On Our Team:

Mounir

Development Leader

As the Development Leader of Rebuilding Alliance, I take great pride in establishing and maintaining good relations with people throughout our community, including imams and the boards of the Islamic centers.  I give the Muslim community the opportunity to help the people of Gaza who are in great need.  Each week, I join planning calls with our team in Gaza and the West Bank, and sometimes also with the Palestinian implementing partner NGOs to learn about the aid and advocacy projects in detail so I can readily answer questions. 

I am Palestinian, and we are from Hamama (it means pigeon). I was born there. My parents were farmers.  After the fight of ‘48, we lost our land and became refugees in Gaza City.  I studied there—primary, middle school, high school. But no jobs. There was nothing.  I went to Algeria when I was very young because we heard they needed teachers.  I was a boy when I went through Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia to go to Algeria. We got to the border of Algeria, but there was a war with Morocco so we went by ship to Italy, then Spain, then to Morocco, through Oran to Algeria. 

The first thing I did when I got there was to go to university and get a job and so I could start helping my parents. I finished my degree in the University of Algiers, College of Art and Science, Literature.  I was teaching in middle school, high school then university, and as the civil war was starting, I came to San Francisco to the U.S. in 1989.  I started looking for a job at the Islamic Center of San Francisco. I found other Arabs and Palestinians, and I started teaching at a new school in Santa Clara: the Granada School (now part of the Muslim Community Association.) I eventually became the imam at the South Bay Islamic Association for 4 years, and the Afghan Islamic Society for 20.  I formed the Mounir Islamic School at the same time. It made it easy to live. 

I am very proud of my work for Rebuilding Alliance.  I most enjoy when I sit with our team in conferences and meetings, and we discuss how we are going to help people — especially when we respond to a need and find ways to help the children. 

My philosophy in life is all about how to help others — especially when it is easy:  Make it easy, give answers, and direct them to the right way.