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Sister Nafisa Cooper Executive Director & Founder |
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Nafisa Cooper Sister Nafisa Cooper is a devout Muslim, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, writer, activist, advocate, student, and ally to any cause that helps to uphold family values and increases the eminence of life and living for her fellow mankind. She has been challenged with the hardships of being a young mother, living in the inner-city, under-employed, under-educated and a victim of domestic violence & dysfunction. Nafisa loves to share her story of “overcoming the odds” with others because it is her testimony. She has used the hardships in her life as a stepping stone to make a difference not only in her life but all the lives she continues to touch every day.
The impact of hardship, lack of opportunity, desire to achieve more in life and her willingness to break a cycle of dysfunction by the Permission and Guidance of God has allowed Nafisa to be used as a vessel and a voice for the challenged and desolate in need. Nafisa has been an activist for over twenty years, she has coordinated and walked the front lines in Anti-Drug Rallies in the drug infested neighborhoods of her hometown and has marched on Capitol Hill to make public housing safer. She has attacked the taboo issue of Domestic Violence in the Muslim Community first hand and was the first to start a national domestic violence awareness resource and referral line for Muslim Victims of Abuse. Nafisa Cooper was one of the first to coordinate a national domestic violence awareness workshop/ conference that brought together the Muslim Community and the Social Services Community At Large which included the presence and or assistance from Judicial Officials, Lawyers, Doctors, Activists, Imams and many more.
Nafisa has been called upon by various organizations and individuals for guidance in their business ventures both of the not for profit and the for profit sectors. She has provided diversity training from the courtrooms of Philadelphia to the many domestic violence awareness agencies and advocates across the country, educating them on the fundamentals of Islam, the basic obligations and dietary restrictions of Muslims in the care of servicing facilities. She has been highly regarded as a lover of her fellow man; her passion to help those in need is her plight. Nafisa currently writes for several publications where she uses her platform to engagingly shine a different light on Islam and Muslims here in America by dispelling the many myths associated with them by Mainstream Society and the Media’s stereotyping of the Muslim Population. Nafisa’s current endeavors include her completion of her BA of Science in Communications in 2011. The national launching of a Muslim News Publication titled “The Greatness within our Midst” which is focused on the many unsung heroes and heroines in the Muslim Communities here in America. The re-launching of The Sista2Sista Inc. Resource & Referral Hotline (November 2010)
Of the many accomplishments listed here and for the many that are not, Nafisa sincerely acknowledges her infinite gratitude to Her Lord, for “her riches” which she humbly defines as being “a strong woman of faith who has been blessed to not be broken by the negative experiences in life yet to allow them to be a source of inspiration and empowerment for not just herself but also for others in the struggle”.
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