DISC Hosts Community Lunch

On Thursday March 8th, DISC and the Islamic Studies Program hosted a community lunch in the International Institute. The lunch was held as part of an effort to build and strengthen relationships between DISC/ISP and the Islamic Studies and Muslim community. In attendance were: Professor Samer Ali, Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Culture at the University of Michigan, Samiah Haque, the programmer for the Islamic Studies Program as well as the Administrative Assistant for the Weiser Center, Mohammed Ishtiaq, a chaplain for the University of Michigan Felicity Foundation, Professor Pauline Jones, the Director of DISC as well as the Director of the International Institute at the University of Michigan, Professor Mohammad Khalil, the Director of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University, Ariel Mallett, the Project Coordinator for DISC, Karla Mallette, the Director of the Islamic Studies Program, Marysia Ostafin, manager of the Weiser Center and its affiliates, Fatima Salman, the Program Coordinator for the Center for Leadership Development Program at the University of Michigan’s Technical Assistance Center in Detroit, Dawud Walid, the Executive Director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Professor Butch Ware, Associate Professor of History at the University of Michigan, and Meghan Hough, Social Media and Communications Intern for DISC. The attendees discussed DISC as a whole, and also discussed ways for DISC to build relationships with the Islamic community outside of the university setting. Guests offered valuable ideas for future collaborations with the community and with their respective organizations.