity when you have money, right?

[53:30]But charity, you get good deeds for it.

[53:32]But when you give from your time, you're you're you're purifying your

[53:36]soul.

[53:37]You're reminding yourself why you did something.

[53:40]So service is the number one thing to do to prevent burnout.

[53:45]That's one of the reasons to remind myself why I became a

[53:50]physician always.

[53:49]Number two, to honor Allah subhana tala and Im Hussein because IM

[53:56]Hussein gave the ultimate sacrifice.

[53:58]So we can sacrifice as well.

[54:00]And let me tell you something.

[54:02]I wouldn't be able to make that sacrifice without my team.

[54:08]Um because it is hard.

[54:09]It was very hard.

[54:09]And when I said from Muharam um and then I said 40

[54:13]days and then I said shoot is it 30 days or 40

[54:16]days and then we had to do it for an extra 10

[54:19]days.

[54:20]And I made the same mistake last year.

[54:23]Um it was hard cuz we were seeing an extra about 28

[54:26]patient visits patient visits a day in a clinic.

[54:32]So we saw,00 we had,00 visits in those 40 days and it's

[54:37]kind of a purification for us as a team.

[54:41]It's kind of a purification for me where at the end of

[54:46]it you struggle so hard but with that struggle you bro um

[54:50]with that struggle you teach the the the the upcoming doctors this

[54:56]is what it's meant to be.

[54:58]So it's to serve but also to teach as well and to

[55:04]sacrifice and um people think like you know when you give you're

[55:08]going to lose but I always tell like my my team and

[55:11]everybody around me you think you're going to be more generous than

[55:14]Allah subhana t like you think do I think I'm going to

[55:18]be able to give more what I'm giving I'm getting much more

[55:21]in return the days that we do that initiative and this is

[55:24]for all the businesses out there and all their clinics the days

[55:27]we do that and those initiatives we see more patients that are

[55:32]that their insuranceances are paying than the days that we don't like

[55:36]there is a blessing there is a is it that comes with

[55:40]it I have a team member I get goosebumps thinking about this

[55:46]I have a team member that's not a Muslim in muharam 15

[55:49]like two weeks into it I saw my team was getting tired

[55:55]it's hard you're seeing an extra a provider's worth a provers's worth

[56:00]of patients a day and it's non-stop.

[56:03]They're skipping their they tell them take their skipping their breaks.

[56:05]They're not going to the bathroom.

[56:06]The patients these patients coming in don't have insurance so they have

[56:10]a lot of issues.

[56:12]And I said, you know what, I want to give them a

[56:16]bonus.

[56:14]So I gave every single team member a really nice bonus.

[56:19]And it was, you know, it was a good amount of money.

[56:25]And there is one person on my team who is older.

[56:27]She's not a Muslim.

[56:30]She's a working mom.

[56:30]She works over 70 hours a week.

[56:36]Three jobs.

[56:35]She's working non-stop.

[56:37]She refused to take the money.

[56:40]She looked at me.

[56:41]She says, "I am doing this for God.

[56:42]I am doing this for Allah.

[56:45]I want my reward from him.

[56:46]Look, you want your reward." I gave my wife the money.

[56:48]I told her, "Give her the money." She refused it.

[56:52]Subhan Allah.

[56:53]She has been living in a I don't want to discuss her

[57:00]personal situation, but she does.

[57:01]She's never owned the home.

[57:02]I get a phone call that day.

[57:04]She refused the money from a guy.

[57:09]I have a house.

[57:08]Does that person that you asked me about last year still want

[57:14]a house?

[57:12]It's for a steal.

[57:14]She got a house that's worth $230,000 for $150,000.

[57:18]She would have never been able to afford that house.

[57:22]the day she said I want my reward from Allah.

[57:26]So it's a lesson Allah was reminding me reminding her and everybody

[57:28]else and I make sure I made sure to tell all of

[57:29]them and I made sure to tell her that when you give

[57:33]you will get.

[57:35]So when inshallah when everybody gets in those positions and give because

[57:38]you're not taking like Hush said you're not taking anything with you

[57:41]like how much do we how much do we really need right

[57:44]you think the clothes are going to make you happy it's those

[57:47]memories you make it's doing things because you're passionate about it that

[57:50]makes you happy it's it's having that time and that freedom that

[57:53]makes you happy so um inshallah like we all work together and

[57:58]we continue to give back together and and and I and I

[58:00]remind myself like I don't want you guys to think I'm I'm

[58:03]better or I'm a good person.

[58:04]I just this is a worship.

[58:07]God's going to ask you on the day of judgment, what did

[58:09]you do with the ama I gave you?

[58:10]What did you do with with that responsibility I gave you?

[58:14]And I just hope I don't fall short.

[58:16]Please, let's give him Allah salawat after that beautiful story.

[58:23]Dr.

[58:23]Mah, thank you so much.

[58:25]I have one more question for you.

[58:27]Um, and then we'll move on to brother Sam.

[58:30]In medicine, you sometimes face situations that can clash with faith values

[58:35]like end of life care, gender affirming care, or lifestyle choices.

[58:39]How do you handle those tough moments as a Muslim doctor?

[58:43]At the end of the day, no matter what your profession is,

[58:47]you respect individuals, you respect people.

[58:49]We can have our differences.

[58:50]We can be on a different level of understanding and closeness to

[58:55]Allah.

[58:55]And you always respect everybody.

[58:56]And I have uh my own private practice, right?

[58:59]So I can make decisions on what I want to do or

[59:03]how I want to practice.

[59:03]I always respect people.

[59:04]I say, "I'm sorry.

[59:06]I can't, you know, I this is against my religion.

[59:07]This is against my belief.

[59:09]If you want resources, you can go online and and find that

[59:12]somewhere else." Um and and and that's that's the blessing that I

[59:16]have as a uh private practice.

[59:20]And um I haven't had any issues.

[59:22]But there's also education, right?

[59:23]So even so if it's a Muslim patient I educate um like

[59:28]for example if I need to look in your ear as a

[59:30]Muslim woman you don't need to take off your whole hijab right

[59:33]so I say it's no no it's okay you don't need to

[59:36]take off your scarf only take off this ear right I always

[59:38]we always in our clinic have a female provider so I always

[59:42]say hey we have a female provider are you would you like

[59:45]to see that female provider uh for woman issues um about educa

[59:48]educating and also respecting people's beliefs Um, okay, Sam.

[59:55]So, we have a couple questions for you.

[59:57]One of them is uh is has been the talk of the

[60:01]town in the past.

[60:01]Um, so my apologies, but here's the question.

[60:05]Before the Are you ready?

[60:07]>> You're ready.

[60:10]Before the presidential election, Donald Trump visited Dearborn and went to the

[60:14]Great Commoner, which you were part owner of at the time.

[60:17]This caused a huge controversy in the community due to his stance

[60:21]with Israel.

[60:20]What was the decision-making behind opening your doors to him?

[60:32]It wasn't the easiest decision, but I think a lot of times

[60:38]people jump to conclusions.

[60:40]I think a lot of times people forget the intent around decisions.

[60:48]And I've grown up, you know, my father raised me to always

[60:54]open doors, always try to be diplomatic, always allow for conversations to

[61:03]happen.

[61:02]And I know at the time it was extremely controversial and the

[61:09]sole decision didn't come down just on myself but I also didn't

[61:16]stop it from happening.

[61:16]So I do take you know I'll I'll take the burden I'll

[61:21]take the responsibility but at the end of the day it came

[61:28]down to the decision of do we open our doors and allow

[61:33]for the conversation?

[61:33]Do we allow for that diplomacy?

[61:36]Do we invite somebody or not necessarily invite but allow them into

[61:44]our doors with the intent of hopefully changing the narrative.

[61:49]And this was uh this was one of those decisions where when

[61:56]President-elect uh uh Trump was was campaigning, they reached out to the

[62:07]community looking for a place of business.

[62:08]Um, and we were one of maybe two potentially three uh locations

[62:17]that were security cleared, etc., etc.

[62:20]And then also, uh, background checks on on myself and, you know,

[62:24]because there was, uh, Secret Service and all kinds of clearances that

[62:28]had to had to pass before before the event actually took place.

[62:32]But to answer the root of the question, it's like, you know,

[62:37]why or or how could you or how dare you allow this

[62:41]person at the time of genocide?

[62:43]And you know, you could reverse it and you can start to

[62:48]attack other community members and say, "But you were parading around Camila

[62:55]and and and President Biden at the time." And there was so

[62:59]much support on the Democratic on on uh for the Democrats and

[63:03]not enough people speaking out against it either.

[63:08]But where it came down to for me was we knew the

[63:13]choice that we had with Biden.

[63:14]And when Trump came, we knew that there is a likelihood that

[63:21]he would go back to his old ways, but there's also a

[63:27]potential for change.

[63:28]The one demand that I made and I impressed that if he's

[63:35]to come, there has to be talks of ending the wars.

[63:40]What's the likelihood that a local business owner or somebody from our

[63:44]community is going to get the uh maybe not at the time

[63:50]the most powerful man in the world but now the most powerful

[63:55]man in the world literally to have him actually say the words

[63:58]to have him take a plaque that that has a quote for

[64:03]peace from President Ronald Reagan.

[64:05]It wasn't a a plaque awarding him for his good deeds.

[64:09]It was a plaque so that way he would go back to

[64:13]the Oval Office hopefully and remind himself to drive for peace, to

[64:17]drive for ending wars.

[64:17]And what he claims to do is, you know, put America first.

[64:21]And if you're going to put America first, the reality behind putting

[64:24]America first is truly to end the wars overseas.

[64:27]And I knew it was going to be controversial.

[64:31]I didn't know it was going to be I didn't know it

[64:35]was going to turn out the way that it did or that

[64:36]people were going to misconstrue my intentions.

[64:39]I think now we're on day 700 or so of the genocide.

[64:45]And there has not been a single day that I haven't posted

[64:50]in solidarity with Gaza, with Palestine, and even with the Lebanese people

[64:55]that have been bombarded on a daily basis.

[64:56]and leading to President Trump, which I I'm shocked that I actually

[65:01]passed any security clearances because if you see my posts, uh I

[65:05]would be on the first list for deportation.

[65:09]Uh I I I couldn't believe it.

[65:12]But I I haven't stopped and and you know more so I

[65:19]felt like you know the community would have at least respected or

[65:23]backed the decision in hopes that the intent was good.

[65:30]And the reason is because I feel like I've, you know, over

[65:32]over the last, you know, 13 years that I've been doing business

[65:35]in the community that I've stepped up to the plate.

[65:40]Initially, I think we were the very first business in the entire

[65:48]community to post publicly in solidarity with Gaza.

[65:52]We put out a public statement and for myself with aspirations to

[65:59]take Broome to the national level and to franchise nationally that was

[66:06]a enormous risk for me to do for me to take but

[66:11]on top of that I doubled down days after that and I

[66:15]donated 100% of profits from all restaurants to Gaza and we donated

[66:24]and it's not necessary to you know mention the amount but it

[66:28]wasn't a small number and I did it happily and I did

[66:32]it proudly and I was attacked.

[66:34]You have no idea the DMs that I was receiving.

[66:37]I was attacked on a daily basis.

[66:40]People were tearing down my character.

[66:43]Everything that I have done in my entire career, I don't even

[66:47]have a speeding ticket.

[66:48]There's not one blemish on my record, but I was torn down

[66:53]and all my community service was taken away from me.

[66:55]All for one single decision.

[66:57]Although the intent was the purest of intents, I'm not out here

[67:03]taking the man out to dinner.

[67:04]He simply came into the restaurant in hopes that we would show

[67:08]him what our community is about.

[67:12]I don't think he's ever been around Lebanese Americans, uh, Palestinian Americans.

[67:18]I don't think he knows what what we're like.

[67:21]And so, opening those doors, having those conversations, you know, especially with

[67:24]his son-in-law being, you know, Lebanese uh uh a Lebanese uh individual,

[67:32]I felt like there was a a shred of hope.

[67:34]Um, so it was it was a scary time for me, but

[67:42]alhamdulillah, you know, we made it through.

[67:46]And I know there are people that still don't forgive.

[67:50]Uh hopefully they'll forget eventually.

[67:52]I'm I still get the comments.

[67:56]You know, recently there's somebody that that saw my picture and and

[68:00]started to to comment on it about, you know, am I inviting

[68:03]him to the great commoner?

[68:04]Well, at the time, you know, I was actually in the process

[68:06]of selling the Grey Commoner, which I did.

[68:09]Um, so no, I'm not inviting him to the Great Commoner, nor

[68:12]would he ever get another invitation unless he stops all wars.

[68:16]But, uh, that is a long shot.

[68:19]I think there's so many factors that that come to play.

[68:23]But the the over the the point, you know, and the intent

[68:28]of of the decision was was was one of of purity and

[68:33]one of uh one that I still stand by proudly.

[68:38]I mean, at the end of the day, uh it wasn't it

[68:40]wasn't the best decision, but I stand behind my decision because I

[68:46]did it with pure intent.

[68:46]So, I don't know that you can take that away from me,

[68:50]nor would I let anybody take it take it away from me,

[68:51]but it, you know, that's it's something that we learn from and

[68:54]I and I learned quite a bit from the experience and I

[68:57]continue to learn.

[68:58]Um, but alhamdulillah for everything.

[69:00]>> Alhamdulillah.

[69:01]I actually want to make a couple points.

[69:02]Um, reminds me also of I mean, I imam before every battle

[69:06]or Imam Ali before every battle, they would have dialogue and they

[69:09]would try to come to a peaceful agreement before anything would happen.

[69:11]Um, so I think it's within our values to try to have

[69:15]that dialogue and never stray away from it.

[69:18]Um, secondly, a lot of people will watch like Aazida or you

[69:20]know CNN to get their news.

[69:23]I promise you like I I follow Sam, I know Sam very

[69:25]well.

[69:26]He posts consistently as a voice for the Palestinian people, for the

[69:29]Lebanese people and for oppression all around the world.

[69:32]So um, his intentions are pure and I thank him for moving

[69:34]into, you know, a less loaded question.

[69:36]Um something that even I want to know actually is entrepreneurs have

[69:42]a desire for success, growth and expansion.

[69:43]Sometimes this can cause them to be stuck in this dunya and

[69:49]forget about their family and faith.

[69:50]How have you found your balance between your path as an entrepreneur

[69:54]and your isl Islamic identity?

[69:58]So initially you know I I opened my first business I think

[70:02]when I was 22 or 23 years old.

[70:04]I took my first loan from my father which I'm you know

[70:09]I was I was fortunate enough to be able to start out

[70:15]um and you know the pursuit for success was was always there

[70:18]and I tried so hard and I wanted to make it work

[70:22]and I tried and tried and tried but I feel like my

[70:28]my why was off.

[70:30]Why I was doing it was because I wanted to be successful.

[70:33]I wanted to make money.

[70:37]And then as I got older, as I matured and after I

[70:40]moved back to the community, I remembered what my why is.

[70:46]I remembered that you know doing business is one obviously of course

[70:50]is always to give back like you know Dr.

[70:53]does and and others here.

[70:55]But at the same time, you know, remembering that while opening businesses,

[71:02]being content, maybe it wasn't meant for me because I opened and

[71:07]I failed and I opened and I failed and I would pivot

[71:09]and I failed and you know, I kept trying over and over

[71:13]and I just couldn't figure out what what was I doing wrong.

[71:15]I was an MBA at the time and I was in the

[71:20]process of becoming a CPA and you know finally it clicked and

[71:23]I just said alhamdulillah if it's not meant to be it's just

[71:28]simply not meant to be and that's why my parents pushed me

[71:30]for education so I'm just going to pivot and fall back on

[71:34]my education and I'll just go into accounting and hope for the

[71:38]best there and that's when I feel like God opened it up

[71:42]for me with a zetin I I felt more secure in what

[71:46]I was ing and and remembering what the true meaning of alhamdulillah

[71:51]is and being content and understanding that when you're pursuing something for

[71:56]the wrong reasons, maybe Allah won't give it to you.

[72:00]And and the reason for that is because you might follow the

[72:03]wrong path at that point.

[72:05]A lot of times people make a lot of money very quickly

[72:08]and I've seen it amongst people I've grown up with where they

[72:12]came upon a lot of money very quickly and I'll tell you

[72:15]they're not on the same path that they were when I once

[72:17]knew them.

[72:18]And I thank God because I as I when I moved back

[72:24]to the community and I opened up my business and alhamdulillah I

[72:27]did see that first glimpse of hope that first glimpse of success

[72:30]it actually drew me closer to my faith.

[72:33]I was more embedded in my faith.

[72:36]I felt stronger in what I was doing and that's what kind

[72:41]of brought me to the community and then I was able to

[72:46]give back to the community and and it just came full circle.

[72:49]Everything came full circle, excuse me, full circle and I felt better

[72:53]about what I was doing.

[72:57]A lot of times people think, you know, making money is is

[73:00]is everything.

[73:02]But the reality of it is is having your family, having your

[73:07]friends, you know, being blessed with a beautiful wife and kids, those

[73:11]are the true blessings.

[73:13]And that's where, you know, if Allah is going to give you

[73:18]that, that's where you're going to feel it.

[73:19]that is that is ah and alhamdulillah whatever comes with it you

[73:24]know I'm I'm thankful for that as well but I've seen enough

[73:26]ups and downs in my life and you know that's the one

[73:30]thing about about our community is a lot of times you only

[73:31]see the ups of people but you don't see what happens behind

[73:35]closed doors you don't see the struggles you don't see the failures

[73:38]but they are there absolutely there but that's what makes an entrepreneur

[73:44]specifically stronger and more focused is when you see those failures when

[73:48]you experience them.

[73:49]You'll never be successful until you fail.

[73:51]I've always lived by that.

[73:54]You can't be successful until you fail because if you hit that

[73:57]first roadblock, you're going to fall straight on your face.

[73:58]So, that allows you to get stronger.

[74:02]And alhamdulillah for for for that.

[74:04]Alhamdulillah for all of my experiences um whether controversial or not.

[74:09]I wish you would have led with this question instead of the

[74:13]other one, but I'll take them.

[74:14]So, alhamdulillah.

[74:17]very much appreciate your detailed answers.

[74:19]I'm sorry, in next time we'll have you, I'll make sure to

[74:22]run by the order with you.

[74:23]Um, okay, from the bottom of my heart, seriously, um, on behalf

[74:26]of the entire NYC and everybody here, I want to thank all

[74:30]of our panelists for the thorough responses, um, their dedication to serving

[74:33]our community and for their commitment to the youth.

[74:35]May Allah subhanaa tala bless you and I hope you have all

[74:39]enjoyed the insights that as much as I have.

[74:41]Um, we are finished up with all the questions, but we do

[74:43]have refreshments outside.

[74:45]I would like to invite everybody to join us.

[74:45]Panelists as well if you have to go we completely understand.

[74:49]If not please join us inshallah um we can communicate.

[74:51]We'll mingle in a more intimate setting.

[74:53]Um so let's end it with salawat and and thank you again

[74:58]ali Muhammad.

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