Shams is an Egyptian-American Muslim, born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, who immigrated with her husband to the United States in 1967. She has been an Iowa resident for 44 years. She is a former national board member of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, MPAC, and current coordinator of its Iowa chapter. She has been a medical researcher at UI for 32 years. Shams was the former President of the Johnson County Consultation of Religious Communities, CRC, and is an ongoing member. She is an active participant in interfaith dialogue, board member of ACLU-IA, a frequent editorial writer, and serves as a community member of the Iowa City Press-Citizen Editorial Board. She is an Executive Committee member of the Iowa City Eman Islamic Center and former EXC member of the Mother Mosque of America. Shams has been actively lecturing on Islam at the University of Iowa and across the state, involved with Interfaith Dialogue for 10 years, and is a University of Iowa Speaker Bureau Member on Islam.

Show full bio

Hide full bio