Appellate Division Judge Hany A. Mawla (far left) swears in NJMLA officers on July 14, 2018 (left to right): Zafar Jaferi, Nadia S. Bandukda, Faudia A. Hameed Clemenza, Ehsan F. Chowdhry, Rabiya S. Kader, Birjees “Jay” Rehman, and Mohamed B. Zohny (outgoing law student liaison).
The New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association held its third annual gala on Saturday, July 14, 2018, at the Mirage Banquet Hall in Edison. Ehsan F Chowdhry of E. F. Chowdhry Law Practice was elected for his third consecutive term as president.
Left to right: New Jersey Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal and NJMLA President Ehsan F. Chowdhry.
According to a release, about 250 people attended the event, parts of which were covered by TV Asia. A traditional debka dance was performed during dinner, and Imam Hamed A. Chebli of the Islamic Society for Central Jersey mosque gave a religious supplication. The association issued the “Social Justice Award” to the Center for Constitutional Rights, Muslim Advocates and Gibbons for their work on Hassan v. City of New York, which brought claims against the New York Police Department over surveillance of Muslim communities in New Jersey; the “Outstanding Scholar Award” to Abed A. Awad of Awad & Khoury, for his work on complex matrimonial and Islamic-related legal issues; the “Religious Liberty Award” to Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler for their work on the Bayonne mosque land use case; and the “Landmark Award” to Dr. Shereef Elnahal, New Jersey’s commissioner of health—who, according to the NJMLA, is the highest-ranking Muslim cabinet member in the state’s history.
