At UMAA's 24th Convention, Shia Muslims Move From Identity to Impact

MARKHAM, Ontario — Shia Muslims from across North America gathered over Canadian Thanksgiving weekend for the Universal Muslim Association of America's 24th Annual Convention, held October 9–11, 2026, at the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre. The Shia Muslim Foundation was proud to take part, presenting a panel on faith, safety and civic life moderated by SMF Executive Director Rahat Husain.

Rahat Husain leads a panel at the UMAA 24th Annual Convention.

"The Next Chapter: From Identity to Impact"

This year's theme asked a question at the heart of Shia Muslim life in the West: how do we turn an identity rooted in faith, sacrifice and love for the Ahlul Bayt (AS) into service to our societies? According to UMAA, the convention set out to explore "strengthening our institutions and investing in our youth to serving our societies, building bridges, embracing innovation, and creating a lasting legacy."

The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sistani, Sheikh Sahlani, addresses UMAA 2026

The program reflected that ambition. UMAA's announced lineup included inspirational sessions, an influencers panel, youth programs, a grand bazaar, an interfaith reception, an art exhibit, community service, networking and a recognition banquet. The UMAA Venture Forum invited early-stage founders in AI and technology to pitch their ventures live for a chance at investment and mentoring. UMAA announced more than 5,000 attendees participated.

Dr. Hasan Abbas leads panel discussion at the UMAA 24th Annual Convention.

From the Masjid to City Hall

On Saturday, October 10, SMF and UMAA presented "From the Masjid to City Hall: Bridging Faith, Safety, and Community for Stronger Tomorrows." The panel brought together Georgia State Representative Akbar Ali, Michigan State Representative Alabbas Farhat, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, and civil-rights leader and policy advocate Ali Aljarrah. Rahat Husain, Executive Director of the Shia Muslim Foundation, moderated the session.

The session's title framed its focus: how Muslims can carry the values they learn in the masjid into public service and civic life, and how communities can stay safe while doing so.

Sheikh Hilli: "Raising a generation to stand out"

One of the convention's most talked-about addresses came from Sheikh Hilli during a discussion on raising the next generation. As Shafaqna reported, he urged families, educators and community leaders to raise young Shia Muslims who are confident, spiritually grounded and accomplished, and who never feel they must choose between their faith and professional excellence.

"We are not raising a generation to blend in. We are raising a generation to stand out." — Sheikh Hilli

He described a generation of neurosurgeons who remember God before an operation, human rights lawyers who uphold the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) teachings on human dignity, and journalists, authors, policymakers and organizers who carry the lessons of Ashura and Karbala into their work. He stressed that knowing about the Ahlul Bayt (AS) is not the same as building a living, personal connection with them, and he called on parents and teachers to be ambassadors of the Ahlul Bayt through their conduct.

Sheikh Hilli also encouraged young people to hold their Shia identity with confidence in the face of Islamophobia, and asked Islamic centers to offer youth unconditional love, belonging and real responsibility. Young people, he said, are not just the generation of tomorrow but leaders of today, and he urged them to draw on Imam Ali's (AS) wisdom, Lady Fatima's (SA) purity and Imam Hussain's (AS) courage, and to refuse to settle for mediocrity.

— Sheikh Hilli

Zahra Al-Alawi: "We become ambassadors"

Speaker Zahra Al-Alawi tied the theme to everyday character. Shafaqna Pakistan reported that she urged Muslims to see themselves as representatives of Islam whose akhlaq, or moral conduct, shapes how others understand the faith. "We become ambassadors. We become representatives of the religion," she said.

Citing teachings attributed to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS), she encouraged Muslims to draw people to Islam through how they treat others, not words alone, and spoke of Islam enabling women to pursue education, careers and knowledge while keeping their faith. She closed by asking each attendee two questions: "Who am I?" and "What positive impact can I make on this earth?"

— Zahra Al-Alawi

UMAA President Dr. Azmat Husain addresses the UMAA 24th Annual Convention.

SMF reflects

"UMAA's convention showed what our community looks like at its best: thousands of families, scholars and young people gathered to turn faith into service," said Rahat Husain, Executive Director of the Shia Muslim Foundation. "It was an honor to moderate 'From the Masjid to City Hall' alongside leaders who show every day that the values we learn in the masjid can make our cities safer and stronger. We thank UMAA for a remarkable weekend and look forward to building on it together."

— Rahat Husain, Executive Director, Shia Muslim Foundation

Why it matters

For Shia Muslims in the United States and Canada, gatherings like the UMAA convention are where faith, scholarship and civic purpose meet. This year's theme, From Identity to Impact, echoes SMF's own work: helping our community stay safe, engage confidently in public life and serve our neighbors. We congratulate UMAA on a successful 24th convention.

Sources: UMAA Annual Convention; UMAA Venture Forum; Shafaqna English (Oct. 15, 2026); Shafaqna Pakistan (Oct. 10, 2026); official SMF/UMAA panel flyer.

Muslim Candidate Arkia Wade Responds to Anti-Muslim Post in Baltimore County

SMF News

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — A social media post urging people not to vote for Baltimore County Council candidate Arkia Wade because she is Muslim has drawn condemnation from a Maryland state senator and a measured response from Wade herself, who said she will not let "hateful social media posts" distract from the issues facing her community.

Wade is a candidate for the county's District 9 council seat. According to East County Times, a local resident posted a message telling people not to vote for her, adding: "She is Muslim. We don't need Muslims taking over our district." The post urged readers to share it widely.

A state senator responds

State Sen. Carl Jackson, who represents Maryland's 8th District, condemned the post in a social media statement.

"I strongly condemn this disgusting attempt to use Arkia Wade for Baltimore County Council, District 9 religious beliefs as a weapon against her. In our community, people of every faith and those who practice no faith, deserve dignity, respect, and the freedom to worship without fear of discrimination." — State Sen. Carl Jackson

"We can disagree on policies, politics, and ideas without attacking someone for their religious identity," Jackson added. "Faith should never be used to divide our communities or question someone's worth."

— State Sen. Carl Jackson

Wade: "Both names are part of my family's story"

In a statement to East County Times on Tuesday, Wade said: "My focus is on the issues that matter to the residents of District 9, and I won't allow hateful social media posts to distract from the conversations we should be having about our community and its future."

She also spoke about her surname and family history. "Jamaludeen is the name I was born with and the name many people have known me by throughout my life," she said. "My father's birth name was William C. Wade Jr. He became Muslim in his twenties and changed his last name to Jamaludeen. In 2020, I chose to return to Wade to honor my grandparents, who moved to Dundalk in the 1940s. Both names are part of my family's story."

"There is a long and complex history of Black Americans changing their names as an expression of identity, faith, and heritage," Wade said. "That history deserves to be understood rather than met with assumptions based on a surname."

— Arkia Wade

Her family's roots in the area run deep. BmoreNews reported that her grandfather, Dr. William C. Wade Sr., served the Turner Station and Dundalk community as a physician for more than four decades.

Religious freedom and civic life

Wade framed her response around constitutional principles. "As an American, I believe in the constitutional principles of religious freedom, individual liberty, and equal treatment," she said. "The beauty of our country is that people of different faiths and backgrounds can participate fully in civic life."

"My commitment is to serve all District 9 residents, regardless of their religion, background, or political affiliation," she added. "This campaign should be about our community's future, not divisive rhetoric."

SMF responds

"No American should be told they are unfit to serve their neighbors because of their faith," said Rahat Husain, Executive Director of the Shia Muslim Foundation. "Muslims in Maryland are doctors, teachers, first responders and public servants, and we're grateful to Sen. Jackson and the local leaders who spoke up quickly. Religious bigotry has no place in our communities, and we stand with anyone targeted for how they worship."

— Rahat Husain, Executive Director, Shia Muslim Foundation

Why it matters

Muslim Americans in Maryland and across the country serve their communities as public servants, volunteers and neighbors. Singling out anyone for their faith, whether a candidate, a student or a worshipper, runs against the religious freedom guaranteed to every American. The Shia Muslim Foundation does not endorse candidates; we share this story because a person's faith should never be treated as a reason to exclude them from public life, and because the swift response from local leaders shows how communities can stand together against religious bigotry.

Sources: East County Times (Oct. 14, 2026); BmoreNews (Oct. 8, 2026).

Dearborn Workshop Draws on the Quran and the Ahl al-Bayt to Help Muslims Navigate Grief

Illustration

DEARBORN, Mich. — On October 10, R.I.S.E. led a mental health wellness workshop titled "Islam & Grief" at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, in collaboration with UNI. The session, led by Sayyid Sameer Ali, explored how Muslims can understand and work through grief by drawing on the Quran and the lives of the Ahl al-Bayt, the family of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

According to IMAM-US.org, attendees came from a range of fields, including mental health providers, advocates and faith-based counselors. The goal was to bring faith-based approaches to recognizing grief together with sound psychoeducation on the subject.

Grief through the lens of faith

The workshop focused on how grief is understood in Islam, closely examining examples from the Quran and from the lives of the Ahl al-Bayt. Its framework was based on the work of the Muslim philosopher al-Farabi on the "Virtuous City," and it called for collective education, resource-building and open discussion of grief among Muslims. The five stages of grief were discussed alongside examples from the Islamic tradition.

Participants explored Quranic models of emotional wellness and expression, along with traditions from the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt that emphasize endurance, patience and making space to recognize one's emotions. The audience engaged actively, and some attendees asked questions about the messengers mentioned in the Quran.

Who are the Ahl al-Bayt?

For readers who are not Muslim, "Ahl al-Bayt" is Arabic for "People of the House" and refers to the household of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): his daughter Lady Fatima al-Zahra (SA), her husband Imam Ali (AS), their sons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS), and the Imams descended from them. Shia Muslims look to the Ahl al-Bayt as divinely guided examples of faith and character. Their lives include profound loss, from the death of the Prophet (PBUH) to the tragedy of Karbala, which is why their example of patience and steadfastness in hardship speaks so directly to anyone who is grieving.

Illustration

Practical resources for support

Beyond discussion, the workshop pointed the audience to practical tools. Organizers shared educational resources, including emergency support numbers and directories of Muslim mental health providers, so that people who are struggling can find care that respects their faith.

Programs like this one help reduce the stigma that can keep people from seeking help, and they remind communities that faith and professional care can work together.

Join us in Maryland on October 17

Closer to home, the Shia Muslim Foundation and Idara e Jaferia will host a Faith & Mental Health Workshop this Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to noon in Burtonsville, Maryland. All are welcome.

Source: IMAM-US.org (Oct. 10, 2026).