Omar Ahmad

Omar Ahmad (Arabic: عمر أحمد‎‎) was the founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington D.C.-based Muslim civil rights organization. He also worked for the Islamic Association of Palestine, a precursor to CAIR. He was born in Amman, Jordan. He holds a Masters in Computer Science from Santa Clara University as well as a Masters in Political Science. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the Santa Clara City Library for 8 years.
He had been the chairman of CAIR's board of directors since its founding in 1994, but stepped down from that position in May 2005. At the time that he resigned, CAIR claimed to be the largest Muslim civil liberties organization in the United States, with over 30 regional offices and chapters.