Anila Ali
Co-Founder & President, American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council; Founder & Chairwomen, CalPak
2023
Anila Ali is a Muslim American faith leader who is also the President of the American Muslim
Multi-Faith Empowerment Council (AMMWEC). A lifelong educator, Ali retired from her public school teaching career to take on advocacy for Muslim women and education and now resides in Washington D.C. Anila has worked with multiple universities to build a friendly campus climate in the student communities. She has worked in conflict mediation, interfaith, and women’s empowerment on various California boards. Ali promotes collaborations between students of differing faiths to come together to build resiliency. Her extensive experience with college-level students spurred her to start Muslim Girls in Law Enforcement internships in collaboration with the US government. She founded the largest Muslim civil rights movement in America, AMMWEC. Furthermore, AMMWEC has partnered with the UC system, California Southern University, Pepperdine University, Cal State Fullerton, and many other educational institutes to host programs to educate people about Islamic culture and Muslims and provide internship opportunities for students. Additionally, Ali collaborated with California Southern University and started online education and adopted schools in Pakistan, building an awareness program for girls’ education. Ali’s belief is that women need to be a part of the labor force to help communities thrive and prosper. CALPAK is a non-profit that advocates for girls’ education, women’s empowerment, and works with the governments of Pakistan and the US to promote interfaith harmony, inclusion, and STEM and STEAM education. Presently, CALPAK is working with NED Engineering School and National College of Arts(NCA)to promote environmental and scientific solutions for problems. Through our partnership with Empower Women Media, we have educated girls in filmmaking, technology, and social media to advocate for themselves and for the causes they believe in. Throughout our partnership with GW Textile Museum, we promote better cultural understanding and interfaith harmony. Additionally, Anila Ali is a proud international Advisory Board member of Texas A&M University.
At the Summit
The Summit was more than empty words – it made clear that a solution-driven approach is the only way to fight hate. That’s why the working group activities, which are results driven are going to be critical in defeating violent extremism. The Summit brought together the best minds in government, private sector, academia, and civil society. Being surrounded by these experts sparked new ideas – some of which I’ve already implemented or have written about.
