Meet CAIR's New Board Chairman

As-salaamu 'alaikum (peace to you),

It is my pleasure to announce that CAIR has elected Omar Zaki as our new national board chairman. Omar, who is a U.S. Army veteran and a California small business owner, is taking over the position from former State Senator Larry Shaw (NC), who will remain on CAIR’s board.

A Southern California native, Omar has been active with CAIR and the American Muslim community for more than a decade and has served on CAIR’s national board since 2011. He previously served as director of government relations for the Southern California chapter of CAIR. In that capacity, he helped create a multicultural advisory council for the FBI and served as an advisor on it from 2004-2006. He also served as a council member in Los Angeles County Sherriff Lee Baca’s advisory council in support of law enforcement.

Omar also serves on the City of Riverside Human Relations Commission, the board of the International Relations Council of Sister Cites International, and the California Council on Criminal Justice. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Riverside, California.

This is a brief message from Br. Omar as he steps into his new role:

"I would like thank Larry Shaw for his dedicated service to CAIR and to the cause of defending the civil rights of all Americans, and I hope I can achieve a record of success similar to his. I am delighted to help lead CAIR in the direction of building partnerships and developing greater awareness and understanding of the American Muslim community, and to help uphold the American values of liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness for all."

Omar’s deep commitment to working with and for the Muslim community and his longstanding service with CAIR make him a natural choice to lead our national board. I look forward to working with him as we continue protecting civil liberties and promoting mutual understanding.

Sincerely,

Nihad Awad
CAIR National Executive Director