Noor
Traina

Noor Traina is a senior associate in Raben’s Issue Campaigns and Movements practice area, where she contributes her global experience in interdisciplinary research, nonprofit program management, and advocacy.

Prior to joining Raben, Noor was the senior program coordinator at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, where she led advocacy efforts in flagship programs like Muslim Day at the Capitol, hosted annual events such as the CAIR Community Iftar, presented anti-hate trainings to over 500 people, recruited and managed interns, and built nation-wide coalitions. With a background in religion, politics, and Middle Eastern studies, Noor has also worked across North Africa. At Cesvi, a global nonprofit organization, Noor was the Outreach Director at the Misrata, Libya office. Acting as a liaison between vulnerable migrant populations and the NGO, she managed data collection and analysis and the allocation of resources to those in need. In Rabat, Morocco, at the Moroccan Institute of Policy Analysis, Noor’s research contributed to the published study, Trust in Institutions Index 2020: The Parliament and Beyond. As the first national study of this kind, the findings were presented in Rabat to media outlets and over 2,000 people.

Noor holds a master’s degree in Theological Studies with a concentration in Religion, Ethics, and Politics from Harvard Divinity School (HDS). At Harvard, Noor was nominated and elected to be the head of student affairs. In this role, she listened to student concerns and elevated them to the administration to find innovative solutions. At HDS, Noor’s projects explored Islamic psychology, Islamic law, religion and women’s health, and psycho-spiritual well-being.

Noor also holds bachelor’s degrees in religion, philosophy, and Middle Eastern studies from the University of Southern California. At USC, she was a McNair scholar and completed and presented an ethnographic thesis on Islam’s role in inspiring Libyan women’s participation in the 2011 Libyan revolution. Noor also worked at USC’s Center of Education, Social Justice, and Identity, where she organized spoken justice events, researched Muslim student experiences post-2016 presidential elections, and organized annual conferences around (de)-institutionalizing Islamophobia in higher education. Her contributions are credited in the published book, Islamophobia in Higher Education: Combatting Discrimination and Creating Understanding.

In the past twelve years, Noor has lived in four countries and eight cities; she loves spontaneous adventures and trying new things!