Authors

Guests

MuslimMatters

Amad

Amad Shaikh is one of the founders of MuslimMatters, Inc. His identity is shaped by his religion (Islam), place of birth (Pakistan), and nationality (American). By education, he is a ChemE, topped off with an MBA from the Wharton. He was one of the founders of the TDC, and in what seems like a distant memory, he served as the President of U. Houston's MSA. His interests include politics, cricket, and media interactions. Career-wise, Amad is in management in the oil & gas industry (but one who still appreciates the "green revolution").

Amir (MR)

Formerly Mujahideen Ryder (now retired), I'm a Muslim American born in Brooklyn, NY with Guyanese parents currently living in Maryland working full-time as a web developer.

ibnabeeomar

Omar Usman is a founding member of MuslimMatters, Qalam Institute, Muslim Strategic Initiative, and Debt Free Muslims. He is a regular khateeb and has served in different administrative capacities in various national and local Islamic organizations. You can follow him on Google+ or on Twitter @ibnabeeomar.

iMuslim

Mehzabeen (iMuslim) is a UK born n' bred sister of Gujarati Indian descent. She has spent a good chunk of her life trying to scrape together a formal education in the Biological Sciences, and in 2008, was awarded a doctorate for research conducted at Imperial College London, masha'Allah. Her interests include all things Apple Mac, all things chocolate-based, and all things Islam (not necessarily in that particular order). Other online projects include iMuslim.tv, SignLabs.org, and the Muslim Bloggers Directory.

Zainab (AnonyMouse)

Zainab bint Younus (AnonyMouse) is a young Canadian Muslimah, originally from the West Coast of Canada. She writes about whatever concerns her about the state of the Muslim Ummah, drawing upon her experiences and observations within her own local community. You may contact her at anonymouse@muslimmatters.org She is is no longer a writer for MuslimMatters.org.

AbdulNasir Jangda

Abdul Nasir Jangda is the founder and director of Qalam Institute. He was born and raised in the Dallas area. At the age of 10 he went to Karachi, Pakistan to memorize the Quran. He excelled in his memorization and committed the entire Quran to memory in less than 1 year. He then returned home and continued his school education. After graduating from High School, he went back to Karachi to study the Alim Course at Jamia Binoria. He graduated from the rigorous 7 year program in 2002 at the top of his class and with numerous Ijaazaat (Licenses) in various Islamic Sciences. Along with the Alim Course he concurrently completed a B.A. and M.A. in Arabic from Karachi University. He also obtained a Masters in Islamic Studies from the University of Sindh. He taught Arabic at the University of Texas at Arlington from 2005 to 2007. He has served as an instructor and curriculum advisor to various Islamic schools and Islamic studies programs. He served as the Imam at the Colleyville Masjid in the Dallas area for 3 years. He is a founding member and chairman of Mansfield Islamic Center. Abdul Nasir is an instructor with Bayyinah Institute, where his class “Meaningful Prayer” has traveled the country. His latest projects include Quran Intensive (a summer program focusing on Arabic grammar and Tafsir), Quranic analysis lectures, Khateeb Training, chronicling of the Prophetic Biography at www.qalaminstitute.org, and personally mentoring and teaching his students.

Yasir Qadhi

Yasir Qadhi is someone that believes that one's life should be judged by more than just academic degrees and scholastic accomplishments. Friends and foe alike acknowledge that one of his main weaknesses is ice-cream, which he seems to enjoy with a rather sinister passion. The highlight of his day is twirling his little girl (a.k.a. "my little princess") round and round in the air and watching her squeal with joy. A few tid-bits from his mundane life: Sh. Yasir has a Bachelors in Hadith and a Masters in Theology from Islamic University of Madinah. He is presently working on his PhD in Islamic Studies at Yale University. He is an instructor and Dean of Academic Affairs at AlMaghrib, and has appeared on a number of Islamic channels including Huda, Islam Channel and Al-Fajr. He has written several books in English including Introduction to the Sciences of Qur'an, Riyaa: Hidden Shirk, Dua: the Weapon of the Believer, and many more.

Hena Zuberi

Hena Zuberi is the Editor in Chief of Muslimmatters.org. Currently, Hena is a Staff Reporter at the Muslim Link newspaper. A mom of four and a Green Muslim, she lives and preaches a whole food, organic life which she believes is closest to Sunnah. Hena has worked as a television news reporter and producer for CNBC Asia and WTN. Follow her on Twitter @henazuberi .

Tariq Nisar Ahmed

Bismillah walhamdolillah. May Allah accept my repentance and yours. I am an attorney, a stepfather, a husband, a son, and a Muslim. Studying Islam is a means, reflecting what I have learned is a must, and to Allah is the inevitable return. If you would like my help, know that Allah is the source of all aid. If you would like to contact me, try tariqnisarahmed at Gmail, LinkedIn, Twitter, or add me as a friend on Facebook.

Yaser Birjas

Yaser Birjas is originally from Palestine. He received his Bachelors degree from Islamic University of Madinah in 1996 in Fiqh & Usool, graduating as the class valedictorian. After graduating, he went on to work as a youth counselor and relief program aide in war-torn Bosnia. Thereafter, he immigrated to the U.S. and currently resides in Dallas, Texas. He is also an instructor at AlMaghrib Institute, where he teaches popular seminars such as Fiqh of Love, The Code Evolved, and Heavenly Hues.

Yusra Owais (Amatullah)

Yusra is an aspiring student of the Qur'an and its language, Arabic, and a graduate of Al-Huda Institute in Canada. Through her writings, she hopes to share the gems and practical guidance Allah has given us through His Book, the Qur'an. She recently returned from studying in Cairo and is now living in Canada. She is completing her undergrad in Social Work and hopes to continue on to the Masters program.

SaqibSaab

SaqibSaab is an average Desi Muslim guy living in Chicago. He enjoys videography and design as side hobbies, and helps out with AlMaghrib Institute in Chicago, Wasat Studios, and other projects here and there. His go-around vehicle is a 2007 Volkswagen Jetta 5-speed Wolfburg Edition. Originally born in Michigan, he and his wife reside in Chicagoland with his parents who come from Bangalore, India. He blogs personally at SaqibSaab.com.

Ameera Khan

Ameera is a final-year medical student and blogger based in Karachi, Pakistan. Having been born and raised in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, her approach towards her Deen has always been rooted in a basic understanding from authentic sources, which was further polished during a three-year weekend course at Al Huda Institute. Her interests, though, seem to know no bounds and range from a passion for the culinary arts and travelling, as well as following current affairs and global happenings. She feels being able to be part of MuslimMatters is one of the major blessings of Allah(swt) upon her, for it has given her a chance to learn and grow. She also maintains her personal blog at http://duskanddawn.wordpress.com.

Siraaj

Siraaj is a software engineer whose interests lay in the intersection of personal development and practical Islamic living, particularly with respect to time management and physical fitness. He remains an incorrigible news junkie and lives in the bay area with his family

Sadaf Farooqi

Sadaf Farooqi is a postgraduate in Computer Science who has done the Taleem Al-Quran Course from Al-Huda International, Institute of Islamic Education for Women, in Karachi, Pakistan. 11 years on, she is now a homeschooling parent of three children, a blogger, published author and freelance writer. She has written articles regularly for Hiba Magazine, SISTERS Magazine and Saudi Gazette. Sadaf shares her life experiences and insights on her award-winning blog, Sadaf's Space, and intermittently teaches subjects such as Fiqh of Zakah, Aqeedah, Arabic Grammar, and Science of Hadith part-time at a local branch of Al-Huda. She has recently become a published author of a book titled 'Traversing the Highs and Lows of Muslim Marriage'. For most part, her Jihad bil Qalam involves juggling work around persistent power breakdowns and preventing six chubby little hands from her computer! Even though it may not seem so, most of her time is spent not in doing all this, but in what she loves most - reading.

Umm Reem

Umm Reem has a bachelors degree in Islamic Studies from American Open University. She studied Arabic Language & Literature at Qatar University and at Cairo Institute in Egypt. She also received her Ijaazah in Quranic Hafs recitation in Egypt from Shaikh Muhammad al-Hamazawi. She was one of the founders of Daughters of Adam magazine and remained the publishing director until 2007. She had been actively involved with MSA, TDC, and other community activities. She has also been actively involved with the Muslim women of her community spiritually counseling with marital and mother-daughter issues. She has hosted several Islamic lectures and weekly halaqas in different communities, including special workshops regarding parenting and issues related to women.

Abu Aaliyah

Abu Aaliyah is the founder of The Jawziyyah Institute, a leading institute for Islamic moderation and contemporary thought in the United Kingdom. Sidi Abu Aaliyah has been in involved in Dawah and Islamic teachings for the last 14 years. He has translated a number of books from the Arabic language into English such as "The Exquisite Pearls". Abu Aaliyah's written works and audio lectures can be found online.

Ismail Kamdar

Ismail Kamdar. aka Abu Muawiyah, is the Head Tutorial Assistant of the Islamic Online University, the author of "Having Fun the Halal Way: Entertainment in Islam" and the host of a regular Tafseer program on Radio Al-Ansaar. Ismail began his study of Islam at the age of thirteen with a seven year Alim course at a local Madrassa. He then studied under a variety of Shuyookh and institutes from around the world. His most notable teacher is Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, the founder of IOU. Ismail is currently in his final year of BAIS (Bachelors of Arts in Islamic Studies).

Ify Okoye

Ify Okoye is a Muslim woman, a convert, born and raised in the U.S. She’s from New York and her parents are from Nigeria. Despite the petty hassles of work and school, Ify finds time to travel usually for AlMaghrib Institute seminars and to visit beautiful places. Pronunciation primer for her name, say it like this: E-fee O-coy-yeah!

Haleh Banani

Haleh Banani is the first female to host a program for Al-Fajr TV called "With Haleh" which combines the principles of psychology and Islam to help people reach their full potential and overcome their challenges. She has a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from University of Houston, graduating Magma Cum Laude. She has over 10 years experience in diagnosing mental and emotional disorders and administrating programs of treatment. Her clients call in for phone therapy from the U.S. and Middle East. She has given lectures on marriage in several countries. Her focus is couples' and individuals' therapy where she helps people suffering from depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self-esteem issues. She empowers her clients with unequivocal amount of enthusiasm, compassion and support. Her articles have been published in magazines in Houston and Egypt. Haleh received her ijaza for recitation of the Quran with tajweed in Egypt. She has studied Islam by attending intensive programs with many renowned scholars in North America. She has lived most of her life in the U.S., and is currently living in Egypt. She has been married for 15 years with Abdelmajeed and has Alhamdulillah 3 precious children: Abdelfattah, Kareem, and Layla. Her passions include skiing, kick boxing, tennis, traveling all humanitarian causes.

Mariam E.

Mariam is of Middle Eastern origin, raised in North America, not quite settling in one specific place. After living up in the North of North America, she has shifted continents and currently residing in a rapidly flourishing, historical city located in the desert of Arabia. She is a recent graduate of the American Open University, with a Bachelors in Islamic Studies. She believes that regardless of where a person is, writing is a tool to reach out and express that which inspires, touches and affects them. So she writes; perhaps that which inspires her will be a source of good for at least one other person.

Ali Shehata

Dr. Ali Shehata is the author of Demystifying Islam: Your Guide to the Most Misunderstood Religion of the 21st Century. Dr. Ali is an Emergency and Family Medicine physician currently living in an area of central Florida. He was born in Maryland to parents who had immigrated to the US from Egypt. He has studied Islam mainly through traditional methods among various scholars, du'at and students of knowledge here in the US.

Haytham

Haytham graduated at the top of his class with a B.S in Chemistry from Texas Southern University and went on to graduate from the University of New Mexico with a Masters of Science in Nano Science and Microsystems. Haytham volunteered and worked for various Islamic non-profits. He is currently a board member of MuslimMatters.org and is employed by the US. Department of Commerce in the D.C. Area

Youssef Chouhoud

Youssef is from Brooklyn, New York by way of Alexandria, Egypt. Currently, he is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California studying Political Science and International Relations. A student of Islam, history, and politics, his recent extended stay in Cairo placed him squarely at the nexus of these disciplines. Follow him on Twitter (@TheAlexandrian) as he tries to make sense of all that's happening in Tahrir and beyond.

Waleed Ahmed

After failing to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity, Waleed Ahmed decided to give writing a shot. A graduate from McMaster University, he is currently studying in Fes, Morocco. Current affairs, politics and religion are the main focus of his writings. He spends his spare time playing basketball, snowboarding and praying for Jon Stewart to run in the next presidential election. Waleed maintains a not-so-personal blog at BloomingPeaches

Nouman Ali Khan

Nouman Ali Khan is the director of the Bayyinah Institute. He is well known for his contributions in the fields of Arabic and Quranic studies - most recently starting a full time on-campus institute for this purpose in Dallas, TX.

Ahmad AlFarsi

Ahmad AlFarsi was born and raised in South Texas in an Iranian Christian household and embraced Islam in 2003 while in university. He completed his Masters in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 2007, spent a few years working in industry as a System Engineer, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Electrical Engineering at MIT. Since August 2007 has been blessed with the adventures of fathering a little girl, walhamdulillah.

Meena Malik

Standing at just under 5’2,” Meena is still growing (figuratively, sadly no longer literally) into her place in the world. She is in her 3rd year of Comparative Literature studies at the University of California, Irvine, where she is active with the Muslim Student Union. She is a graduate of the Bayyinah Institute Dream Program 2012 and is also a student of the Al Maghrib Institute, having attended Ilm Summits 2010 & 2011. Meena has discovered the power and beauty that words can have, the highest example being the Words of Allah preserved in the Holy Quran. In her own capacity and with the help of Allah, she hopes to capture and communicate her reflections and thoughts as she continues on in this exciting time of her life. You can follow her on Twitter @imeanking & read more of her posts on her personal blog: http://imeanking.wordpress.com/

Iesa Galloway

Paul "Iesa" Galloway is a native born Texan. He was recently called "the Yoda of interfaith affairs" by a colleague from his daytime gig. After hours Iesa serves as a consultant, messaging strategist and trainer on media, government and community relations. Iesa is a product of the "Military Brat" experience of the 1990's on US Army bases in Germany he has traveled extensively, for extended periods in Kenya, Hungary and Communist Poland on missionary trips, visited Communist East Germany with the Boy Scouts of America, as well as enjoyed time in France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Holland and Austria. Since embracing Islam, Iesa was asked to be the founding Executive Director of CAIR-Houston, where he served the community from 2002 to 2006, he has completed the Hajj pilgrimage, participated in an interfaith pilgrimage to the Holy Land with the Society for Biblical Studies and completed a study abroad program on the history of Islamic Spain, Morocco and Andalusian Philosophy with the University of Houston. Iesa's education is rooted in History and Public Relations and he has a interfaith and multiracial background.

Muhammad Wajid Akhter

Although originally from India, Wajid grew up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where he began learning Islamic sciences from an early age. After moving to the UK, he went to Medical School where he founded the University of London Union Islamic Societies (ULU ISoc) and the Charity Week for Orphans project in 2003. He currently serves on the Board of Advisers for the latter. He is passionate about uniting the Muslim youth in general and Islamic history in particular.

Nadim

Nadim is a transplant from France (yes, you could think of him as a FBCD without the “C”). He is the former Ameer of Qabeelat Haadi (Al Maghrib’s Qabeelat in the Bay Area, California). You can follow him on Twitter @muslimms

Sh. Abdullah Hasan

Musa Maguire

Musa Maguire is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and accepted Islam after graduating from college. In 2004-2005, he received a Fulbright grant to study in Egypt, and then spent the following year working at Huda TV, an English-language Islamic satellite channel that broadcasts from Cairo.

Wael Abdelgawad

Wael Abdelgawad is an Egyptian-American living in Fresno, California. He is the founder of several Islamic websites, including IslamicAnswers.com and IslamicSunrays.com, and also of various technology and travel websites. He is a writer and poet. He is divorced and has one lovely young daughter. Wael practices and teaches martial arts, and loves Islamic books, science fiction, and vanilla fudge ice cream.

Anas Hlayhel

Born and raised in Lebanon, Hlayhel began attending study circles at his local mosque when he was ten. He came to the United States at 17 and studied electrical engineering at the University of Houston. Hlayhel studied traditional sciences of Aqeedah (Islamic creed), Fiqh (Islamic law) and Nahw (Arabic grammar) under several scholars. Now a computer engineer, Hlayhel is a part-time imam at the Islamic Center of the Northeast Valley in Phoenix, president of the Arizona chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ), husband and father of four. His current topics of interest include positive Islam, interfaith, and countering Islamophobia.

Abez

Abez is 50% White, 50% Pakistani, 100% Muslim, and a veteran blogger at www.abezsez.com. She is the mother of three children, the first of which has autism and the third of which is a newborn. Abez writes about special needs parenting and autism awareness in addition to Islam and personal spirituality. By day, she is a mother and a corporate communications consultant, by night, a writer of poetry and fiction related to Islam and Muslims. She shamelessly solicits duas for the neurological development of her autistic son as well as the conversion of her Christian mother. So please make dua. JazakAllahuKheiran. Abez is currently on maternity leave.

Umm Zakiyyah

Waleed Basyouni

is Vice President of AlMaghrib Institute and Director of Clear Lake Islamic Center (CLIC). He is a frequent guest speaker at Universities, Conventions, Radio Talk Shows, Television, Interfaith meetings, and community centers nationally and internationally. He is also a member of the North American Imam Federation (NAIF), Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA)-Fatwa and Research Committee, Director of Texas Dawah Convention, and Advisor to numerous Islamic Societies/Organizations around the US. Shaykh Waleed Basyouni graduated with a Bachelors in Islamic Sciences from Al-Imam Muhammad University, KSA; did his Masters in Islamic Theology, World Religions and Modern Religious Sects from Al-Imam Muhammad University; and acquired a Doctorate in Theology. He is also an instructor at the American Open University in Alexandria, VA, USA, and serves as, the Imam of Clear Lake Islamic Center, Houston, TX, USA. Shaykh Waleed has Ijaazahs in reciting the Holy Quran and in several books of Hadeeth, awarded by various scholars. He studied with great scholars time such as Shaykh Ibn Baz, Abdul-Razzaq Afify and others.

Aly Balagamwala | DiscoMaulvi

"Abu Ibrahym" Muhammad Aly Balagamwala (AKA DiscoMaulvi) is an occasional blogger/writer, who tries to earn a living as an Entrepreneur (a glorified way of saying he works in his dad's business), and thinks he's a Social Media "Guru", a Social Activist and a Da'ee (that is spends too much time on Facebook/Twitter, sometimes shows up for "causes" and attends a few Islamic events). He joined MM in 2011 as a Writer and is currently a staff member and the Team Lead for the Comments Team. Aly was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan where he currently resides. He became a practicing Muslim during the 4 years he spent at North Carolina State University getting a BS in Textile Chemistry (May Allah reward the wonderful community of Raleigh, NC for that). He is easily accessible via Twitter or through his Public Page on Facebook where you can learn more about him. You can also visit his (mostly defunct) personal blog From The Pulpit ... Sermons of DiscoMaulvi and comment so he still feels like a Blogger. :)

Yahya Ibrahim

Yahya Ibrahim is Canadian by birth & education, Egyptian through a rich ancestry, Turkish via the blessing of marriage to Songul and Australian by Choice of residence and migration. Since his early teens Yahya has been talking about Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims. He was blessed with numerous opportunities to meet, translate, study and teach alongside some of the Islamic worlds top scholars. Yahya Ibrahim began memorizing the Qur’an at the age of 16 and finished 20 months later, receiving an ijazah (certification) in proficiency and an instruction to teach. He began lecturing at the age of 17 and has been involved in the Islamic community since 1993 , alhamdulillah. Ustadh Yahya is blessed now to be living in Perth, Western Australia with his wife and three wonderful children – Shireen, Omar and Adam. He is a regular lecturer to Muslim and non-Muslim audiences their and around the world. He travels in Australasia, Africa, South East Asia, Europe and Canada to deliver lectures on Islam and Muslims to a variety of audiences. He is committed to spreading a message to Muslims that empowers them spiritually and helps them integrate into the broader community. He is born in the west, raised in the west and lives in the west. A message of anti-militancy, religious tolerance, and moral universality are a part of his outlook. Yahya is a registered Teacher and serves the Muslim community at Curtin University and teaches internationally with al-Kauthar Institute www.alkauthar.org .

Kanika Aggarwal

Kanika is an engineer by profession, currently pursuing a Bachelors in Islamic Sciences from Arees Institute (studying under Shaykh Isam Rajab, hafidahullah) and conducts online seminars for sisters at http://habibihalaqas.org . She is also a professional makeup artist and looks forward to increasing Muslim sisters' self esteem through her new venture: http://beautyglamsham.com . She also has a diploma in Indian Cooking and offers classes in Indian Cuisine in Chicago and Toronto - http://learnindiancooking.com . She is happily married and currently resides in Chicago with her lovely husband.

Safia Farole

Safia Farole is a second year PhD student in the department of Political Science at UCLA. She studies in the areas of Comparative Politics and Race, Ethnicity and Politics, focusing specifically on the politics of identity, public opinion, and immigration and integration in Western democracies.

Tawfique

Tawfique Chowdhury is the founder of AlKauthar Institute, the unrelated Australian twin of AlMaghrib. A graduate of Islamic University of Madinah, he has also excelled in secular fields: An IT Project Manager, and soon to be a doctor as well (he is completing his medicine degree). He is very active in working with many Islamic organizations around the world and is also an international media contributor appearing on numerous TV and radio stations. The most notable are his appearances on ABC Asia Pacific, AlMajd Channel and the Islam Channel in the UK, where his lectures are frequently shown.

Nihal Khan

Born and raised in New Jersey | Studying Psychology at Montclair State University | Pursuing Mental Health Studies & Chaplaincy | Bayyinah Dream 2011 graduate | Chaplain at SmileForCharity.org | Follow me on Twitter: @nihal201. Aspiring to inspire.

Hebah Ahmed

Hebah is a Muslim American with a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from UIUC. She was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee to Egyptian immigrants. She currently resides in Albuquerque, NM with her husband and two children. Hebah is a social activist who works to dispel the myths about Islam and Women in Islam through community presentations and panel discussions. She also heads Daughterz of Eve, a local Muslim girls youth group.

Abu Ibrahim

Nur Kose

Bushra

Bushra is a recent Computer Science grad from King's College London and is currently shaking off her newly wedded status. Aside from writing for MM, she vents on her blog: http://bushrabinthashmat.blogspot.com/ Currently working for a global IT firm, she is pursuing various studies, both Islamic and career-related. Due to circumstances beyond her control, she is living the lifestyle of a nomad, jumping from place to place, packing and unpacking and visiting family at the same time. She is an accredited Software Tester. Nevertheless, this won't take her away from writing about Islam and life in general. Amongst all the working, writing and family commitments, she somehow manages to fulfill one of her other, slightly devilish (so to speak!) passions - baking desserts!

Dr. O

Hailing from New York, Dr. O is a current medical student who blatantly misappropriates his study time by posting absurd articles lampooning the weird things he often notices within the Muslim community. His articles often contain unhealthy doses of odd wit and humor, sprinkled with overly-pretentious medical-jargon, but covered in a sweet milk-chocolate coating of small sincere life lessons. Despite not actually having a medical license and pretending to impersonate an actual physician online, Dr. O aims to heal patients with just a tiny bit of bitter advice contained within a sugary pill of light-hearted laughter. He hosts his own blog, Muslim Medicine, at http://www.muslimmedicine.net.

Mustafa Stefan Dill

With nine years experience in mainstream news media -- first in radio, then web and social media for both print and television -- Mustafa Stefan Dill was an early advocate and practitioner for applying social media techniques to mainstream journalism. Dill has lectured on online journalism and social change at the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, Bangalore, India and has been featured in Online Journalism Review, The Media Center's Morph blog, J-New Voices, motherpie.typepad.com, and participated as a panelist in a national web seminar by the American Press Institute. In August 2010, Dill planned his escape from the newsroom environment launched a new consultancy offering PR, social media and new media strategies for a wide range of clients, with a specialty in serving Muslim and interfaith organizations and NGOs working in Muslim regions. Dill reverted to Islam in 2002.

MM Translations

Nadya Aweinat

Nadya Aweinat was born in the searing state of Arizona, and later came to settle in Los Angeles. While enjoying the year round superb weather, she serves as the current Ameerah of AlMaghrib Institute's Southern California chapter. The majority of her time is spent in learning and teaching Qur'an and Tajweed, though she also enjoys attempting to further her Islamic education and working in the field of dawah.

Mohamed Elibiary

Mohamed Elibiary co-founded the Freedom and Justice Foundation (F&J) in November 2002 to promote a Centrist Public Policy environment in Texas by coordinating the state level government and interfaith community relations for the organized Texas Muslim community. In 2005, Mohamed spearheaded the launching of the Texas Islamic Council (T.I.C.) as an F&J program for Muslim congregations, which has quickly grown to become the state's largest Muslim network encompasing 100,000 Texans. As Coordinator of the T.I.C., Mohamed developed working relationships with similar faith-based entities around Texas including the Texas Conference of Churches, Texas Catholic Conference and the Baptist General Convention of Texas. In 2006, the 16 largest Muslim congregations and civic organizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area followed this example by creating a collective representative body called the North Texas Islamic Council (NTIC) and Mohamed was elected to its 7 member executive governing body. Since 2005, Mohamed, as a National Security Policy Analyst, has been advising intelligence and law enforcement agencies (ex. FBI, DHS, NCTC, ODNI, etc.) on various Counter-Terrorism (CT) issues (ex. Domestic Intelligence, Strategic Intelligence Analysis, Information Sharing and Radicalization).

Ruth Nasrullah

Hira Amin

Sarah S.

Sarah is a seeker- a seeker of knowledge, new experiences, and a better way to contribute to society (and is clearly an avid Harry Potter fan as shown by the "seeker" reference). Sarah graduated from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Biology and recently completed her Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling. She currently works as a Crisis Interventionist/Behavior Specialist at HeartShare First Step Early Childhood Center, a preschool for children with developmental delays and disabilities and loves every minute of it! She is married to fellow MM writer, Haytham, and they share many of the same goals regarding social issues. Sarah's current focus is on working with children and their families, as well working on identity development issues with adolescents in her community. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys taking on way too many projects to handle, contemplating the pleasure of being transported into a new world through reading a good book, and gaining new skills like learning how to play video games (she has a long way to go before she masters this art!).

Yahya Whitmer

I was an 18 year old beliigerent atheist when the Quran entered my life and rocked my world. Reading the Seerah later sealed the deal. I studied Arabic everywhere I could, from America to the Levant and somehow an invitation to study with Muhammad Ibn Salih Al Uthaymeen landed in my lap, may Allah have mercy on his soul. I went, I met, I sat, I studied, and words simply can't do justice to the privilege and the experience. I am still trying to figure out how to be thankful for it. I live in the States, I work in IT, and I have two boys who I am trying to help to grow into admirable men.

Abdul-Malik Ryan

Abdul-Malik was born Michael P. Ryan in Chicago, Illinois. His study of African-American history in high school and at DePaul University and his encounter with the life and legacy of Malcolm X (Malik Shabazz) led to his accepting Islam in 1994. He was one of the founding members and is a past President of the Board of Directors of the Inner City Muslim Action Network, IMAN. He is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and he has been working as an attorney for children in the foster care system in Chicago for the past ten years. In addition to almost anything regarding Islam, his major interests include Irish History, Comparative Religion (especially Judaism), and Historical Mystery Fiction. He will rarely be found without several books that he is currently reading. He also blogs and comments under his kunya and nisba Abu Noor Al-Irlandee.

Shaahima

JHashmi

Dr. Hashmi was born and raised in California. Apart from medicine, he enjoys writing about “Islamic topics,” which he does under a number of online aliases. Dr. Hashmi is proud to be one of MM’s more liberal-leaning writers, providing controversial and highly opinionated views.

Rami Elsawah

Rami is a full-time Muslim trying to bring about concrete solutions with as little complaining as possible in his writing and speeches. His Sunday school students know him as The guy who brings chocolates,his siblings describe him as the Momma's boy and The baby of the family,one friend frustratingly called him a 'goodie-goodie' when Rami got excited about recycling, and he also wonders why no-one calls him Master Rami after getting his MBA. He drives a hybrid, boycotts socially-irresponsible companies, and regularly hangs out with people twice his age at the Masjid. He makes his living as a corporate fraud analyst.

Andrew Howie

mukhtar_ba

Fyora Luul

Sameera

Farnaz Mawla

Farnaz Mawla was born in Chicago, IL but spent several of her formative years in Saudi Arabia. Her family returned to Houston, TX during the first Gulf War. She attended University of Houston where she completed a BA in Journalism and a BS in Biology. She then went on to complete a Masters in Hospital Administration/MBA combination. She now lives in Dallas, TX with her husband and three kids.

Carl Dodge

Talat

Kashif Aslam

Kashif Aslam joined the MuslimMatters family starting the year 2012 as a Copy Editor. He was born and raised in India and moved to the USA after he graduated with a Bachelors in Information Technology from Osmania University, India and acquired Masters in Computer Science from University of Houston - Clear Lake, USA. He is currently working as a Database Developer. His interests include religion, business and world politics. You can follow him on Twitter @KashifAslamM and befriend him on facebook\KashifAslamM.

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