Afaf Nasher, Esq.

Executive Director

Afaf Nasher currently serves as the Executive Director for the New York Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, “CAIR-NY.” Ms. Nasher obtained her Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law and has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.

Prior to accepting the role of Executive Director, she served as Board President of the organization. Before shifting her focus to civil rights advocacy, she worked as an associate for the Law Firm of Rossi and Crowley, LLP, performing commercial litigation. Ms. Nasher continues to serve as a volunteer with several religious and secular organizations in various capacities.

Her involvement with CAIR–NY stems from an enthusiasm to challenge discrimination in all its forms, promote positive activism, and foster an understanding of the Muslim American identity. Under her leadership, CAIR-NY offers policy advocacy and direct legal representation for numerous Muslim Americans facing discrimination, resulting in filing lawsuits against major private and government entities such as banking institutions and law enforcement agencies.

Together with a dedicated team, Ms. Nasher has also expanded CAIR-NY's capacity to create community resources, including a broad range of Know Your Rights educational workshops, a robust digital resource library, and the publication of Feeling the Hate, an often-cited, data-driven report about the hate and bias incidents experienced by Muslim New Yorkers.

Ms. Nasher has appeared or been quoted extensively in international and national media outlets including MSNBC, Huffington Post, The New York Times, Pix11, Al-Jazeera, CNN, and The Washington Post. She also regularly speaks at events concerning civil rights and the Muslim American experience at educational campuses, community centers, mass protests, fundraising engagements, interfaith spaces, bar associations, and others.