Being Muslim in America
with guest Fayruz Benyousef, CFRE, Founder & Principal, Fayruz Benyousef Consulting
Muslims face ignorance and prejudice in America. In U.S. Muslims Concerned About Their Place in Society, but Continue to Believe in the American Dream Findings from Pew Research Center’s 2017 survey of U.S. Muslims, it is reported that 75% of US Muslims feel there is a lot of discrimination against them. 62% believe Americans do not see Islam as part of mainstream society.
Our guest, Fayruz Benyousef, is a highly successful fundraising professional, who shares her experience coming from Libya and growing up in America, the challenges she has faced, and the importance of being proud of one’s heritage.
Fayruz Benyousef Bio:
Fayruz Benyousef is a seasoned certified fundraising professional who has helped numerous organizations and their leadership achieve success. She is a philanthropy advisor and expert working with nonprofit executives for 23 years. Fayruz has an extensive background, serving as the CEO of an international NGO, a Partner a national consulting firm, where she was the youngest in the firm to make Partner, a Development Director with Ballet Austin, and the Associate Director of Annual Giving at her alma mater, Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
She served two terms as Board President for AFP – Austin where she helped to shape and implement the organization’s strategic goals, leveraging the fundraising profession and ethical philanthropic practice in the Austin community. She has been awarded the Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year award by AFP Austin in recognition of her work. Most recently she was awarded the Con Mi MADRE 2017 Corazon Award and has been named a Woman of the Year Candidate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Fayruz is civically engaged with organizations including the Boards of the Sustainable Food Center, Trinity Episcopal School, The Texas Lyceum and is a founding Board member of Libyan Hearts. She is also a member of the Central Texas Women’s Fund Steering Committee at the Austin Community Foundation. Fayruz is a member of AARO, The Austin Area Research Organization and was a 2014 McBee Fellow. She resides in Austin with her husband Malek Ben-Musa and their daughter, Yara.
Helpful Links and Resources:
- U.S. Muslims Concerned About Their Place in Society, but Continue to Believe in the American Dream
Findings from Pew Research Center’s 2017 survey of U.S. Muslims– PEW Research Center, July, 2017: https://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/findings-from-pew-research-centers-2017-survey-of-us-muslims - New estimates show U.S. Muslim population continues to grow – PEW Research Center, January 3, 2018: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/03/new-estimates-show-u-s-muslim-population-continues-to-grow
- Islam in America: https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/islam-in-america