Los Angeles, CA

Mr. Dafer Dakhil is the Director of Community Development and External Affairs for the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation. Mr. Dakhil is responsible for the Foundation’s government relations, relations with the public and private sectors, and community relations. He develops and oversees the implementation of secular, cultural, and educational outreach programs. Mr. Dakhil has served the Los Angeles community for over a decade and has been recognized by the Los Angeles mayor, the Los Angeles Board of Education, and other public agencies for accomplishment in multicultural bridge building and human relations issues. He has also been recognized for achieving educational reform, equitably distributing human resources, and funding public education. Mr. Dakhil has assisted in building bridges of understanding and cooperation between the diverse communities of Los Angeles by initiating various programs to help the American Muslim community enter into active engagement in all aspects of American civic life.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Mr. Dakhil has become increasingly involved in working with law enforcement agencies to help reach out to the Muslim community. In 2002, he received the Martin Luther King Legacy Association/Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Angeles Prophetic Witness Award. He was also the recipient of the Mount St. Mary’s College 2002 Cultural Fluency Award, which was awarded to Mr. Dakhil for his assistance in the creation of Muslim Awareness week at Mount St. Mary’s College.

Mr. Dakhil currently serves on the USC Community Advisory Council and is a founding co-director of the Center for Muslim Jewish Engagement, a partnership between USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture. He is also a co-director of the USC, Hebrew Union College Institute of Advanced Catholic Studies, and a member of the Los Angeles Interfaith Environmental Council.