As much as I love my desi and arab foods, I decided to give everyone a taste of the South for dinner on Wednesday with our esteemed guest Omid Safi. Candied sweet potatoes, green beans, and a macaroni and cheese casserole. The girls gave me significant help since I muffed the macaroni and cheese. Apparently you’re supposed to pour the eggs slowly.

Aman Ali of 30 Mosques in 30 days visited the MPSN house for an informative, energetic, and fun afternoon class on Sunday July 1st. Although it was a Sunday and the Euro Final Cup game was keeping my mind busy, I was able to enjoy our class a lot and the company of our very personable guest.

On Monday July 2nd, Kevin Gilligan, Sameer Ahmed, and Nada Zohdy joined the MPSN fellows to discuss fellowships and scholarships, including the Rhodes, Marshall, and Presidential Fellowships.

Sometimes, we as Muslims, feel that the American society doesn’t really get us. We feel that our voice isn’t being heard, our practices aren’t being respected, and our faith isn’t being acknowledged.

On July 5th, 2012, the MPSN fellows of 2012 had a panel of five ambitious leaders coming from various organizations that attempt to advocate for American Muslims.

Last Wednesday’s class was both a lesson in Singapore’s history and in leadership. Our speaker, Dr. Marium Aljunied, was an educational psychologist by training and worked for the Ministry of Education of Singapore for over 20 years. As a Singapore native going six generations back, Dr.

Dr. Asifa Quraishi’s presence in a room, or a city, is quickly noticed. The MPSN house was buzzing with guests, alumni, founders and friends this past week, all beaming with enthusiasm to visit Dr. Quraishi and her mother, Mrs. Quraishi, who helped start the Muslim Public Service Network. The dinner table was lively with stories of MPSN’s past and the ambitions of fellows and guests.

“No one should speak for us, but us.” This message came clearly across when Shahed Amanullah came to speak to our class on June 8th, 2012. Both in 2009 and 2010, Mr. Amanullah has been named as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world, according to Georgetown University.