Affad T. Shaikh

Affad Shaikh is a social entrepreneur, a gentleman adventurer and an aspiring renaissance man. He is currently part of the USC Dornsife Center for Religion and Civic Culture and the Interreligious Council of Southern California cohort known as the Future 50, as well as Alumni ofNewGround: Muslim Jewish Partnership for Change.

During 2015, Affad will spend the summer exploring the intersection of spirituality and social justice in New York City, along with a trip to Central America with a People of Faith Delegation. He was chosen to participate in the Millennial Leaders Project at Union Theological Seminary in NYC, where he will spend a week at the seminary examining the intersection of spirituality and social justice in our lives and work with a group of 30 millennials. Also, Affad was recently invited to participate in the People of Faith Root Causes Delegation to Central America, as a representative of the Southern California Islamic Shura Council an umbrella organization of 70 Muslim organizations and Mosques.

Prior professional experience involved working on behalf of the American Muslim community, advocating for civil rights and cultivating civic engagement at the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR LA) for six years. Originally born in Karachi, Pakistan, he was raised in Los Angeles, California, and it was only fitting that Affad’s first big campaign was to organize and assist American Muslims facing years of naturalization delays.

Empowerment and civic engagement are interwoven experiences from which Affad developed innovative projects like the Muslim Youth Leadership Program in Sacramento and the Community Bridging program with Japanese and Muslim h