It is with great honor that the staff and board of CAIR Oklahoma congratulate the 5th graduating class of the Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium (MYLS) program! Founded in 2009 in the state of Oklahoma, the MYLS program has trained over 300 Oklahoma Muslim youth to be the social and civil rights activists, community leaders, and religious liaisons of today and tomorrow. Through a series of workshops, team-building exercises, panel discussions, and debates, our youth have been provided with the skills necessary to be leaders in making Oklahoma a better place for individuals of all walks of life.
Highlights of this year’s MYLS program A Lasting Impression, Building Our Legacy, include some of the following:
Flippin’ the Script on Islamophobia: Engaging the Blissfully Ignorant and Misinformed
Speaker: Adam Soltani
Prepare to get schooled! In this interactive and totally informing workshop, the CAIR Oklahoma Executive Director will present the facts of Islamophobia, and give you the tools to dispel the irrationality and drop some knowledge on those who are blissfully misinformed.
Moving Beyond Theory and Practicing What We Preach: Giving Back to the Oklahoma Community
Speakers: Carissa Flint, Seana Wilkerson, Ali Soltani, Danielle Soltani
What’s better than seeing your peers and young professionals give testimonials about their awesome service to our communities? In this workshop, you will be given tools, advice, and hear first-hand accounts of ways you can take the reins and be a leader in your community, school, and workplace.
Me…A Constituent? Influencing Your Legislators with the Right Networking Skills
Speaker: Former Oklahoma Rep. Shane Jett
Do you know who your elected officials are? Ever wonder how to become an active participant in the political process? In this amazing workshop, you will get the inside scoop from a former state representative on just how to engage and network with anyone from politicians, community leaders, potential employers, and more.
Why They Be Hatin’? Media Perceptions of Islam and Muslims
Speakers: Carla Hinton, Malika James, Rachel Cunningham, Bill O’Brien
Is media bias towards Islam and Muslims in local and national media real, or just perceived? This engaging panel, with seasoned and diverse media experts will discuss and help us understand the how and why these perceptions of Islam and its followers exist, and how the Muslim community can help educate the industry.
Mock Debate of the Issues at the State Capitol House of Representatives Chamber
Moderator: Rep. Emily Virgin
“Examining HB 1060: A Resurrection of SQ 755?”
Discuss and debate this new legislation written by Rep. Sally Kern and signed by Gov. Fallin, which would ban all foreign laws in Oklahoma courts, with different restrictions applied to businesses. Although the United States Constitution supersedes any foreign law in the country, is this measure just a gimmick and a way around State Question 755? Do some pre-program research and reading, and come prepared to present both sides of the argument.
“Legislative Caucus on Counterterrorism: State-Sanctioned Islamophobia or a Legitimate State Committee?”
Is the state of Oklahoma really under imminent threat from the Muslim Brotherhood or networks of Islamic extremists who seek to establish “world-wide rule” of Shariah law, beginning with our great state? Debate both sides of the Oklahoma’s newest caucus, the Legislative Caucus on Counterterrorism. Is this a legitimate committee? Come prepared to defend both sides of the debate.