On August 19th 2010, the American Islamic College hosted its First Annual Community Leaders Iftar. The evening honored Chicago’s leaders who work hard serving their respective communities, be that in academia, business, government, media, NGOs, and religious and cultural institutions. The guests heard from Dr. Ali Yurtsever who spoke about the college, its history, and its new beginnings with a bright vision that will transform this humble NGO to a full-fledged accredited institution of higher learning. The stimulating talk was followed by an inspiring Keynote speech given by Dr. Zaher Sahloul, the president of CIOGC. “We support you,” he said. Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago, Ahmed Rehab was invited to speak next. He reiterated the changes that had already been made within the last year -which portray the dedication and determination of Dr. Ali Yurtsever and his new team to make AIC’s vision a reality. Guests also heard from Dr. Oussama Jammal, Fine Media Group; Dr. Marcia Hermansen, Director of the Islamic World Studies Program at Loyola University; and Ms. Afshan Khan, Office of the Clerk of Circuit Court-Cook County-who expressed their support and excitement for the future of AIC. Ms. Afshan Khan read a letter addressed to AIC from the Honorable Dorothy Brown conveying admiration for AIC and its community, as well as well wishes for the month of Ramadan. AIC was also honored to host Eldin Kajevic, Consul General of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and his wife; Graham Paul, Consul General of France; Agus Buana, Office of Consulate General of Indonesia, Consul for Economic Affairs; Yaser Tabbara, Project M; Dr. Scott Alexander, Catholic Theological Union, Odette Yousef, NPR-WBEZ, among many other distinguished guests. AIC expresses great appreciation for all those who attended the event and those who articulated their support. Special thanks to Dr. Zaher Sahloul and Ahmed Rehab for their speeches and continuous support.