About Us
We are Muslims in Oak Park and the surrounding areas who have come together to hold youth and family activities, religious study, and community gatherings in keeping with Islamic traditions. We are families. We are neighbors. We are Muslims from all walks of life. We are from Oak Park, Chicago, and its suburbs. We are from the South and the North, from the Eastern and Western hemispheres, and from various places in between. Together, we are committed to creating a safe and welcoming space for one another, and to serving the larger community.
Board of Directors
Munirah Curtis, MD
President
Dr. Curtis has lived in Oak Park with her husband and four children since 2007. She was part of the original group that started the OPMC. She has been a board member of CAIR-Michigan, has been an active voice in the District 97 Special Education Parent Advisory, and a former President of the Muslim Student Association at the University of Michigan.
Yasmin Ali, BA
Vice President
Yasmin Ali is a self taught multi-disciplinary artist based in Chicago. She began in the arts through music and was a singer and songwriter. As a board member of the Muslims Writers Collective for six years, Yasmin led the organizing efforts for quarterly arts events in the Muslim community. She has worked with The Steppenwolf Theater (Lookout Series), performed on NPR Worldview and currently maintains a studio practice in Berwyn, where she lives with her two daughters and husband.
Nighet Razvi, MD
Treasurer
Dr. Razvi has helped create the nonprofit for Oak Park Muslim Community that started as friends gathering during Ramadan in Oak Park. She is a founding board member, and served as the first vice president. Dr. Razvi has also worked in mosques in Columbus, OH helping with education for children. At Islamic Foundation, she created a class for kindergarten and 1st grade called ‘Stories of the Prophets’. She has been involved in fundraising galas at Islamic Foundation at the committee level and as co-chair.
Salam Soky, PharmD
Social Media Chair
Originally from Jordan, Salam and her family relocated from New York to Oak Park in 2016 and has since worked as a pharmacist in the area. Establishing a sense of belonging and contributing to the formation of a strong sense of community. She believes in instilling in her children the same cherished Muslim values and traditions that were integral to her life.
Tanveer Azmat, Ph.D.
Secretary of the board
Dr. Azmat is a Ph.D. Qur’an scholar. His area of specialty is Qur’anic exegeses (tafseer). He trained as an electrical engineer and worked in automotive electronics for twenty years as project manager. Currently, he is an adjunct professor at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago, where he teaches courses in religion and humanities. Dr. Azmat writes and publishes academic papers on different aspects of Qur’anic studies.
Organizational Leaders
Babacar Mbengue, PhD
Burhan Syed, PMP
Haris Arshad, DO
Riad Wehbi, MArch
Amal Tariq, MArch
Location
Many of our events are held at the Kinfolk Colab.
Kinfolk Colab
405 S Euclid Ave 2ND FLOOR
Oak Park, IL 60302