IEC Founders
Amna Salameh
Amna Salameh is a Co-Founder of the Islamophobia Education Collective (IEC). She completed her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Louisiana State University, and finished her Master of Arts in Education, with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction, from California State University of Sacramento (CSUS). Her master’s project was titled “Professional Development on Islamophobia: A Multicultural Framework for Secondary Public School Educators.” With a background in education, she has served on both the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports committee and the Office of Educational Equity committee at the Elk Grove Unified School District. She has also served as an Education Consultant with the Counsel on American Islamic Relations’ Sacramento Valley Chapter where she designed and developed diversity-training presentations and educational materials for public and private employers. Amna is a frequent presenter and lecturer on topics surrounding Islam and Islamophobia at CSUS’ College of Education. She is currently a part-time lecturer at California State University of Sacramento and Southern University.
Dr. Hatem Bazian
Dr. Hatem Bazian is a Co-Founder of the Islamophobia Education Collective (IEC), and a Co-Founder and professor of Islamic Law and Theology at Zaytuna College, the nation’s first accredited Muslim Liberal Arts College. Dr. Bazian is also a professor in University of California Berkeley’s Departments of Near Eastern Studies, Asian American Studies, and Asian Diaspora Studies. Dr. Bazian is the founder of the Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project (IRDP), a research unit dedicated to the systematic study of Islamophobia and the Othering Islam and Muslims housed at the Center for Race and Gender at University of California Berkeley. Through IRDP, Dr. Bazian launched the Islamophobia Studies Journal, a semi-annual publication with the collaborative efforts of University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco State University, the Graduate Theological Union, the University of South Australia, and Zaytuna College. In addition to his ongoing academic work, Dr. Bazian is a weekly columnist for the Turkish Daily Sabah Newspaper and Turkey Agenda online magazine, and he holds various positions with national non-profit organizations.