Photo by Mouna Rashid
The Salam Stars inspired award-winning author Hena Khan’s 2024 graphic novel, We Are Big Time. Front Row, left to right, members of 2023-24 Salam Stars: Hya Abdeljawad, Farrah Heder, Ola Bahhur, Aamina Farooq, Safa Bahhur, Aseel Ishtaiwi and Jana Ismail. Back row, left to right, Salam Stars alumni: Kishmala Arshad, Jamila Yusuf, Nadira Ali, Sumaya Abdi, Hooda Hasan, author Hena Khan, Coach Kassidi Macak, Jenin Ismail, Jumana Badwan, Esraa Salim and Safiya Schaub (not pictured Aya Salhab).
Dark, distressing news dominated 2024 and greatly impacted Wisconsin’s Muslim community, especially those with relatives in Gaza, Sudan and other places experiencing conflict. Rather than dive into despair, we decided to celebrate the stories from 2024 that inspire us.
Salam School Girls Basketball Team: Real-life champions and graphic novel stars
Photo by Mouna Rashid
Sophomore Maysem Abubaker, No. 31, was MVP of the Salam School vs. Faith Christian 2024 rematch.
No one expected Salam School Girls Varsity Basketball Team to become conference champions for the second year in a row. Key players from last year’s championship team graduated. Coach Kassidi Macak expected 2023-24 to be “a building year.”
After the Stars played “so tough, so intensely” in an early season game, Macak knew they had a chance.
They went on to become the 2024 Lake City Conference Champions.
Then award-winning author Hena Khan featured the all-Muslim, hijab-wearing Salam Stars in her first graphic novel, We Are Big Time, released in August.
The Salam Stars team captured Khan’s attention in 2019 after becoming a national media sensation as one of the first all-Muslim girls’ high school basketball teams in America.
“What captivated me about the Salam Stars and made me want to base a story on them was the way they worked together as a team, their perseverance and resilience, their positivity,” Khan told WMJ.
Wisconsin’s Muslim community builds for the future
The Muslim Women’s Coalition dropped “Milwaukee” from its name and officially went statewide and beyond. What began in 1994 as a women’s club with a volunteer speakers bureau that countered negative stereotypes of Muslim women is now a thriving nonprofit with a multitude of programs and services benefitting Muslims and non-Muslims throughout Wisconsin, and even nationally and internationally. Its rebranding and multi-platform marketing campaign continues its original mission, featuring strong Muslim women.
The Muslim Women’s Coalition’s new marketing campaign features strong women. Its first billboard (above) highlights Taqwa Obaid, owner of Taqwa’s Bakery and Restaurant in Greenfield.
Among its many projects, MCW’s Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival brings films with realistic portrayals of Muslims to Milwaukee. Our Peaceful Home offers a culturally specific family strengthening and domestic abuse program. MWC also hosts services and programs for refugees and youth. Its Summer Reading and Activity Program for K3-8th grade students is flourishing under the direction of MWC’s Islamic Resource Center librarian Jenny Wegener.
The Islamic Society of Milwaukee launched a $15 million project on a 13-acre property in Franklin to expand and improve Salam School, Wisconsin’s premier Islamic school, and to create a space for community activities to serve Franklin’s growing Muslim population. Salam High School is expected to start the 2025-26 school year in its new facility.
Islamic Society of Milwaukee purchased the 13.2-acre site of a former Showtime Cinema in Franklin to create a new Salam High School and a center for Greater Milwaukee’s growing Muslim community.
MWC board member Albana Zagloul started Shqiptarët në Wisconsin (Albanians of Wisconsin) to serve Wisconsin’s growing Albanian community in Kenosha, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek. It offers Albanian language lessons for children, weekly and monthly activities for youth and seniors, and promotes Albanian culture through educational presentations and exhibits.
(Left) Albana Zagloul’s beloved father, a well-known Albanian poet, writer and teacher, died in 2021 after a 13-year-long fight with cancer. Inspired by his role model, Zahloul decided to live a life that positively impacts others, she said. That decision led her in 2024 to create Shqiptarët në Wisconsin (Albanians of Wisconsin). Right out the gate, the new community organization offered Albanian language classes for children and activities for youth and seniors, as well as provided educational programs for the public on Albania and Albanian culture.
(Above) Albana Zagloul teaches language classes several times a week. A few of her many students are shown participating in a celebration of Albanian Independence Day on Nov. 28.
Love for badminton, fitness and community spurred nutritionist Asma Ali of Brookfield to create ISM-Brookfield’s Women’s Badminton Club, a popular activity that brings dozens of women of all ages from across Greater Milwaukee, Muslim and non-Muslim, to play badminton together every Wednesday.
Photo by Mouna Rashid
ISM-West’s Women’s Badminton Club: (First row, left to right) Maimoma Ahmad, Mehwish Adrian, Sabahat Sharwani, Rabia Latif, Romeena Koreishy, Sadia Aman, Rifat Khan, Gazala Sajjad, Sadia Ansari and Masrat Allaqaband, all of Brookfield. (Second row) Swathi Golla, Asma Ali, Alia Sohail, Tahseen Hussaini and Nawal Ilili of Brookfield; Tahmeena Siddiqui of New Berlin, Faiza Awan of Franklin, Tamkeen Siddiqui of New Berlin, Anila Torania and Nadia Omer of Brookfield, Mehwish Zaidi (Musa) of Menomonee Falls; and Sadaf Siddiqie, Shahela Dalvi and Samiah Zia of Brookfield.
Muslim entrepreneurs bring a wide variety of flavors to Wisconsin
Muslim chefs and entrepreneurs brought new flavors to Wisconsin last year with unique restaurants and coffee shops. Chef and owner Manuchehr “Manu” Kholov’s Silk Road restaurant at 1920 S. Park St., Madison features dishes from Central Asia, including Tajik, Turkish, Uzbek and Afghan cuisines. Fine-dining restaurant Sultan at 1054 Williamson St., Madison serves Pakistani and Punjabi cuisines.
Having worked in restaurants for a dozen years, chef Manuchehr Kholov opened his own restaurant in Madison, Silk Road, where he serves a variety of traditional dishes he loves.
Chef Sultan Ahmed spoke about the importance of protecting small, local farms and supply chains, an approach he uses in his Madison restaurant, Sultan.
Khan Aseya at 1201 W. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee, opened in May next door to owner Mohamed Ibrahim’s grocery store, the Myanmar Shop. It serves Burmese fare that incorporates Malaysian, Chinese, Thai and Indonesian influences. Osamah Shelleh opened Chik’N’Dip in Wauwatosa’s Mayfair Mall food court. It serves halal fried chicken and sauce made with Shelleh’s own recipe. He also operates a food truck that can usually be found on Milwaukee’s South Side. Ahmad Smadi and Majed Malak operate Burger Hub at 6231 S. 27th in Greenfield. It serves halal hamburgers, chicken wings and other traditionally American foods, making American classics available for anyone seeking halal options.
Photo by Cherrie Hanson
Khan Aseya is a family-owned restaurant in Milwaukee. The family matriarch, Aseya Rashid (center), poses with her friend Nacimah Be (left) and grandson, Mohamed Khizir (right).
Photo by Cherrie Hanson
Osamah Shelleh owns the Chik’N’Dip food truck and a restaurant of the same name, located inside Mayfair Mall’s food court in Wauwatosa.
Photo by Kamal Moon
Co-owners of Burger Hub in Greenfield, Ahmad Smadi (left) and Majed Malak (right), said they made their halal restaurant for quality-conscious consumers.
Kamal Shkoukani’s Gallery Food Hall at 2335 N. Murray Ave., Milwaukee, became an East Side hot spot in 2024 after hosting an art showcase to raise awareness of and funds for Gaza in January, followed by a series of cooking classes by Bint Jamila’s Table and other exhibitions. Event stylist, food artist and producer Muna Riyad Sharma of Bay View, owner of Bint Jamila’s Table, creates dynamic tablescapes and edible art, and provides end-to-end event planning, catering and consulting.
Photo by Kamal Moon
Food artist Muna Riyad Sharma of Bay View (standing) led the Palestinian Stews Workshop with her mother Jamila. She named her business “Bint Jamila’s Table.” Bint Jamila is Arabic for “daughter of Jamila.”
For those with an appetite for art, Nadiana Art Gallery at 4818 S. 76th St. in Greenfield offers art classes and a space where people can see art in person for free. Artist Nadia Alkhun moved her Milwaukee artist studio into the large, storefront space next door to Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. to create an art gallery in the south Milwaukee suburbs, where many of Greater Milwaukee’s Muslims live.
Photo by Cherrie Hanson
TMJ4 Milwaukee Tonight co-host Cassandra McShepherd (center) visited Nadiana Art Gallery and spoke with gallery owners neurologist Ahmed Obeidat, M.D. (left) and Nadia Alkhun (second from left) before its inaugural exhibition, “Art and Science Intertwined.”
Two Yemeni coffee chains—Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. and Qahwah House—opened their first locations in Wisconsin in 2024, Qamaria in Greenfield and Qahwah House in Oak Creek. Both have proven to be popular gathering places for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, especially as alcohol-free places to meet friends at night.
Photo by Safiya Schaub
Co-owners Faraz Shuja and Anas Alharani opened Wisconsin’s first Qamaria Yemeni Coffee shop in the heart of Greenfield’s large Muslim community. “The community here is open, diverse and supportive,” Alharani said. “Qamaria is an opportunity for people to experience interaction with Muslims and see how welcoming our culture is.”
Photo by Kamal Moon
The Qahwah House team includes (front to back) Amira Hamdan, Maya Hamdan, Tina Conley, Jenna Hamdan, Leiann Hamdan, Afnan Hamdan, Nariman Hamdan and Dawlat Abdullah.
Civic-minded Wisconsin Muslims take the lead
Wisconsin Muslims grow in civic engagement, with courageous individuals taking the risks and responsibilities of running for public office. At the forefront is Samba Baldeh of Madison, the first Muslim on Madison’s Common Council and in the Wisconsin State Assembly. He was elected in 2015 to the Madison Common Council, where he served for six years, including one term as Common Council president. Baldeh was elected to the State Assembly in November 2020 and re-elected in 2022. Last year, he was the first Muslim to run for the Wisconsin State Senate. Although defeated by another Democrat in the primary, he continues to lead Muslim civic engagement.
Wisconsin State Rep. Samba Baldeh, D-Madison, and his wife Fatou Jawo voted in the spring elections.
Nasra Wehelie, a Madison Common Council alder, ran in 2024 to become the first Muslim woman to serve as a Wisconsin state representative. Although not elected, she too is a community leader making a difference. She began public service in 2020 by filling an open seat on Madison’s Common Council, selected out of 11 applicants to represent Madison’s west side. She ran unopposed for that seat in 2021. Other Wisconsin Muslims serve in local governments and school boards.
Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance’s new executive director Fauzia Qureshi took the helm of Wisconsin’s premier Muslim civic organization on April 1. WMCA’s mission is “to organize voters and engage with elected officials to advance Muslim rights at the local, state and federal levels.” WMCA shared the results in January 2024 of the first survey of Wisconsin Muslims that focused on political engagement and concerns.
Fauzia Qureshi, executive director of the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, works to increase the civic engagement of Wisconsin Muslims.
Activists take a stand
Across the state, Wisconsin Muslims and like-minded allies called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Brave students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee set up an encampment and demanded UWM’s administration, “at a minimum,” release a public statement condemning “the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by the apartheid state of Israel.” Marquette University students created a memorial to 41,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israel’s War on Gaza’s one-year mark. Jewish Voice for Peace and other allies joined protests led by the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, the ISM and university students, as well as organized their own. Wisconsin Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee) led the charge for local governments to adopt ceasefire resolutions, including Milwaukee County.
Photo by Mouna Rashid
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee junior Ziad Dahir talks with Lorraine Halinka Malcoe, Ph.D., co-founder of Jewish Voice for Peace-Milwaukee, at the protest encampment on the UWM campus that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Photo by Kamal Moon
Student guards worked in shifts to keep a 24-hour watch to protect protestors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee encampment. Protestors demanded a statement from the administration that called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee) spoke against U.S. support of the Israeli military’s bombing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. He championed ceasefire resolutions in the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors and in the Wisconsin Assembly.
Wisconsin Muslims pay more attention to environmental stewardship, largely thanks to Huda Alkaff of West Bend. She advises mosques and Muslim organizations about how to be “greener” through education, energy and water conservation, and recycling and waste management, including reducing the use of plastics and Styrofoam. Alkaff spoke about the connections between faith and environmental stewardship at MWC’s October networking brunch.
“People of faith have a great responsibility to stand up for environmental and climate justice and to address the concerns and calamities of the poor and marginalized communities. It is a moral issue.” – Huda Alkaff, Green Muslims founder
Water data scientist Zahra Saeed addressed “forever chemicals” at MCW’s January 2024 networking brunch. These human-made substances pose dangers to human health, including birth defects, certain cancers, reduced immunity, kidney problems and elevated cholesterol. Nevertheless, they are still widely used, she said.
Water data scientist Zahra Saeed on the dangers of “forever chemicals,” also known as PFAS, at the sold-out January MWC Networking Brunch.
Masjid Al-Qur’an in Milwaukee received the Islamic Society of North America’s 2024 Third Place Green Award. The mosque was recognized for its unique programs promoting environmental stewardship through education, energy conservation, agriculture, recycling and waste management, including reducing the use of plastics and Styrofoam. “Environmental stewardship is one of our important religious duties, to take care of God’s creation,” Imam Hafiz Shafique said.
Milwaukee’s Masjid Al-Qur’an was recognized by the Islamic Society of North America for its unique programs that foster environmental stewardship. Above, Masjid Al-Qur’an created a model of an open-air souk (market) where they sold hand-crafted projects to raise money to help relieve suffering in Gaza.
Salam School Girls Basketball 2018-19 Team inspired award-winning author Hena Khan’s graphic novel “We Are Big Time.” Khan said she was inspired by the values they demonstrated and the way they worked together.
