Education
BA Linguistics & Translation, Birzeit University, Palestine 1990
Diploma, Video & Radio Broadcast, Specs Howard School of Broadcast Art, Southfield, MI 1996

Community Empowerment & Development
Early activism and community involvement was in high school early in the 80's where Kamal was an active member of the popular non-violent movement in Palestine and participated in numerous community service projects in Palestinian Refugee Camps and in rural areas. While in Palestine, Kamal assisted in producing several documentaries on the Palestinian Israeli conflict. Some of these documentaries where shown in the United States. Among such projects are Journey to The Occupied Land, a 1992 WGBH, PBS Frontline production, Disabled for Palestine, a 1994 documentary produced for the Middle East Council of Churches, Cyprus, Make Peace Works: Israelis and Palestinians, 1995 University of Texas at Austin  and Jerusalem: An Occupation Set In Stones, a 1996 project produced for the Palestine Housing Authority.

In 1994 Kamal moved to Detroit, Michigan where he encouraged the Arab American community become politically involved especially in the 1996 elections. His journalism background assisted in preserving the rich Arab culture through assisting the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, ACCESS by producing its nationally and internationally televised annual telethon. Also, Kamal's artistic talents in producing documentaries was vital in providing The Arab American Museum in Dearborn, Michigan with much needed mini-series documentaries showcasing Arab arts and displaying artists making their crafts.

In 1998, Kamal and his family moved to Fresno, CA where a greater involvement in community organizing left a remarkable impact. Among the achievement were the following:

* Establishing radio programs to demystify Islam in Arabic, English, Farsi and Spanish

* Organizing community town hall meetings during the 2000 elections. Muslims met with mayoral candidates for the City of Fresno and congressional candidates for the US House of Representatives.

* Defusing tension between Muslims and Jews through the adoption of the Code of Ethics and through dialogue

* Strengthening ties with the local media and law enforcement officials

* Linking the Muslim community to the interfaith efforts through the participation in the Interfaith Alliance. Such activism earned the local interfaith group national exposure where in 2001, Kamal and a Jewish colleague traveled to Washington DC to receive The Bishop P. Francis Murphy Memorial Local Activism Award from the Washington DC based, The Interfaith Alliance.
 
Such involvement was vital following the 2001 terrorist attacks where local Muslims launched public campaigns to defend Islam and to protect the community form hate crimes.

National Leadership
In July 2001, Kamal moved to Los Angeles and served as National Director of Community Relations for the Los Angeles based Muslim Public Affairs Council (2001-2003). While in Los Angeles, Kamal was instrumental in empowering the Muslim community following 9/11 attacks and in establishing national dialogue to bridge the gap in relations between Muslims and faith and ethnic communities with the emphasis on the evangelical Christian community. Such efforts were in response to the overwhelming lack of understanding of Islam and the spate in hate crimes against Muslims and other minorities. He also stressed the need to understand the root causes of extremism, its manifestations, its impact globally and the link between Christian Zionism and the deterioration of the image of America in the Arab and Muslim worlds. The most essential component of advocacy was the promotion of an American Muslim identity that is based on the authentic sources of Islam and the awakening of the silent Muslim majority. Muslims in various fields from scholars, thinkers, academies and students to homemakers joined efforts to reject extremism and to share the beauty of Islam with fellow Americans. His efforts were praised by many but irked extremists. In December 2001, the FBI foiled a plot to bomb the offices of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and arrested the chairman of the notorious Jewish Defense League and an associate as they received material to assemble a bomb and plant explosives in the offices of Muslim Public Affairs Council, King Fahd Mosque in Culver City and the field offices of Congressman Darrel Issa of Huntington Beach.

In 2003, Kamal resigned his MPAC position to join the Washington DC based The Interfaith Alliance (2003-2005). During the 2004 presidential elections, Kamal reached out to various faith communities to address the proper role of religion in politics, an area that was diminished by political candidates. He assisted faith leaders maintain the integrity of the Houses of Worship through the rejection of using congregations as launching pads for divisive political campaigns or endorsing political candidates. In 2004, Kamal and his family moved back to Fresno and in 2005, Kamal assumed his current position as director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno. 

Youth Empowerment
In 2005, Kamal organized an interfaith youth movement based on the vision of establishing the Beloved Community, as envisioned by civil rights leader Rev Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth of diverse faith backgrounds were offered the opportunity to engage in leadership, strengthen their religious identity and beliefs through the interaction with other youth of various faiths. To achieve such goals Fresno Youth Community Service Project was launched and youth volunteered in community service projects.

Boards & Commission
For the year 2005 - 2006, Kamal serves on the following boards and commissions:

1- Fresno Metro Ministry, board member: Located in California's San Joaquin Valley, "Fresno Metro Ministry is a faith-based organization that works to create a more respectful, compassionate and inclusive community that promotes social and economic justice." The organization was founded in 1970 "

2- Interfaith Alliance of Central CA, board member: The Interfaith Alliance of Central California is actively promoting the positive role of religion in American life. It organizes the annual  Fourth of July Diversity Brunch and coordinates STOP the HATE activities with partnerships with other groups.

3- Fresno Youth Community Service Project, chairman: The Mission of the Interfaith Youth Council of Fresno is to enrich the lives of the youth in Central California through providing community based volunteer opportunities aimed at promoting interfaith collaborations and youth involvement in civic and charitable causes. By doing so, it aims to organize and empower an interactive network of youth leadership to promote interfaith shared values and social justice awareness was launched and youth volunteered in community service projects.

4- The CA Domestic Violence Advocates and Faith Community Leaders, advisory member: The CA Domestic Violence Advocates and Faith Community Leaders (DVAFCL) and Faith Leaders and Domestic Violence (FLDV) Projects, funded by the California Department of Health Services encourages and trains faith leaders to become partners in efforts to combat domestic violence and empowers faith leaders with resources that are relevant to each faith. The group held its first conference in May 2005, "Faith in Violence-Free Families: Building Partnerships for Change", a summit for domestic violence prevention advocates and faith community leaders". Faith community leaders, domestic violence professionals, and others whose work includes responding to and preventing domestic violence attended for two memorable days of activities, speakers, and networking opportunities with colleagues from throughout the state.

Relations with Law Enforcement Agencies

Since January 2006, Mr. Abu-Shamsieh has been providing  the staff of Fresno Police Department with weekly one-hour workshop. The workshop titled "Working with the American Muslim Community", offers police officers and staff a glimpse of the diverse Muslim and Arab communities in the United States including the local Fresno community. It offers officers with recommendations for interaction, during non-emergency situations, in areas related to home visits, etiquette for visiting Islamic centers, Muslim belief, traditions and holidays and local contact information. In April 2006, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer approved the appointment of Mr. Abu-Shamsieh to Police Chief's Advisory Board.

In addition to the Fresno Police Department, the Diversity and Cultural workshop has been scheduled to benefit the United States Federal Court employees in Fresno. Other agencies interested in the workshops included the probation officers and the local FBI office.