Munir grew up in southern California and is an academic, public educator and education technologist. He has an M.A. in Islamic Studies from UCLA, specializing in Muslim Spain, and has studied advanced Arabic in Fes and Cairo. He is a director of the Institute on Religion and Civic Values (IRCV), a non-profit that provides scholarly consulting on teaching about world history, cultures and religions in K-12 and public education. He periodically leads study tours to southern Spain and Morocco through IslamiCity. He is an Adjunct Professor of Religion at Orange Coast College, and at the new multi-faith Claremont Lincoln University. Munir attended MYC as a camper in the late 1970s and early 80s, served as a counselor in the late 80s and early 90s, and has since been involved in organizing the camp as a former board member and staff person.

r student at Zaytuna College. Since her days in high school, Melissa has been and active member of every community she was a part of – volunteering with the Santa Barbara Interfaith Initiative and the Boys and Girls Club for three years, respectively. During her first year at Santa Barbara City College, Melissa initiated the Muslim Student Association and cross-coordinated events with UCSB. Melissa continues to pursue her love of community service and action in Berkeley. When she’s not studying, Melissa is sharing her knowledge teaching and tutoring a diverse group of students. Growing up in Santa Barbara has naturally cultivated a love for the outdoors. She enjoys reading, poetry, traveling, doing yoga, swimming, and often takes on hiking trails barefoot. MYC 2011 was Melissa’s first year as a counselor, but she quickly became a part of the MYC family. She looks forward to having another beautiful week at MYC, Insha’Allah.

or. This year she is looking forward to fajr hikes, post Duhr canoe trips, bonding with new and returning campers, and eating lots of sloppy joes in the process.

ral environment has brought her back as often as possible. One of her favorite things is to be able to simply spend time in the cabins getting to know one another and connecting with the campers…oh, and the teamwork dinners!

p, and serves on several ICSB committees. He represents ICSB at South Coast Interfaith Council’s Interfaith Cafes, has demonstrated the adhan at interfaith events, and has volunteered and organized youth to participate in many organized events. He attends Reviving the Islamic Spirit conferences and retreats, and has participated in Zaytuna College’s Summer Arabic Intensive and AlMaghrib Institute classes.

mers of counseling and administrative experience at al-Waha, an intensive Arabic camp for children at Concordia Language Villages. Ludmila feels blessed to be a part of the MYC family, which has been a source of laughter, support and inspiration over the years.

city-wide Friday prayer services, and led a variety of youth group activities. Ammar co-founded Muslim Support Group, an educational non-profit organization that hosted retreats and classes on Muslim literacy and American-Islamic understanding. Most recently, he has been active in establishing and teaching a Sunday school curriculum at the Woodlands Islamic Center in Texas. Ammar has a bachelor’s of science in economics from the University of Houston and received a master’s degree in economics from the American University in Washington, DC. Last year was Ammar’s first MYC camp; he is joined by his wife Nushin and their three children in hopes of making this an annual family tradition (God-willing).

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ere around the world as are his lectures, workshops, students and patients. He has been part of MYC’s teaching staff for many years.

m scholars and religious leaders. His field of research focuses on Islamic Law with an emphasis on usul al-fiqh (jurisprudence) as well as theology. His current interests also include identity formation in the American-Muslim community, interfaith relations, Islamic reform movements, and community leadership and development with a focus on youth. He has a bachelor’s degree in History and Arabic from U.C. Berkeley and a master’s in Islamic Law and Arabic from U.T. Austin. Jihad has been attending camp since childhood in the 1970s.