2024 SPEAKERS
The opinions expressed herein by the guest speakers at the MAS-ICNA Convention are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Muslim American Society (MAS) or the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).
HUSSAIN KAMANI
Mufti Hussain Kamani was born to a Hindu revert-to-Islam and Muslim father in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. With the blessings and du’a (supplications) of his parents, Mufti Hussain Kamani underwent a journey of a lifetime in pursuit of sacred Islamic knowledge. He began his pursuit of the Islamic sciences at the young age of six to memorize the entire Quran at the acclaimed Darul Uloom Madania in Buffalo, New York. By the blessings of Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, he was able to complete this momentous task in 1999. Having the growing thirst to quench more knowledge, Mufti Kamani then traveled across the world to the United Kingdom to attain more advanced formal Islamic authorizations in the field of Islamic theology. He studied at Darul Uloom Bury, the renowned seminary of the great revivalist and scholar of Hadith, Shaykh-ul-Hadith Zakariyya Kandhlawi (Rahmatullahi Alayh). Mufti Kamani completed the traditional six-year curriculum covering the Arabic language, Arabic morphology, Islamic jurisprudence, Tafseer (exegis) of the Holy Qur’an, Hadith (Prophetic Sciences), philosophy, and Aqeedah (Islamic Creed) under the guidance of some of the pioneer scholars in England, including Shaykh Yusuf Motala, Shaykh Hashim, Shaykh Bilal and Shaykh Abdur Raheem bin Dawood amongst others. Upon graduation he was then was specially selected to enter a post-graduate level course in Islamic Law and Legal Verdicts (Fatwa). He completed this course in two years and received formal authorization in it as well.
Alongside his religious studies, Mufti Kamani was blessed with having the opportunity to study the secular and academic sciences. He completed his graduate degree in Business Management from the University of Coventry in England as well.
Mufti Kamani currently resides in Dallas, TX with his wife and four children. He serves as an Imam and is on the Board of Directors for the Islamic Association of Carrollton (Masjid Al-Rahman). He is also an instructor for the Qalam Institute.
Yasir Qadhi
Dr. Yasir Qadhi joined East Plano Islamic Center as a resident scholar in July 2019. He completed his primary and secondary education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
He graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. There, he completed a second Bachelors degree, specializing in Hadith studies, and then went on to complete M.A. in in Islamic Theology from the College of Dawah. He then returned to the United States, and completed a PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University.
Dr. Yasir Qadhi has authored several books, published academic articles, and appeared on numerous satellite and TV stations around the globe. His online videos are some of the most popular and highly-watched Islamic videos in English.
He graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. There, he completed a second Bachelors degree, specializing in Hadith studies, and then went on to complete M.A. in in Islamic Theology from the College of Dawah. He then returned to the United States, and completed a PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University.
Dr. Yasir Qadhi has authored several books, published academic articles, and appeared on numerous satellite and TV stations around the globe. His online videos are some of the most popular and highly-watched Islamic videos in English.
ABDUL NASIR JANGDA
Shaykh AbdulNasir Jangda is the founder, director, and an instructor at Qalam. He is a faculty member at the Qalam Seminary where he teaches Sahih Bukhari, advanced Tafseer, Usul, Fiqh, and Balagha. He has completed an extensive study of the life of the Prophet ﷺ in the Seerah Podcast. He annually teaches the Seerah Intensive and leads groups on the Seerah Umrah tour and a visit to Masjid Al-Aqsa.
Born and raised in Dallas, he currently resides there with his wife and three children. He memorized the Qur’an in Karachi at an early age. After high school, he returned to Karachi to study the Islamic sciences full-time at Jamia Binoria where he specialized in Fiqh and Tafsir. He graduated from the rigorous ‘alim program in 2001 at the top of his class. He also attained a B.A. and M.A. in Arabic from Karachi University while completing a Masters in Islamic Studies from the University of Sindh. After returning home, he taught at the local university and Islamic schools and served as the Imam in the Dallas area.
Born and raised in Dallas, he currently resides there with his wife and three children. He memorized the Qur’an in Karachi at an early age. After high school, he returned to Karachi to study the Islamic sciences full-time at Jamia Binoria where he specialized in Fiqh and Tafsir. He graduated from the rigorous ‘alim program in 2001 at the top of his class. He also attained a B.A. and M.A. in Arabic from Karachi University while completing a Masters in Islamic Studies from the University of Sindh. After returning home, he taught at the local university and Islamic schools and served as the Imam in the Dallas area.
ZAYNAB ANSARI
Zaynab Ansari has served as a member of the full-time faculty of Tayseer Seminary since its founding in 2014 when she joined the Muslim Community of Knoxville in the pioneering role of women’s scholar-in-residence, one of the first women to serve in such a capacity in an Islamic institution in North America. With over 20 years of experience as a public speaker, facilitator of interfaith dialogue, youth mentor, and an instructor of the Islamic Sciences, Ustadha Zaynab is committed to reviving the Prophetic model of community and training the next generation of Muslim leaders, workers, and activists.
Ustadha Zaynab considers herself a lifelong student of traditional Islam and she was blessed to spend her formative years studying in Damascus, Syria with both male and female scholars of the Qur'an, Islamic law, theology, and spirituality. Prior to settling in Knoxville, Ustadha Zaynab was based in Atlanta, where she earned degrees in World History and Middle Eastern Studies from Georgia State University, and dedicated her free time to volunteering with the award-winning Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta.
In addition to her work inside the classroom at Tayseer Seminary, Ustadha Zaynab is active with several nonprofit organizations and teaches online classes on a number of topics, including Qur'anic Sciences, Hadith, and Women in Islam.
Ustadha Zaynab considers herself a lifelong student of traditional Islam and she was blessed to spend her formative years studying in Damascus, Syria with both male and female scholars of the Qur'an, Islamic law, theology, and spirituality. Prior to settling in Knoxville, Ustadha Zaynab was based in Atlanta, where she earned degrees in World History and Middle Eastern Studies from Georgia State University, and dedicated her free time to volunteering with the award-winning Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta.
In addition to her work inside the classroom at Tayseer Seminary, Ustadha Zaynab is active with several nonprofit organizations and teaches online classes on a number of topics, including Qur'anic Sciences, Hadith, and Women in Islam.
SUHAIB WEBB
Suhaib, William, Webb has a degree in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma, and Islamic Law from al-Azhar in Cairo. He was named as a "Faith Leader to Watch" by The Center for American Progress in 2016, selected by the Muslim Community as one of CNN’s 25 Most Influential Leaders; as well as one of "Five Hundred of the Most Influential Muslims" by the Royal Islamic Studies Center in 2021. He is was the resident scholar at the ICNYU and taught a course at NYU on Islamic Law and Ethics. He sits on the North American Fiqh Council, is a member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and sits on the advisory board of the Political Theologic Network. His writings have appeared in the New York Times, and he has been on CNN, NBS, al-Jazeera, CBS and more. He runs an online school that focuses on functional religious literacy for English speaking Muslims, and currently serves as the Resident Scholar at Center DC in Washington DC.
MUSLEMA PURMUL
Muslema Purmul was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and raised in San Diego, California. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a double major in Religious Studies and Middle Eastern Studies. During these years she served a number of different roles at her local MSA at UCSD as well as MSA West. After graduating she left to study in Egypt where she spent the better part of the next 7 years. She completed the Bachelors program in Sharia from al-Azhar University in Cairo and also completed almost two years of graduate work at the American University in Cairo in Islamic Studies. She also attended the International Union of Muslim Scholars “Future Scholars Program” while she was studying in Cairo.
Upon her return to America, she served the Southern California community in various capacities including religious instruction, directing youth and young adult programs, university chaplaincy, and offering community pastoral care at and with local masjids and organizations. She has taught classes and spoken nationally and internationally about issues related to Islamic law and ethics in an array of educational settings including conferences, retreats, universities, libraries, and mosques. Currently she serves as Religious Director at The Majlis, a community organization she and her husband co-founded together seeking to nurture safe community spaces where people can learn and live Islam, based on the traditional sources of understanding the faith, while acknowledging the particular challenges of the American context. She is a mother of two and resides with her family in Southern California.
IEASHA PRIME
Ieasha Prime is the Director of Women’s Programming at Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center in Virginia and the founder of the DC Muslim Women’s Conference. She converted to Islam more than 20 years ago after being a Youth Ambassador to Morrocco and Senegal. There she developed a thirst for knowledge that would cause her to sit at the feet and learn from some of the top Islamic Scholars of our time. After having participated in several circles of knowledge in the US, Ieasha decided to pursue religious studies abroad. She studied Arabic, and Quran at the Fajr Institute in Cairo, Egypt. Later, she moved to Hadramaut, Yemen and enrolled in Dar al Zahra, an Islamic University for Women. There she studied Aqeedah, Quran, Hadith, Arabic, Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Islamic law, Purification of the Heart and other religious related learning. She has received several scholarly licenses (ijaza). The work that she is most committed to and enjoys have been the development of Islamic programming, Islamic Studies curriculum and Rites of Passage programs for youth and adults. Majority of her life has been spent as an educator and activist. She is most passionate about combining Islamic studies, cultural art, activism and service for the purpose of training leaders to rise above whatever challenges stand in their way and that of the community they serve. In addition to her full-time work, she is the co-founder and Executive Director of Barakah INC, an organization committed to training Muslim women in traditional Islamic sciences with a focus on modern application. Sister Ieasha is recently known for her participation in the National Women’s March, and the courses she teaches on traditional knowledge, the challenges of race and gender in the Muslim community and Spirituality. Ieasha Prime is a proud wife and mother of three children.
Dalia Mogahed
Dalia Mogahed is a researcher, pollster, author, advisor and consultant who studies Muslim communities. As director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, Dalia Mogahed keeps her finger on the pulse of the Muslim world. She served on Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in 2009, advising the president on how faith-based organizations can help government solve persistent social problems. Mogahed is former Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, a non-partisan research center that provided data and analysis to reflect the views of Muslims all over the world. She and John Esposito co-authored the book Who Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think, based on 6 years of research and more than 50,000 interviews representing Muslims in more than 35 predominantly Muslim countries. Accounting for more than 90% of the world’s Muslim community, this poll is the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind. Mogahed later appeared as a commentator in the award-winning, PBS-broadcast documentary Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think (2010), which was based on her and Esposito’s book and produced by Unity Productions Foundation.
SUZY ISMAIL
Suzy Ismail is the Founder and Head Communication Counselor at Cornerstone, a faith-based communication counseling center with several local and international offices that focus on identity building and improving relationships for couples, families, and youth. She is the author of several books including "Modern Muslim Marriage," "9 to 5," "When Muslim Marriage Fails," and several other works. She specializes in presenting a range of communication lectures and diversity workshops at major corporations, universities, and events. She has been interviewed on numerous media outlets including Fox News, PTV, ART and other networks and is often featured on international talk shows and radio and television broadcasts regarding the subjects of her work. Suzy provides youth, marriage, women empowerment, gender relations, identity, and family seminars locally and globally and is the student advisor at a private high school. She has spoken at numerous universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, NYU, Bryn Mawr, Temple, University of Kentucky, University of Oklahoma and many more. Suzy also spoke by invitation at the World Meeting of Families during Pope Francis’ historic visit to Philadelphia and she has travelled overseas to work with refugees abroad and in the US on recovery and integration counseling. She currently serves as an executive officer and director on several non-profit boards, commissions, and organizations. She is completing her Doctorate in Human Services with a focus on Family Intervention and resides in Princeton, New Jersey with her husband and three children.
ABDULLAH ODURO
Abdullah Oduro is a first generation Ghanian native that converted to Islam in 1997. He graduated from the College of Islamic Law from the University of AlMadinah in 2007. He conducts public speeches, sermons, lectures, and workshops around the US on Islamic Law, self-improvement, and convert life. He is currently the Imam at the Islamic Center of Coppell and Lewisville in Dallas, TX. He resides in Dallas, TX with his wife and four children. Having recently joined Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research as a Scholar, Shaykh Abdullah leads a team providing unique and comprehensive resources for new Muslim converts and institutional convert care.
ALTAF HUSAIN
Altaf Husain is a native of Cleveland, Ohio , and a double alumnus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, having earned his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and his M.S. in Social Work.
He received his Ph.D. in Social Work from Howard University in Washington, D.C, where he serves as an Associate Professor. Dr. Husain's research interests include the mental health and integration of immigrant and refugee families, and especially Muslim adolescents, in the United States. He serves as Vice President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and an advisory board member of the Peaceful Families Project - dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence. Dr. Husain and his family live in Northern Virginia.
He received his Ph.D. in Social Work from Howard University in Washington, D.C, where he serves as an Associate Professor. Dr. Husain's research interests include the mental health and integration of immigrant and refugee families, and especially Muslim adolescents, in the United States. He serves as Vice President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and an advisory board member of the Peaceful Families Project - dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence. Dr. Husain and his family live in Northern Virginia.
Wesley Lebron
Imam Wesley Abu Sumayyah Lebron is a Puerto Rican convert who accepted Islam in 1998. He has a BA in Islamic studies from Mishkah University.
He is the co-founder of the 3 Puerto Rican Imams Projects, a non-profit humanitarian organization that has serviced Puerto Rico, Palestine, Pakistan, Nigeria, Haiti, Central and South America, as well as locally in the US.
He is currently the Imam and Director of Education and Programs for MAS NY Reverts Reconnect.
He is the co-founder of the 3 Puerto Rican Imams Projects, a non-profit humanitarian organization that has serviced Puerto Rico, Palestine, Pakistan, Nigeria, Haiti, Central and South America, as well as locally in the US.
He is currently the Imam and Director of Education and Programs for MAS NY Reverts Reconnect.
Lobna Mulla
Ustadha Lobna Youssef Mulla is a motivational speaker and community educator. She is best known for her optimistic, positive and engaging style with audiences. Lobna is a member of the Board of Directors of Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. Additionally, she serves as an IOK Muslim Chaplain at UCLA. Lobna is the former National Tarbiya Director of the Muslim American Society, where she is still an active member. And Lobna is the co-founder of the Muslim Marriage Rejuvenation Retreat.
Ustadha Lobna has been working as a youth mentor for the past two decades in multiple capacities. She has organized youth camps, led study circles, taught classes in her community, and lectured extensively, nationally and internationally. In addition to being a mentor and speaker, Lobna has written for myvirtualmosque.com and the MAS Blog.
Lobna is a graduate of Chapman University with a Masters of Fine Arts in Screenwriting. She is the creator of the YouTube channel, Double Shot Mocha Productions, where she strives to promote social awareness through humor. Lobna was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from California State University, Northridge in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting. She worked as an accountant for ten years until she began her career as a mother. Lobna moved to Egypt for three years with her husband, Shaikh Suhail Mulla, and her children and studied Arabic, Qur’anic Recitation and Islamic Sciences under Azhari scholars. Lobna Mulla currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and four children.
Ustadha Lobna has been working as a youth mentor for the past two decades in multiple capacities. She has organized youth camps, led study circles, taught classes in her community, and lectured extensively, nationally and internationally. In addition to being a mentor and speaker, Lobna has written for myvirtualmosque.com and the MAS Blog.
Lobna is a graduate of Chapman University with a Masters of Fine Arts in Screenwriting. She is the creator of the YouTube channel, Double Shot Mocha Productions, where she strives to promote social awareness through humor. Lobna was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from California State University, Northridge in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting. She worked as an accountant for ten years until she began her career as a mother. Lobna moved to Egypt for three years with her husband, Shaikh Suhail Mulla, and her children and studied Arabic, Qur’anic Recitation and Islamic Sciences under Azhari scholars. Lobna Mulla currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and four children.
Hosai Mojaddidi
Hosai Mojaddidi is the co-founder of MH4M (www.mentalhealth4muslims.com), a site dedicated to providing mental health related content tailored for the Muslim community. She has served the American-Muslim community for over 25 years as a spiritual advisor, public speaker, mental health advocate, interfaith organizer, mediator, and writer/editor covering a variety of topics including women's issues, marriage/family, youth/teen issues, education, tazkiyyah, seerah, prophetic emotional intelligence, social media literacy, interfaith bridge building, spirituality, etc. She currently teaches Islamic studies & Qur’an as well as regular educational workshops on social-emotional learning to Muslim youth for local Islamic schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. She also offers monthly self-development and spiritual wellness classes for Muslim women at MCC East Bay & the Rahmah Foundation. Additionally, she speaks nationally and internationally for the Muslim community at large on a variety of topics both in person and online, and is an active content creator on multiple social media sites including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Clubhouse. To learn more about Hosai, please visit: www.hosaimojaddidi.com.
MARGARI HILL
Margari Hill is the co-founder and Executive Director of Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC), a human rights education organization. She is also a freelance writer published in How We Fight White Supremacy (2018) Time, Huffington Post, and Al Jazeera English. She earned her master’s degree in History of the Middle East and Islamic Africa from Stanford University in 2006. Her research includes transformations in Islamic education, colonial surveillance in Northern Nigeria, anti-colonial resistance among West Africans in Sudan during the early 20th century, interethnic relations in Muslim communities, anti-bias K-12 education, and the criminalization of Black Muslims. She is on the Advisory Council of Islam, Social Justice & Interreligious Engagement Program at the Union Theological Seminary. For her work, she has received numerous awards including the Council of American Islamic Relation’s (CAIR) 2020 Muslim of the Year award, Khadija bint Khuwaylid Relief Foundation Lifetime Humanitarian award in 2019, the Big Heart Award in 2017, and MPAC’s 2015 Change Maker Award. She has given talks and lectures in various universities and community centers throughout the country.
Haifaa Younis
Dr. Haifaa Younis is an American Board Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist, and the founder and Chairman of Jannah Institute. She teaches seminars on the thematic commentary of various chapters of the Holy Qur’an and their practical relevance in our day-to-day living. She also offers retreats on key topics that combine the inner essence of Islam with an outward expression of practice. Dr. Haifaa graduated from the Mecca Institute of Islamic Studies in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and completed memorizing the Qur'an at Al-Huda Qur’an Memorization School in Jeddah. She is passionate about spreading the word of Allah (swt) and igniting the love of Islam and the Qur’an through her teachings.
MOHAMED ABUTALEB
Mohamed AbuTaleb serves as Dean of Administration and Professor at the Boston Islamic Seminary and Senior Fellow at the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. He transitioned from a successful career in technology at a Fortune 100 company to serve the community full-time at the helm of one of the largest Islamic centers in the South, serving as Imam, Religious Director, and Member of the Board for seven years. Dr. AbuTaleb has been featured in media coverage from outlets including National Geographic, NPR, ABC11, Religion News Service, and WRAL; and lectured in many universities including Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Duke, and Georgia Tech. Mohamed pursued seminary training through the Cambridge Islamic College and Al-Salam Institute in the United Kingdom, and completed his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in electrical engineering from MIT along with degrees in physics and mathematics from the University of Maryland.
SULEIMAN HANI
Imam Suleiman Hani is the Director of Academic Affairs at AlMaghrib Institute, a research scholar for Yaqeen Institute, a resident scholar at the Islamic Cultural Association, and an adjunct lecturer at the Islamic Center of Detroit. At the age of 14, Suleiman completed a 10-month Qur’an memorization program and began his intensive studies under numerous scholars, earning dozens of traditional religious certifications in the process. He later earned a master’s degree from the University of Jordan’s College of Shari’ah, ranking first in his class, and a master’s degree from Harvard University, where he studied religions, philosophy, political science, and psychology. Over the past decade, he has served as an Imam and community leader in Michigan, lectured in dozens of countries, published a number of books and articles, and was featured on the largest Islamic TV stations worldwide.
AMMAR ALSHUKRY
Shaykh Ammar AlShukry is a New Yorker originally from Queens, Sudan. Islamic studies and marketing double majors. A Director at AlMaghrib and an Imam at the Islamic Center of Clear Lake. What the Pen Wrote: The Collected Poems of Ammar AlShukry, a collection of his poetry, is one of his works. His upcoming course, A Mindful Salah, is slated to begin in early 2022.
Ammar AlShukry, the winner of the AlMaghrib Grand Slam, has excelled in his volunteer work and has served as the initial Ameer of QTayybah, HQ staff, a graduate, and a current instructor.
MOHAMMAD ELSHINAWY
Sh Mohammad Elshinawy is the Religious Director at Jesus Son of Mary Mosque in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate and instructor at Mishkah University. He is a Research Fellow at Yaqeen Institute. He is a graduate of English Literature (Brooklyn College) and an instructor at Legacy International Online High School. "
SAAD TASLEEM
Shaykh Saad Tasleem, born and raised in the USA, is highly in tune with today’s youth struggles and pressures, while grounded with education in traditional Islamic Sciences.
In his early years, Shaykh Saad tasted the alternative life as the lead singer of a punk rock band. Moving on from that lifestyle, Shaykh Saad still skateboards, snowboards, and rocks his Converse sneakers. After studying Art History, Modern Art, Graphic Design, and Psychology at the University of Maryland, he decided to take his life in a brand new direction.
Shaykh Saad started Islamic education at IIASA in Fairfax, VA. He then went on to study at the Islamic University of Madinah where he dedicated himself to the study of Islamic Sciences. He graduated with a Bachelor’s from the Faculty of Islamic Law, University of Madinah.
Today, Shaykh Saad dedicates his teaching to Muslim youth learning to balance their Western lifestyles with Islamic values. At AlMaghrib, he has developed seminars like Fiqh of Chillin’: Entertainment & Recreation in Islam, Trends: Fiqh of Fashion & Clothing, and Deception: Study of Shaytan. His primary message is to empower Muslim youth to be comfortable with their own personal identities as part of Western society.
Tom Facchine
Imam Tom Facchine (fuh-KEEN-ee) converted to Islam in 2010. He finished his BA in Political Science from Vassar College in 2011 and was granted the opportunity to study at the Islamic University of Madinah from 2015-2020, where he obtained his BA from the Faculty of Shariah. Imam Tom is currently the Research Director of Islam and Society at the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. He is also resident scholar of Utica Masjid (Utica, New York), as well as the Imam of Hamilton College where he does chaplaincy work.
He also teaches Tafseer to middle-schoolers online through Legacy International Online High School. Imam Tom Facchine (fuh-KEEN-ee) accepted Islam in his early twenties. He holds a BA in Political Science from Vassar College (2011) and a BA in Islamic Law from the Islamic University of Madinah (2020).
He also holds a chaplaincy certificate from The Chaplaincy Program conducted by the Prophet's Mosque (2019). Tom is currently the Resident Scholar of Utica Masjid (Utica, New York). He also teaches Tafseer to middle-schoolers online through Legacy International Online High School. When not engaged in study or dawah, Imam Tom’s idea of a good time includes espresso and taking long hikes deep into the woods. Check out his short reflections and khutbahs on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MCAMVUticaMasjid
He also teaches Tafseer to middle-schoolers online through Legacy International Online High School. Imam Tom Facchine (fuh-KEEN-ee) accepted Islam in his early twenties. He holds a BA in Political Science from Vassar College (2011) and a BA in Islamic Law from the Islamic University of Madinah (2020).
He also holds a chaplaincy certificate from The Chaplaincy Program conducted by the Prophet's Mosque (2019). Tom is currently the Resident Scholar of Utica Masjid (Utica, New York). He also teaches Tafseer to middle-schoolers online through Legacy International Online High School. When not engaged in study or dawah, Imam Tom’s idea of a good time includes espresso and taking long hikes deep into the woods. Check out his short reflections and khutbahs on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MCAMVUticaMasjid
OMAR SULEIMAN
Imam Omar Suleiman is the President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and a professor of Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University. He’s also the resident scholar of the Valley Ranch Islamic Center, and Co-Chair of Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square, a multi-faith alliance for peace and justice.
Originally from New Orleans, LA, he began his journey of traditional Islamic learning in the year 2000 and has spent years studying in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Malaysia, etc. Upon becoming certified in various traditional sciences, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic law, a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, a Master’s degree in Islamic Finance, a Master’s Degree in Political History, and is in the process of completing his PhD from the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Islamic Thought and Civilization.
Sameera Ahmed
Sameera Ahmed, is the Director of The Family and Youth Institute. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a Master’s in Biology from Bowling Green State University, and Bachelor’s from the University of Michigan. She also serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Wayne State University, an Associate Editor for the Journal of Muslim Mental Health, and has a private clinical practice in Canton, MI. Her areas of interest include: risk behaviors and protective factors of Muslim adolescents and young adults; promoting culturally and religiously meaningful psychotherapy; and skills based parenting and marital interventions to strengthen families. Dr. Ahmed has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, and is the Co-editor of the book, “Counseling Muslims: Handbook of Mental Health Issues and Interventions.” She speaks nationally and has been invited as a subject matter expert, to events organized by the White House, Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), and Department of Education (DOE). Dr. Ahmed has also been a community organizer at both the grassroots and national levels for more than 25 years, primarily focusing her energies around American Muslim youth development, marriage preparation, and parenting. She currently serves on the Muslim American Society (MAS) National Board of Trustees.