Sound Vision Foundation Inc. is a pioneering Muslim media and communication organization, with a three-decade legacy of flagship programs. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Sound Vision is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Our US Federal Tax ID number is 36-4100396.
Our Mission
Sound Vision’s mission is to cultivate harmony among Muslims and their neighbors through art, media, strategic communication, and education.
Our Impact
Our History
Established in 1988, Sound Vision began by producing award-winning documentaries, which have been shown in 28 countries, including 68 channels in the United States and Canada. Another early project was the groundbreaking children’s series Adam’s World, which has been described as “the Muslim Sesame Street”.
Sound Vision has established itself as a premier source of Muslim-focused content. It not only presents the Muslim perspective on current issues, but also builds bridges of understanding between neighbors by explaining Islam and Muslim issues to the larger community. One example of this is Sound Vision’s “Talking and Thinking Points” newsletters, which are issued in response to crises and current events.
Another example is the 5,000-plus pages of articles on Sound Vision’s website (www.soundvision.com) developed over more than two decades, which offer practical, tips-oriented ideas and inspiration for Muslims in the United States, Canada, and abroad on how to live their faith in the context of today’s challenges.
As well, Sound Vision ran a daily talk show, Radio Islam, on WCEV 1450 AM Chicago, for almost 20 years. This was the only daily Muslim radio program in the United States at the time. Most of its audience was not Muslim, thereby serving as a catalyst for understanding and bridgebuilding with neighbors.
Sound Vision’s focus on art is reflected in its commitment to highlighting the work of Muslim artists in various fields. It has introduced singer-songwriter Dawud Wharnsby Ali and comedian Azhar Usman to the world of Muslim entertainment. Since 2004, in collaboration with DawaNet, it has organized MuslimFest, an arts and entertainment festival in seven cities across North America, which features the contributions of Muslim artists across various fields. The event has been recognized by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has issued a welcome message to MuslimFest for the last few years.
Sound Vision has used its skill in strategic communication to expand its work into the area of human rights. Its first campaign was with its establishment of the Bosnia Task Force, which raised awareness of the atrocities during the war in Bosnia in the early 1990s. Through this work, Sound Vision was also successful, in partnership with the National Organization of Women, in working to declare rape a war crime.
This human rights focus of Sound Vision’s work eventually developed into Justice for All, an organization which focuses exclusively on campaigns for human rights in different parts of the world.
Sound Vision services available today for you and your community
- 5,000 pages of free, tips-oriented, articles about living Islam in Western countries
- MuslimFest
- Muslim Network TV
- Creative Youth Engagement Manual
- Weekend School Teachers’ Training Institute
- Media Engagement Training
- Master list of Muslim Spokespersons
- The Prophet Exhibit: A full-color, 20-panel exhibit about the peace movement of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him
- Adam’s World Live Show (about bullying)
- Adam’s World App
- Adam’s World Club (for children ages 4 to 7)
- Colors of Islam Club (for children ages 8 and up)
- Crisis Text Line: Text SALAM to 741741 to reach a Crisis Counselor
Sound Vision's Board
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The operations of the Sound Vision Foundation are overseen by our Board of Directors. Currently, our board includes the following individuals.
- TAUFIQ AHMAD, Director
- HANNA EL-AMIN, Director
- ALTAF KAISERUDDIN, MD, Treasurer
- KHURSHEED MALLICK, MD, Director
- PROF. AMINAH MCCLOUD, PhD, Director
- ABDUL MALIK MUJAHID, Chair
- AMIN NADEEM, MD, Director
- MUHAMMAD KHALID RIAZ, MD, Secretary
- MIRIAM TISDALE, Director
TAUFIQ AHMAD is a Director. He is currently a Software Development Manager at Motorola in the area of GSM/GPRS/UMTS Software Development, supervising 27 software engineers. He is an expert in the area of Global Standards for Mobile Communications (GSM), telecommunication call processing and protocols. He has led thinking retreats of Islamic weekend school teachers.
HANNAH EL-AMIN, RD, CDE, is a director. She is a Registered Dietitian, as well as a Licensed Nutritionist Certified Diabetes Educator. She joined Sound Vision as an intern, and later became a staff member, moving on to being one of Sound Vision’s most successful managers. She has been serving on the Sound Vision board now for the last eight years while taking care of her four young children. She tweets at @hanbanana80
ALTAF KAISERUDDIN, MD, has been involved in community service since childhood. He has spent his medical career serving marginalized communities both as a Primary Care Physician in the inner city of Chicago and an ER Physician in rural areas of Illinois and Wisconsin. He was appointed as a Clinical Instructor and then Assistant Clinical Professor at the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Chicago. He served as the first Medical Director at the IMAN Health Clinic. During his time there, the clinic grew from a small free clinic to a sustainable, charitable, full spectrum primary healthcare center, which has since been granted Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status.
DR. AMINAH MCCLOUD is a director and a host of Muslim Network TV. She recently retired as a professor of religious studies and director of the Islamic World Studies program at DePaul University in Chicago. Her academic work illuminates the intersection between the African-American community, women, and Islam in the 20th and 21st centuries. A Fulbright Scholar, McCloud is the author of African American Islam, A Question of Faith for Muslim Inmates, Silk: The Textures of American Muslim Women’s Lives, Transnational Muslims in American Society. She is currently working on Owning Islam: African American Islam in the 21st Century. Dr. McCloud is also a board member of Radio Islam, the Institute for Social and Policy Understanding, and the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project.
IMAM ABDUL MALIK MUJAHID is chair of the board. He is an Imam and an award-winning author and producer. He is the founder of Sound Vision, as well as Chair-Emeritus of the Council for a Parliament of World Religion. He is the former Chairperson of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. He has also served at the Faith Advisory Council of the Democratic National Committee, as well as on the Credentials Committee of the DNC in 2008. As the national coordinator of Bosnia Task Force, USA in the 1990s, he successfully led efforts in collaboration of National Organization of Women (NOW) to declare rape as a war crime.
Imam Mujahid was selected eight times as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. More information about Imam Mujahid can be found here. His Twitter handle is @MalikMujahid
DR. MUHAMMAD KHALID RIAZ is a Director and secretary of the Sound Vision Foundation Inc. Dr. Khalid Riaz is listed among the 500 most influential Muslim personalities all over the world for his contribution in the development sector to alleviate poverty in Pakistan. A practicing cardiologist in Illinois, he is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Riaz has served as President Medical Staff, Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 1993. He was a member of the board of director of Sherman Hospital, Elgin 1990—1993. The board oversees the organizational and financial management of this 350-bed hospital. Dr. Riaz has served as treasurer, secretary, and president of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA) 1989-1992. Dr. Riaz is the founding president of the Human Development Foundation (HDF) 1997-present.
MIRIAM TISDALE is a director, as well as a volunteer producer for Sound Vision’s Muslim Network TV. She began working for Sound Vision as a volunteer, helping to organize one of our programs in South Carolina. She also participated in one of our training camps. She is a senior in college.
