UN General Assembly Week
Habibi Tech Meets
the Diplomatic Superbowl.
Every September, the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York City. It is the single week when world leaders, foreign ministers, global foundations, and international press are all in the same city at the same time. Around the Assembly, a full ecosystem of side events takes shape, hosted by institutions like the Clinton Global Initiative, the Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Global Business Forum, and Open Society Foundations. These are the rooms where global deals, commitments, and coalitions get made. HabibiTech Summit 2026 is a Muslim-led side event in that ecosystem.
HabibiTech Summit 2026 is part of it.
The Venue
Civic Hall.
Union Square.
One of the most high-tech event spaces in New York City — a dedicated civic technology and democracy hub in the middle of Manhattan. Multi-room layout for simultaneous programming across parallel tracks.
Thewallbetweentechandcreativehasfallen
HTS 2025
2025 Speakers
Sheikh Joe Bradford
Expert, Fiqh of Startups & Islamic Finance · Islamic University of Madinah
Congressman Jamaal Bowman
Former US Congressman · NY 16th Congressional District
New York, NY
Councilwoman Shahana Hanif
NYC Council Member · 39th District
New York, NY
Dr. Adji Bousso Dieng
Assistant Professor of Computer Science · Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Amany Killawy
Co-Founder · LaunchGood
Dawood Khan
Co-Founder · Gradio (acquired by Hugging Face)
Sahil Bhaiwala
Director & GM, Global Public Sector · Scale AI
Ayisha Irfan
AI & Product Strategy Lead · Google
Haroon Choudery
CEO · AutoBlocks AI
Hoda Abrahim
Host, Muslim Matchmaker · Hulu
Dr. Waleed Kadous
Chief Scientist · Stockapp
Faizan Ahmed
Co-Founder · HeadStarter
Dr. James Faghmous
ML Lecturer & Author, Spiritual Intelligence · University of Southern California
Melissa Westbrook, Esq.
General Counsel · Techstars
Hamdan Azhar
Founder & Chief Data Scientist · Prismoji
Dr. Mona Hamdy
Chief Advisor, AI Ethics · aiXplain
Sheikh Mohamed Elshinawy
Director & Research Fellow · Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research
Nadah Feteih
Founder & CEO · Ma'wa Collective
Ramy Ibrahim, Esq.
Corporate Attorney · Amazon Web Services
Faran Malik
CEO · Capex Funds
Mohamed Karar
Venture Partner · Launch Africa Ventures
Nuria Almuradi
Founder · Nur Agency
Osama Alsaleh
Head of Partnerships, Health · Plug and Play
Sheikh Nouh Kawkab
Founder · Kawkab Institute
Dr. Debbie Almontaser
Founder & CEO · Bridging Cultures Group
Jawad Mourabet
Senior Engagement Manager · McKinsey & Company
Dr. Saquib Rahim, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer · PrimeFocus Health
Rodrigo Queiroz
Head of Growth · Segments
Enushe Khan
Business Operations · EvenUp AI
Shastri Mahadeo
Co-Founder · Friday Ventures
Senan Khawaja
Co-Founder & CEO · Kollegio AI
Zaurbek Tsorojev
CEO · CodeBender AI
Sakib Afridi
Executive Creative Director · Merkley+Partners
Zohaib Rattu
Partner · Social Snowball
Yasser Salem
Founder · OneNYC
Fares Dahwal
Founder & CEO · NasTech
Samy Harmoush, Esq.
Managing Attorney · Workers' Advocate Law Group PC
Iman Sadreddin
Executive Director, Content & Technology · Quran Foundation
Nabil Maataoui
New England Area Manager · Guidance Residential
Alfarouk Saleh
CEO & Co-Founder · Parb AI
Ismail Sayeed
Founder · The Eid Collective
Raheela Ahsan, Esq.
Founder · Ahsan Law Firm PLLC
Mustafa Ammar
Managing Partner · Blue Nexus Ventures
Junaid Kapadia
Software Development Manager · Amazon
Rida Ali
Creative Director · Saath Fund
Safa Shameem
Senior Product Manager · Optum
Faisal Owimer
Client Success Engineer · Goodie AI
Safiyyah Sabreen Syeed
Researcher · University of Liverpool
Robhy Bastami
CEO & Co-Founder · Biotics AI
Javad Mushtaq
Co-Founder & Managing Partner · We& Capital
Fahad Rajput
Founder & Principal · Tresor Group
Sami Kabir
VP & Regional Manager · Guidance Residential
Yusuf Abdul-Qadir
Senior Manager, Ads Policy · Amazon
Issam Alzouby
Chief AI Engineer · Covenant Intelligence Group
HTS 2025
2025 Sessions
Seize the Moment: Lead Boldly in the Age of AI
This keynote examines AI's threats to humanity — concentrated power, privacy erosion, algorithmic injustice, and weaponi…
Sheikh Mohamed Elshinawy
Future at Stake: The Ummatic Urgency to Lead in AI
AI development choices — from data collection to model deployment — reflect particular interests. This keynote addresses…
Dr. Waleed Kadous
Fueling the Next Wave of Muslim-Led Innovation
Muslim founders and investors are rewriting the rules of fundraising — crowdfunding, venture capital, angel investing. T…
Safa Shameem · Shastri Mahadeo · Mohamed Karar · Amany Killawy
Masterclass: Fiqh of Startups, Crypto & 21st Century Tech
Islamic jurisprudence applied to venture capital, cryptocurrency, and digital economy innovations. Rigorous frameworks f…
Sheikh Joe Bradford
Smart Justice: AI's Role in Modern Law
From predictive policing to courtroom automation — how AI can advance justice while mitigating risks. The panel covers f…
Mod: Hamdan Azhar · Enushe Khan · Ramy Ibrahim, Esq. · Samy Harmoush, Esq. · Raheela Ahsan, Esq.
Culture Architects: Branding in the Age of Algorithms
Brands navigating the collision of authenticity, scale, and technology in algorithmic marketplaces. Storytelling vs. dat…
Mod: Nuria Almuradi · Sakib Afridi · Hoda Abrahim · Rodrigo Queiroz · Faisal Owimer
The AI Workforce Revolution: The Future of Jobs & Skills
Automation and AI are rewriting the social contract of work. How organizations can capitalize on workforce evolution thr…
Mod: Ayisha Irfan · Mustafa Ammar · Jawad Mourabet · Faizan Ahmed
Journey into the Dark Web
A live tour of the digital underworld — how the dark web differs from the regular internet, connection methods, and asso…
Fares Dahwal
Vibe Coding: Build Your MVP Before the Chai Gets Cold
Rapid prototyping and MVP development using vibe coding techniques. Speed, experimentation, and AI tools help founders t…
Hamdan Azhar
From Beta to Billion-Dollar Valuation: How to Scale an AI Startup
The journey from MVP to unicorn status: product-market fit, global scaling, and navigating the venture landscape. Real l…
Zohaib Rattu · Sahil Bhaiwala
Beyond HalalGPT: How Muslims Must Save AI from Itself
Muslims aren't meant to catch up to Silicon Valley — they're positioned to lead the next technological paradigm for all …
Dr. James Faghmous
Soul of the Machine: Islam and the Ethics of AI
How Islamic values can shape a more just and humane digital future for all. Design, deployment, ethics, surveillance, bi…
Mod: Rida Ali · Dr. Adji Bousso Dieng · Dr. Mona Hamdy · Sheikh Joe Bradford
On the Shoulders of Giants: What Muslim Tech Can Learn from a Generation of Activism
How Muslim technology professionals can draw wisdom from veteran community organizers — the lessons of those who fought …
Mod: Yusuf Abdul-Qadir · Councilwoman Shahana Hanif · Yasser Salem · Dr. Debbie Almontaser
Pitch to Payday: Win Investors, Fund Your Startup
How Muslim founders can successfully pitch to investors, navigate term sheets, and fund their ventures while staying tru…
Enushe Khan · Mohamed Karar · Mustafa Ammar · Faran Malik
Exit Strategies: How We Scaled & Sold Our Startups
Founders with successful exit experiences share the strategies, negotiations, and timing required to sell companies. How…
Mod: Mustafa Ammar · Dawood Khan · Zohaib Rattu
Vision to Venture: How We Built Our Funds
How Muslim investors are establishing venture funds and cultivating deal pipelines. Fund structuring, managing LPs, sour…
Mod: Javad Mushtaq · Fahad Rajput · Shastri Mahadeo
Quran & Sunnah Applications of AI
AI serving Islamic scholarship and practice. Quran.com demonstrates AI tools that enhance how Muslims engage with the Qu…
Iman Sadreddin
Reinventing Care: AI and the New Era of Medicine
How AI is revolutionizing healthcare through diagnostics and personalized medicine. Medical professionals, researchers, …
Mod: Dr. Saquib Rahim, MD, MBA · Osama Alsaleh · Haroon Choudery · Issam Alzouby · Robhy Bastami
From Idea to Impact: Journeys of Muslim Founders
The stories of Muslim founders who turned their visions into world-changing ventures. Each founder's journey highlights …
Nadah Feteih · Senan Khawaja · Alfarouk Saleh
Solopreneur: How I Use AI to Build a 7-Figure Digital Brand
How a single entrepreneur can harness AI tools to scale competitive businesses. Strategies covering content creation, au…
Zaurbek Tsorojev
The Ummah's Moment: Leading the AI Revolution
How Muslim leaders can guide AI development for global benefit through policy, entrepreneurship, and Islamic jurispruden…
Amany Killawy · Dr. James Faghmous · Dr. Waleed Kadous · Junaid Kapadia