Instructors

Shaykh Hamza Karamali - Tafseer, Hadith, and Arabic Instructor

     

Shaykh Hamza was born in Pakistan and grew up in the Middle East, after which he moved to Canada , where he completed his high school and university education, receiving many academic distinctions and scholarships in the process.

 

Over the course of eight years while concurrently obtaining his secular education, Shaykh Hamza studied closely with Shaykh Talal Ahdab—a traditionally trained Lebanese-Canadian scholar, focusing on Arabic grammar, logic, Islamic law, legal theory, a nd legal methodology. During this time, he also memorized the Qur'an with Shaykh Omar Dogar. In addition, he spent several summers of intensive study in Damascus and Amman, covering classical texts in Islamic law, logic, Islamic belief, Arabic grammar, and Arabic morphology with Shaykh Amjad Rasheed, Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Kharsa, Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown, Shaykh Mu'min 'Annan, and others.

 

Since September 2005, Shaykh Hamza has lived in Amman , Jordan , where he continues his studies in Islamic law, legal methodology, Arabic, and tafsir with Shaykh Akram Abd al-Wahhab; in Arabic grammar with Shaykh Ali Hani; and in Sufism with Shaykh Nuh Keller. He also travels frequently to the UAE, where he studies hadith methodology with Shaykh Salah al-Din al-Idlibi—one of the leading students of the late Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda and many other recent hadith scholars—and theology with Shaykh Abd al-Karim Tattan—a recognized expert in Islamic belief and the author of many works, most notably a two-volume commentary on the classic Jawharat al-Tawhid.

 

At SunniPath, Shaykh Hamza is an instructor of Shafi`i fiqh and hadith methodology. He has also applied his traditional training in many disciplines of the Arabic language—including grammar, morphology, rhetoric, and lexicography—to developing the SunniPath Arabic learning tracks: Miftah and Sibawayh.

 

 

Imam Mohamed Magid - Tafseer, Hadith, and Arabic Instructor

           

Imam Mohamed Magid Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali came to the United States in 1987 and is currently the Imam and Executive Director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center in Sterling , VA. He was born in Sudan , the son of a leading Islamic Scholar, who was an Azhar graduate and the Mufti of Sudan. Imam Magid studied at the hand of his father and other notable scholars, gaining ijaza in several disciplines, including Ghazali’s Ihya-Uloom-al-Deen. His duties, as the Imam and Executive Director of the ADAMS Center , include giving Juma Khutbas and teaching classes in many aspects of the Islamic Sciences. Imam Magid is in great demand for Khutbas and lectures throughout the US . He is a passionate advocate for, and a practitioner of, reaching out to our neighbors and all citizens. Imam Magid is also well known as an effective communicator to our youth and for work with other organizations and interfaith dialogue. Imam Magid is also well known for his counseling and family counseling expertise.

 

 

Saudah Mirza - Arabic Instructor

Saudah Mirza was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She finished high school as class valedictorian, and then went on to graduate with honors from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Near Eastern Studies with an emphasis in Arabic. She was the recipient of the Employer Advisory Council scholarship for business majors and upon graduation, the Delbert J. Duncan Marketing Award from the Haas School of Business. She started her study of traditional Islam with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf in 1997, and since then has taken a number of classes at Zaytuna Institute, SunniPath Academy, and Qasid, as well as various private studies. Previously the E-Marketing Manager at a mid-sized book publisher, she now manages SunniPath's Outreach department, and teaches Arabic at Fawakih's program in Indianapolis.


 

Haroon Moughal - Personal Development Workshop 

 

Haroon Moghul graduated from New York University in 2002, receiving his B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and Philosophy, with a minor in Arabic. He is currently a graduate student at Columbia University, in the program of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures. His field of study is late colonial South Asian Muslim history and religion.

Haroon Moghul is a prolific writer and speaker.  Formerly contributing editor and end-page columnist for Islamica Magazine, he also maintains a popular blog, Avari, which won several Brass Crescent Awards (in 2004 and 2005), including wins for Best Muslim Blog and Best Writing.  His essays and articles have been published in a variety of international media, including Pakistan's Dawn and The Friday Times.  His first novel, "The Order of Light," was released by Penguin Global in 2006. A French translation, published byCherche Midi, was released in late 2007. 

Haroon Moghul has spoken at numerous American Muslim, Christian and Jewish organizations, and participated in educational and interfaith workshops to advance understanding anddialogue on the Islamic world, current affairs and modernity. His speaking engagements include Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota, as well as guest appearances on CNN and NPR.

Haroon workshops on effective communication according to the Prophetic Method at Fawakih's Summer Programs.

Mr. Moghul is married and lives in New York City.
 

Chaplain Khalid Latif - Personal Development Workshop 

 

In 2005, Khalid Latif was appointed as the first Muslim chaplain at NYU where he began to initiate his vision for a pluralistic future on and off campus for American Muslims. Imam Latif was also appointed as the first Muslim chaplain at Princeton University in 2006. Spending a year commuting between these two excellent institutions, he finally decided to commit full-time to New York University ’s Islamic Center where his position was s officially institutionalized in the spring of 2007. Under his leadership, the Islamic Center at NYU became the first ever fully established Muslim student center at an institution of higher education in the United States . Imam Latif’s exceptional dedication and ability to cross interfaith and cultural lines on a daily basis brought him recognition throughout the city, so much so that in 2007 Mayor Michael Bloomberg nominated Imam Latif to become the youngest chaplain in history of the New York City Police Department at the age of 24. He workshops on effective communication according to the Prophetic Method at Fawakih's Summer Programs.

Taha Abdul Basser - Tafseer Instructor

Taha Abdul BasserTaha Abdul Basser serves as the Harvard Islamic Society Chaplain and was a lecturer in Arabic at Boston University in 2006. He has studied the Islamic sciences since he was young and has received Ijazahs in multiple topics from renowned scholars in Yemen and Tanzania. He is a former consultant on Islamic financial ethics and law for the Harvard Islamic Finance Information Program and acts as a consultant for several business entities. Abdul Basser is soon completing his doctorate from Harvard University in Islamic studies inshaAllah.

Shaykh Boubakeur Amiri - Tajweed and Memorization Instructor

Shayh Abu BakrShaykh Abu Bakr became Hafiz Al-Quran at the age of 17. He completed his primary education in Algeria and received formal training in memorization at the Quran school of Sidi Abdur Rahman. He obtained a BA in Shari’ah at the Hasaka Institute in Damascus, Syria. He currently resides in Indiana where he runs a program where he continues in the traditional method of teaching Quranic memorization through writing.

Abdalla Idris Ali - Tafseer Instructor

Abdalla idris AliShaykh Abdalla Idris Ali, a public speaker and fund-raiser, served as ISNA President from 1992-1997. He is currently the Director of Universal Foundation, an organization that accredits Islamic schools in cooperation with national non public schools. He served for many years as an ISNA School principal, where he developed and implemented Islamic and Arabic Studies curricula for elementary and junior high students. He has written various articles in Islamic Horizons, is a member of the ATP Editorial Board, and also serves on the board of Islamic Dow Jones index.

Yaser Ali - Tajweed and Memorization Instructor

Yaser Ali is currently a Masters student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He became Hafiz Al-Qur’an at a young age and has organized many Islamic programs as MSA president at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Most recently, he earned an Ijazah to teach Tajweed and will be developing a dynamic Tajweed curriculum for Fawakih 2009. Furthermore, he will serve as Fawakih Program Director for the Indiana program.

Omar Atia - Lessons from the Quran Instructor

Omar Atia is currently the Youth Director for MAS Youth of Chicago. Omar Atia is known for his charisma and oratory skills. He has much experience with contemporary issues of Muslims in the West and is a popular lecturer at many Muslim events.

Tewfik Choukri - Tafseer Instructor

Shaykh Tewfik ChoukriShaykh Tewfik Choukri has been the Scholar-in-Residence at the Legacy Institute in Indiana for several years. He currently teaches at the MTI School of Knowledge and at Al-Ilm Weekend School. Shaykh Tewfik obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a specialization in International Relations from the University of Algiers. Spending close to a decade pursuing Islamic studies with various scholars in Syria, Shaykh Tewfik bridges deep understanding of the tradition with the pragmatic realities of the modern world.

Fahim Qazi - Arabic Instructor

Fahim QaziFahim Qazi earned his AS degree in Mathematics and Physical Science from American River College in Sacramento, California. Following years of study at Zaytuna, he dedicated himself to studying and teaching the Islamic Sciences. He moved to Damascus eight years ago and focused his studies on Arabic grammar. He is currently in the process of compiling a book in Arabic grammar.

       

 

 Ustadh Muhammed al-Munir Gibril - Arabic Instructor

Ustadh Munir is a PhD candidate in Arabic Literature at the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department of the Indiana University. He obtained his BA in Arabic and French from the University of Ghana, Legon and then his Masters in Teaching Arabic as a Second Language from the University of Khartoum, Sudan. He has taught Modern Arabic language, culture, Quranic Arabic, Islamic History, literature and translation in Legon for a period of 15 years, with some of his own translating experience including “Ghana Reveals her Secrets”. He is also a founding member of the Ghana Association of Arabic Teachers.
From 2004 to date he has been teaching Arabic language (including Quranic Arabic) at the Indiana University. Having taught over 20 years, he has developed rich skills in teaching methodology and pedagogy to better assist his students in acquiring Arabic skills.

Souhad Zendah - Arabic Instructor

Souhad Zendah is currently a lecturer of Arabic at Tufts University, where she teaches Modern Standard Arabic with an emphasis on grammar and vocabulary. She has also taught advanced-intermediate Arabic at the Arabic Language School for Middlebury College. Souhad spent three years studying journalism at Birzeit University in the Palestinian West Bank and completed her studies at Tulsa University, where she earned a BA in Communications and French.