2026 Candidate Statements for MuBANY Elections
2026 Candidate Statements for MuBANY Elections!
MuBANY's Board is composed of 4 Officers, who serve two-year terms, and 5 Directors, who serve one-year terms.
On June 26th, Members will receive an email entitled “Vote Now: MuBANY 2026 Board Elections” from an Election Buddy email address which will allow for electronic voting.
Members can vote any time between June 26th to July 3rd 11:59pm EST through Election Buddy.
Thank you to all who have submitted candidate statements, and to all of our members who have made MuBANY what it is!
Candidate Statements
Officer Level, 2 year term, 2026-2028
Candidates for President
President: Ayyan S. Zubair
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
My name is Ramz Aziz and I currently serve as Vice President of MuBANY. I previously served as Secretary from 2024 to 2025 and as a Director from 2023 to 2024.
First and foremost, I am the father of two beautiful children. Professionally, I am a senior Finance Associate at Simpson Thacher in New York, where I practice primarily in corporate borrowing and lending. Before joining Simpson Thacher, I was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and White & Case LLP in New York, and at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Toronto. Before my legal career, I served as Vice President and President of the Dalhousie Student Union, where I advocated for civil rights and earned certifications in project and change management.
I am seeking to serve as President of MuBANY for the coming year because I care deeply about this organization, its members, and the communities we serve. I am tremendously grateful for MuBANY’s impact and achievements over the years, and I hope to build upon the legacy of the many Directors, Officers, members, and community leaders whose service has brought MuBANY to where it is today.
By Allah’s grace, during my tenure on the Board and as an Officer, I have been proud to help advance MuBANY’s work alongside many dedicated colleagues. Among other things, we have established an attorney directory to support referrals, strengthened advocacy efforts, including engagement with the New York Attorney General’s Office, and expanded collaborations with bar associations and community organizations, including CAIR-NY.
I am also fortunate to bring more than 10 years of experience in corporate strategy, governance, and nonprofit leadership. I have served as a director or leader with several organizations, including the Pakistani American Attorneys Association of New York, Dalhousie University, Penny Appeal Canada, the Fort York Food Bank, and, most recently, the Muslim Community of Secaucus, an Islamic masjid and community service organization. I was also blessed to serve on the City of Toronto’s Advisory Group for Digital Infrastructure Planning, advising Toronto’s Chief Information Officer.
If elected President, I would work closely with the Officers, Board, committees, members, and partners to help build MuBANY into one of the premier bar associations in the United States. My priorities would include the following:
1. Expanding Member Services
MuBANY should continue creating meaningful value for lawyers, law students, and the broader community. I would seek to do this by:
Building out our jobs and member directories and expanding our referral service;
Strengthening our annual gala and other professional, social, and educational programming, including the Annual Iftar, Eid celebrations, monthly socials, career panels, resume workshops, networking events, and other opportunities for members to connect; and
Expanding opportunities for recent graduates, law students, and young lawyers to gain experience, build relationships, and advance their careers, including through a stronger mentorship program.
2. Building Organizational Capacity
MuBANY’s impact depends on a strong internal structure and broad member engagement. I would seek to strengthen the organization by:
Creating “sections” within MuBANY to better serve members across different practice settings, including solo practitioners, government and public interest lawyers, in-house counsel, small firm attorneys, and Big Law attorneys;
Expanding leadership opportunities through additional committee, co-chair, and working group roles so that more members can contribute meaningfully to MuBANY’s work; and
Exploring the establishment of a community legal clinic to serve Muslims and other underserved or marginalized communities in need.
3. Building Partnerships and Community Impact
MuBANY is at its strongest when it works collaboratively with others. I would seek to grow MuBANY’s reach and impact by:
Supporting MuBANY’s role as a co-host of the National Association of Muslim Lawyers Conference in New York City this year, God willing, to help our members connect with Muslim lawyers from across the country;
Collaborating with legal professional associations on events and initiatives that break down silos and allow our members to benefit from and contribute to other legal communities, including PAANY, AABANY, SABANY, PABA, SAICBA-Q, and NMLSA;
Partnering with non-law professional associations, including MAPS-NY, MUPPIES, and ABANA, so our members can expand their professional and business networks;
Developing strategic partnerships with nonprofit and community service organizations, including DRUM, to strengthen MuBANY’s grassroots impact; and
Advocating on issues of timely importance affecting marginalized communities, including religious discrimination, free speech, civil rights, and human rights.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my candidacy. It would be a privilege to serve as President and to build upon the strong legacy of MuBANY’s past and present Directors, Officers, members, and supporters. I believe my experience in governance, law, business, advocacy, and community service will allow me to make a lasting and positive contribution to MuBANY, its members, and the communities we serve.
Candidate for Vice President
Vice President: Bella Tabassum
My name is Bella, and I am seeking your support as Vice President of MuBANY.
After graduating from CUNY School of Law, I began my legal career as an Assistant Corporation Counsel with the New York City Law Department and later served as an Executive Agency Counsel with the Civilian Complaint Review Board. I currently serve as an Assistant Commissioner with the Administration for Children's Services. Throughout my career, I have remained committed to public service and expanding access to opportunities for communities that have too often been underrepresented.
Growing up in the Bronx, I understood early on what it meant to enter spaces where people who looked like me were rarely represented. From my local mosque being surveilled to members in my community being targeted based on their country of origin, justice was rarely served in the appropriate proportion. I became a lawyer because I lacked representation in the spaces I aspired to be in. I watched my Professors fight for justice in law school (and now as an attorney) on behalf of communities that are invisible. That experience continues to shape my commitment to mentorship, advocacy, and community building.
For the past two years, I have had the privilege of serving MuBANY as a Director. During that time, I supported the Gala Committee, contributed to the mentorship committee, and assisted with organizational governance, including voting on public statements and community advocacy efforts. These experiences have given me a deeper appreciation for the strength and potential of our community. I am seeking the role of Vice President because I believe MuBANY is uniquely positioned to build on the foundation laid by those who came before us. The work of the last generation was planting seeds. Our work now is to deepen the roots and ensure that the doors we fought to enter become pathways for those who come after us.
As Vice President, I hope to help strengthen the pipeline of Muslim legal talent by creating opportunities for students, supporting young attorneys, and increasing access to leadership spaces where Muslim lawyers have historically been underrepresented. Our community has long contributed to the legal profession, often without recognition. I want to help make those contributions visible, leverage our collective network, and create innovative opportunities for the next generation.
I would be honored to continue serving MuBANY and advancing its mission alongside this remarkable community.
Candidate for Secretary
Secretary: Raabia Qasim
My name is Raabia and I am seeking your support for the Secretary position with MuBANY for the
2026–2028 term.
I am applying for a Secretary role because I believe bar associations play a vital role in building
community, advancing equity, and shaping the legal profession. I have been involved with bar
associations throughout my career. Currently, I work as the Associate Policy Counsel at the at the
New York City Bar Association, where I help coordinate the City Bar’s policy work, legislative
activity, and advocacy. I work closely with City Bar leadership to develop and issue statements and
positions on some of the most pressing legal and social issues---locally, nationally, and
internationally.
This year, I was a Director with MuBANY and co-chaired its milestone 20th Anniversary Gala, which
provided me with valuable insight into the organization’s strengths as well as some of the challenges
it is navigating in the current landscape. I have also served as the Vice President of Public Interest for
SABANY, organizing programming and events to support South Asian students and attorneys
pursuing public interest careers. I continue to serve on SABANY’s Public Interest Fellowship
Selection Committee, which awards grants to students working in unpaid public interest summer
internships in New York.
Through my work with bar associations and advocacy organizations, I have developed a strong
foundation in leadership, policy, and community-building. I am committed to bringing these skills to
MuBANY and contributing meaningfully to its mission and members.
Candidates for Treasurer:
Treasurer: Imad Rafi
My name is Imad Rafi, and I am running for Treasurer of MuBANY. I currently serve as an associate at Barclay Damon LLP, where my practice focuses on health care litigation. In that role, I represent providers in complex disputes involving regulatory compliance, audits, investigations, and reimbursement matters.
My connection to MuBANY began during my first year at Brooklyn Law School, and the organization has remained an important part of my professional life ever since. I first became involved as a law school representative and have continued to stay active. This past year, I had the privilege of serving as a MuBANY Director and as Co-Chair of the 20th Anniversary Gala, helping lead one of our most meaningful milestone events.
For the past three years, I have also served on the Gala Committee, assisting with the planning and execution of the gala. Through that work, and through regularly attending and volunteering at MuBANY events, I have seen firsthand the important role this organization plays in supporting Muslim legal professionals at every stage of their careers.
As Treasurer, I would bring the same commitment, reliability, and attention to detail that I have brought to my work as a Director and Gala Co-Chair. My experience helping plan the 20th Anniversary Gala also gave me a deeper appreciation for the financial planning and fundraising efforts that allow MuBANY to continue serving its members. During my time with MuBANY, the gala has grown into an increasingly successful event, and this past year we helped raise one of the strongest fundraising totals in the organization’s history.
I hope to build on that momentum by supporting MuBANY’s financial health, promoting responsible stewardship of its resources, and helping ensure that the organization can continue its important work for years to come. I would be honored to continue serving MuBANY in this role.
Treasurer: Yusuf Qureshi
I am an associate at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath in New York, where my practice
focuses on complex civil litigation, internal investigations, and cybersecurity matters. Before law
school, I began my career in accounting — starting at PricewaterhouseCoopers — and I am a
licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA). I hold a J.D. from Indiana University and a B.S. and
Master of Professional Accounting from Butler University.
I moved to New York after graduating from law school not knowing a single Muslim
lawyer. MuBANY changed that. Through networking events and the mentorship program, I was
able to meet attorneys across the city and find mentors who continually help me grow
professionally. I now have a professional community here that I genuinely value. I want to give
back to the organization that made that possible, and running for Treasurer is my way of doing
that — contributing in a way that is matched to my skills while helping ensure MuBANY can
keep creating those same opportunities for others.
The Treasurer role is one where I think my background is genuinely useful. Managing an
organization’s finances — budgeting, reporting, compliance — requires both technical fluency
and careful judgment. I spent years doing exactly that in my prior career as an accountant.
During law school, I also served on the Finance Committee for the National Muslim Law
Students Association (NMLSA), where I supported the financial operations of a national
membership organization. I would bring that same diligence to MuBANY’s finances — keeping
the books accurate, the budget on track, and the Board informed so the organization can focus
on what it does best.
Thank you for your consideration!
Treasurer: Karim Sabbidine
My name is Karim Sabbidine, and I’m putting my name forward for Treasurer of MuBANY.
I grew up between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, and because I attended an international school, I spent those years surrounded by Muslims from all over the world. That is a large part of why an organization like MuBANY matters to me. Service was part of those years too. In high school, I joined Habitat for Humanity builds that put up an orphanage in Tanzania and a school in Cambodia. I went on to major in finance at Northeastern University and stayed for law school, and I’m now a Senior Managing Associate at Thompson Hine. My practice is in complex commercial litigation and white-collar defense, work where precision and accountability carry real consequences for the people I represent.
My connection to MuBANY is straightforward. I believe in what it does for Muslim attorneys in New York. This year, I helped organize Thompson Hine’s sponsorship of MuBANY’s Annual Gala, and at the dinner I sat next to Urooba Abid, the organization’s 2026 scholarship recipient, who is attending Harvard Law School. A scholarship stops being an abstraction when you are sitting next to the person it changed.
I’m well suited to the Treasurer role in particular. I came to law from finance, so budgeting, financial analysis, and fiscal oversight are familiar ground for me rather than a learning curve. I’ve also raised money for an institution, not just analyzed it. As a senior at Northeastern University, I led the Senior Class Gift drive, which brought in over $60,000 from the class of 2014, a record at the time. And as New York Chair of Thompson Hine’s Pro Bono Committee, I coordinate the firm’s pro bono work, recruiting attorneys, organizing initiatives, and expanding access to legal services for people who need them. That role has sharpened the administrative and organizational skills this position calls for, and it’s a steady reminder of why I want to spend my time on service.
As Treasurer, my first job is the unglamorous one: keep MuBANY’s finances sound, transparent, and well documented, so the Board can decide with a clear picture and members can trust how their dues are spent. But careful books are a means, not the goal. They are what let MuBANY keep funding students like Urooba, year after year, alongside the programming, mentorship, and cross-generational connections that bring Muslim attorneys and law students together. I want to make sure the organization can always pay for that work and keep growing, and I’d bring a disciplined, collaborative approach and work closely with the Board to do it.
Outside of work, I play basketball, travel home to Lebanon and to Egypt (where my wife’s family is) whenever I can, and have a soft spot for classic films.
Candidates for Directors:
Director: Pream Akkas
My name is Pream Akkas, and I am a litigation associate at Goodwin Procter LLP. I am seeking your support for the Director position because I want to deepen my involvement with the organization and further contribute to its efforts to strengthen and support our community.
Although I grew up in New York City and knew from an early age that I wanted to become a lawyer, I knew very few lawyers—and even fewer Muslim lawyers. I first learned about MuBANY while serving as an undergraduate intern with the New York State Attorney General’s Office. During that time, I attended MuBANY’s annual Iftar, where the Attorney General was invited to speak. That experience opened my eyes to a community I had not known existed, yet one with which I immediately felt a strong sense of pride and connection. I was inspired to join this community and reassured to see that so many Muslim lawyers had successfully navigated the same path I was preparing to embark upon.
After returning to New York City following law school, I began attending MuBANY events as a member and quickly formed several meaningful professional connections. This past year, I joined the Gala Committee, which gave me the opportunity to build new relationships while contributing to one of MuBANY’s signature programs. Through that experience, I gained a greater appreciation for the work that goes into creating opportunities for Muslim legal professionals from across the city to connect, collaborate, and support one another.
As a Director, I hope to build on that work by helping develop additional programming that strengthens our community and expands opportunities for engagement. MuBANY has been an important source of connection, mentorship, and pride throughout my career, and I want to help ensure that current and future members can find the same support network that I did. If elected, I am committed to organizing networking and professional development opportunities for law students, early-career attorneys, and other legal professionals. I also hope to strengthen MuBANY’s efforts to advocate for Muslim New Yorkers by leveraging our collective resources—including relationships with law firms and legal institutions—to support and amplify the efforts of the organizations leading this work. I would be honored to serve as a Director and contribute to MuBANY’s continued growth and impact.
Director: Shahnoor Khan
Salaam, my name is Shahnoor Khan, and I am a third-year Litigation Associate at Sullivan &
Cromwell. I work predominantly on trade remedies, white collar investigations, and compliance.
I would be honored to serve as a Director for MUBANY.
I attended my first MUBANY event in February 2026, which was the Iftar held at A&O
Shearman. To put it candidly, I was not used to being in rooms filled with other Muslim
lawyers, and I didn’t realize how much it would mean to me until I actually arrived. It was a
necessary and spiritual reminder that fellow Muslim lawyers exist, succeed, and deserve to take
up space. I also attended the Annual Gala, which I found to be thoughtfully executed and so
enjoyable. Since attending those events, I have been thinking about how I can become a greater
part of this flourishing community.
If selected as a Director, I will work to continue fostering the community MUBANY provides. I
envision more frequent social events, networking opportunities, and mentorship, regardless of
how many years one has been practicing law. I would also aid in the creation of more resources
for our members to use to help navigate the ever-evolving landscape of being Muslim lawyers in
the United States.
I am a native New Yorker who only left the state for law school, which I graduated from in May
2023. I love New York, and as a Director for MUBANY, I could leverage many of my
relationships with local businesses and organizations for the mutual benefit of their organizations
and ours. This position would give me the opportunity to extend the space and recognition that
MUBANY provided me with to others also seeking that sense of community. And these days, we
need our community more than ever. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Director: Karim Sabbidine
My name is Karim Sabbidine, and I’m additionally putting my name forward for Director of MuBANY.
I grew up between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, and because I attended an international school, I spent those years surrounded by Muslims from all over the world. That is a large part of why an organization like MuBANY matters to me. Service was part of those years too. In high school, I joined Habitat for Humanity builds that put up an orphanage in Tanzania and a school in Cambodia. I went on to major in finance at Northeastern University and stayed for law school, and I’m now a Senior Managing Associate at Thompson Hine. My practice is in complex commercial litigation and white-collar defense, work where precision and accountability carry real consequences for the people I represent.
My connection to MuBANY is straightforward. I believe in what it does for Muslim attorneys in New York. This year, I helped organize Thompson Hine’s sponsorship of MuBANY’s Annual Gala, and at the dinner I sat next to Urooba Abid, the organization’s 2026 scholarship recipient, who is attending Harvard Law School. A scholarship stops being an abstraction when you are sitting next to the person it changed.
I want to make sure the organization can always pay for that work and keep growing, and I’d bring a disciplined, collaborative approach and work closely with the Board to do it.
Outside of work, I play basketball, travel home to Lebanon and to Egypt (where my wife’s family is) whenever I can, and have a soft spot for classic films.
Director: Waresa Islam
Assalamualaikum, my name is Waresa Islam. I am writing to express my interest in serving as a Director on the Muslim Bar Association of New York (MuBANY) Board. As an attorney licensed to practice law in both New York and New Jersey, I am committed to serving the legal profession and supporting the Muslim legal community through leadership, advocacy, and service. I have developed and demonstrated leadership skills throughout my academic, professional, and community experiences. During law school, I had the honor of serving as President of the Muslim Law Students Association (MLSA), where I worked closely with students, faculty, and legal professionals to create meaningful programming, foster community engagement, and advocate for the needs of Muslim law students. In recognition of my leadership and contributions, I was awarded the Dean's Leadership Award for the Class of 2024.
In addition to my leadership experience, I have been actively involved with MUBANY, including serving on the Gala Committee. Through this role, I have contributed to the organization's efforts, collaborated with fellow members, and gained a deeper appreciation for MUBANY's mission and impact within the legal community. I would be honored to serve on the MuBANY Board as a Director and take a more active role in advancing the organization's mission. I believe my legal background, leadership experience, commitment to service, and dedication to the Muslim legal community would allow me to make meaningful contributions to the Board and its initiatives.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to the opportunity to further support MuBANY and help strengthen its impact on current and future members of our community.
Director: Yusuf Qureshi
I am an associate at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath in New York, where my practice
focuses on complex civil litigation, internal investigations, and cybersecurity matters. Before law
school, I began my career in accounting — starting at PricewaterhouseCoopers — and I am a
licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA). I hold a J.D. from Indiana University and a B.S. and
Master of Professional Accounting from Butler University.
I moved to New York after graduating from law school not knowing a single Muslim
lawyer. MuBANY changed that. Through networking events and the mentorship program, I was
able to meet attorneys across the city and find mentors who continually help me grow
professionally. I now have a professional community here that I genuinely value. I want to give
back to the organization that made that possible — contributing in a way that is matched to my
skills while helping ensure MuBANY can keep creating those same opportunities for others.
As a Director, I want to contribute to the work that makes MuBANY valuable to its
members — organizing events, supporting programming, and helping shape the direction of the
organization. I also bring organizational leadership experience that I believe translates well to
this role: I served on the Finance Committee for the National Muslim Law Students Association
(NMLSA) and on the Executive Board of the Indianapolis Bar Association Law Student Division,
where I helped coordinate programming and represent students in the broader legal community.
My goal is to ensure that every member continues to have access to meaningful opportunities to
connect, grow professionally, and feel part of this community.
Thank you for your consideration!