Wisconsin Muslims have a new home for civic activity

Franklin Mayor John T. Nelson (center left) joins Muslim community leaders, elected officials and other Greater Milwaukee citizens as they cut the ribbon to open the WMCA/WMCF office in Franklin.

“It was very emotional,” said Sheila Badwan about the June 24 grand opening of the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance and the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Foundation office at 3321 W. Rawson Ave., Franklin. 

Franklin Mayor John Nelson, flanked by WMCA president Badwan and WMCF president Mushir Hassan, M.D., participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony as Muslim community leaders and allies, and elected officials applauded. Soon, Badwan would speak about “what having a building means for our community, especially right now, and why these two organizations matter,” she told the Wisconsin Muslim Journal.

Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance’s first Advocacy Day, Feb. 19, 2025, drew participants from Milwaukee and Madison to the state Capitol to meet with their representatives and staff.

Muslim Women’s Coalition founder and executive director Janan Najeeb founded WMCA in 2019 “to organize, educate and empower” (as its mission statement says) the state’s 70,000 Muslims in the civic process. WMCA also advocates for Wisconsin Muslims, engaging policymakers and building coalitions with other organizations who share common goals.

The WMCF, a nonprofit public service foundation, was established in Ramadan 2025 to strengthen Muslim civic engagement and leadership through research and education. (Paperwork and planning for WMCF started in 2023.)

“As we push for advocacy, we want to ensure we’re exerting our energies and focus on what the community needs,” said Hassan in an interview with WMJ. “We’re going to ask the question, ‘What is in the best interest of the community?’ That involves policy research as well as polling in the community. Tackling the groundwork, that’s where WMCF comes in.”

Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance founder Janan Najeeb hired Kristin Hansen to be its first executive director. Hansen is experienced in nonprofit management and voter education, and served in the Democratic Party leadership at various levels.

About 150 diverse Muslim community members, allies and elected representatives attended the celebration to mark the significant milestone of establishing a home for Muslim American civic activity. Balloons, other decorations, and refreshments, including signature halal drinks made especially for the event, set a festive atmosphere despite the stormy weather. 

Attendance by elected officials and allies meant a lot to the Muslim community, organizers said. That WMCA’s founder Janan Najeeb and many founding board members were present was very special, Badwan added. 

But nothing compared with the opportunity to celebrate with the Islamic Society of Milwaukee board president Salah Sarsour, Badwan said. Just five days free from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Indiana that held him 80 days, Sarsour symbolized the whole purpose of these organizations, she said. 

“We advocated for him and for the resolutions passed for him (by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors and the City of Milwaukee). We wrote letters of support for him. To have him there with us at our celebration was so meaningful!

“And now the next chapter will begin,” Badwan said. “We must make sure we continue to combat Islamophobia because we see the anti-Muslim rhetoric that’s coming from the top.”

“We must make sure we can continue to work for justice, especially with Brother Salah’s case,” Qureshi added. “We must make sure we can stand together with him and others.

“To do this work, we are looking for ‘founders,’ people who want to provide a donation to sustain this work,” she said. “Donors will be recognized in plaques as ‘founders’ because they will provide the foundation for the future. This is something we need this community to support.” 

Islamic Society of Milwaukee board president Salah Sarsour, his sister Fawzia Sarsour (center) and daughter-in-law Seema Oweisi joined the celebration of the Wisconsin Muslim community’s new home for civic activity. Sarsour, held by ICE for 80 days on charges his lawyers and supporters call false, credited God and the Milwaukee Muslim community and its allies with his June 18th release, when the community gathered at ISM-Main to welcome him home.

Having a home base matters

WMCA founder Janan Najeeb is “thrilled about the office and excited at what the future holds,” she said. “There was always the intention to grow and expand, and have our own place, which is critical to becoming an important player in mobilizing Muslim voters and allies throughout Wisconsin. I’m really happy to see this step take place.

“To have them continue advocating on behalf of Muslims, to continue to build relationships and work with allies, as well as with elected officials who stand up for their values and ethics, as opposed to doing what is politically expedient for their careers, is going to be of utmost importance in these critical times.

“There have been several underdogs in elections around the nation, progressive Muslim candidates, who went on to win because citizens are looking for people who will represent them rather than work for special interest groups.”

Mayor Cavalier Johnson (center) declared July 2026 Muslim Heritage Month in the City of Milwaukee at a ceremony last week with Muslim community leaders.

“I’m confident in the WMCA team and the community,” Najeeb continued. “Greater Milwaukee Muslims tend to be active politically,” she added. “Now we want to really reach out to all these other areas where there are Muslim voters who may not be as involved. The WMCA is going to bridge that gap.

“Having their own space is going to be a game changer,” Najeeb exclaimed.

Badwan agreed. “At the height of anti-Muslim hate and all these policy shifts that are happening in our country, how important it is to have a building where you can invite elected officials and other people who want to learn about us, and to partner and engage with us,” she said. “We work with so many different partners in the civic world, and we want to have a place where they can come.” 

“We plan to host more and more events,” said Fauzia Qureshi, who serves as executive director for both WMCA and WMCF. “We are happy to have a place where our community and the greater community can attend workshops and events.”

“Being able to stand up when you see basic civil rights being threatened, being able to make sure people are aware of these very big issues that directly affect your day-to-day life, that’s the important work we are doing,” Hassan said.

“The current employees are doing an excellent job of being able to carry the vision forward, as well as quickly identifying issues that rise up to be important, and having statements ready and approaches for what we should do,” he added.

“The WMCA, and now the WMCF, is a testament to what a community can do when everyone comes together with a common goal and really fights for it,” said WMCA’s first executive director Kristin Hansen. “In this case, the common goal is political voice.”

Hansen is the founder and president of Blue Sky Waukesha, a nonprofit civic organization that provides nonpartisan civic programs and election resources. She works for the Fair Elections Center, a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform nonprofit organization.

“We started small,” she recalled about WMCA’s beginning. In 2019, Hansen served WMCA as its only employee, and she was part-time. “We worked on voting–making sure everyone knew how to register and how the process worked.

“Then we got it to the point where a full-time executive director and staff could be hired. It snowballed from there. Fauzia (Qureshi)’s leadership has taken it to a whole new level.

“The Muslim community in Wisconsin has embraced and supported this organization. That is key to its success. There are a lot of organizations that say they speak for a community, but they don’t have the wide and deep support the WMCA does. To do what it did, you have to build that level of trust and support within your community.”

Muslim leaders from across Wisconsin attended Gov. Tony Evers’ Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Executive Residence in April. Left-right: Reem Alaeddin, WMCA/WMCF executive director Fauzia Qureshi, former Muslim Women’s Coalition president Hanadi BuAli, M.D., former emira of ISM Brookfield Orusa Mozaffar and MWC executive director Janan Najeeb

Franklin Alderman Yusef Hasan told WMJ, “I’m happy and honored their office is in my district.” The Muslim population in Franklin has grown significantly in recent years, and many Muslims are participating in the community’s civic life, including running for elected positions. The ISM recently purchased a large property in Franklin to create a Muslim community center and school.

“A lot of people rely on WMCA and WMCF, especially during elections,” Hasan said. “People always ask me who WMCA is endorsing. I always check with them. Now I can just stop in on my way home.” 

“The office represents a permanent home for Muslim civic power in Wisconsin,” Qureshi said. “For too long, our community has shown up at the table without a dedicated infrastructure to sustain that presence. 

“This space really changes that. It’s where a lot of our advocacy will begin, with watch parties and advocacy training,” she said. “It will also host civic education and community organizing. It will all be rooted right here for years to come.

“For me personally, this space is about being of service. Ours is a faith that shows up for your neighbors and advocates for your community. It is not separate from your spiritual life. It is your spiritual life.

“Being a part of bringing this to life is one of the greatest honors of my career.”