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Islamic Studies

Tajwid

Arabic

Staff

Anse Dr. Tamara Gray

Dr. Tamara Gray is the founder and CEO of Rabata, an organization dedicated to promoting positive cultural change through creative educational experiences, and President of Ribāṭ University, Rabata’s higher education initiative. In her work as President and CEO, she focuses on uplifting Muslim women within their communities and beyond. She has a special interest in digital spaces and their role in faith-centered community building.

Dr. Gray’s academic work includes a doctorate in leadership, a master’s degree in Curriculum Theory and Instruction, and a certificate in fundraising management. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in History as part of her personal commitment to continued learning. She also spent twenty years in traditional learning spaces studying Islamic sciences, Quran, and Arabic in Damascus, Syria.

Dr. Gray is also an author and translator. Her publications with Daybreak Press range from culturally appropriate English-language curriculum programs to translations of sacred texts. She has authored two books: Joy Jots: Exercises for a Happy Heart and Project Lina: Bringing Our Whole Selves to Islam. She has also co-translated two works by Shaykha Samīra Zayid: Compendium of the Collection of Sources on al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya and A Practical Manual of the Creed of Tawḥīd from the Quran and Sunna.

In addition to her work at Rabata, Dr. Gray also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Yaqeen Institute and a Board Chair for the Minnesota Multifaith Network. Dr. Gray is Full Focus Certified Pro exemplifying her commitment to productivity and impactful leadership.

She is a mother of three, grandmother of two, an avid reader and a lover of cultures, coffee, and road trips.

Dr. Claudia Azizah Seise

Dr. Claudia Azizah Seise serves as full-time Islamic Studies faculty at Ribāṭ University. 

Since 2017, she holds a PhD in Southeast Asian Studies from Humboldt University Berlin, Germany. Her dissertation was published under the title Religioscapes in Muslim Indonesia: Personalities, Institutions and Practices. From 2018 until 2019 she served as Assistant Professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia. From September 2020 to December 2023, she was a PostDoc fellow at the Berlin Institute of Islamic Theology, Germany, researching about the Nine Luminaries, Wali Sanga, that have been credited with spreading Islam in Java, Indonesia. She is the author of Finding God, published with Daybreak Press, Rabata’s publishing house,  in 2024.

Claudia converted to Islam in 2008. Ever since she aims to study Islam and seek knowledge on becoming closer to God. One of her passions is supporting new and old converts to Islam. Besides her academic writings about Islam and especially Islam in Indonesia, she has contributed to the German Islamic newspaper since 2008. Her poetry has been published in several collections. She also writes and publishes children’s books.

Claudia loves to write, read, and spend time in nature. She is interested in art and culture and calls Indonesia her second home.

Anse Afshan Malik

Anse Afshan Malik serves as the Director of Development at Rabata, where she leads development and fundraising efforts with a heart for community and a vision for long-term sustainability. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature and a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and is currently pursuing a PhD in Education, Leadership, and Organization at Texas Woman’s University.

Anse Afshan was among the first graduates of the Ribaat Teacher Certification Program in 2020 and continues her studies in the sacred sciences at Ribāṭ University. Her formal path in Islamic studies began in 2001 at the Georgia Islamic Institute and ultimately led her to Rabata, where she has continued her studies under the mentorship of Anse Dr. Tamara Gray and within a vibrant community of women scholars.

Anse Afshan joins Ribāṭ University as an Adjunct Faculty member for the Fall 2026 semester. Her professional and academic interests include nonprofit leadership, organizational culture, philanthropy, education, and the development of faith-centered institutions and communities. In addition to her professional work, she teaches in Rabata’s youth programs and local halaqat and leads programming for the Rabata Houston chapter, creating joyful, faith-centered spaces for Muslim women and girls.

She is the author of Pieces, a young adult novel published by Daybreak Press that explores themes of family, mental health, and personal growth. Born in Chicago and raised in Atlanta, Afshan now lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and five children.

Anse Fatema Hakim

Anse Fatema Hakim serves as an instructor at Ribāṭ University, where she teaches in the Department of English Language and Literature. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English (Hons) from Queen Mary, University of London, and an MPhil in English Studies from the University of Cambridge, with a specialisation in medieval literature.

Anse Fatema currently works as an Editing and Publishing Assistant at Daybreak Press, Rabata’s publishing arm, where she contributes to bringing meaningful literary works to publication. Her professional background also includes experience as a copywriter, tutor, and researcher, giving her a broad perspective on writing across academic, creative, and professional contexts.

Based in London, UK, Anse Fatema brings a deep appreciation for the written word and its ability to connect readers across cultures and centuries. Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, she enjoys reading, spending time in nature, and seeking out new adventures.

She joined Ribāṭ University in the Fall of 2026.

Dr. Salwa Barhumi

Anse Dr. Salwa Barhumi is a learning designer, educator, and community organizer. She grew up in Chicago’s bustling suburbs and left to attend the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, for her B.A. in Developmental Psychology and Education. She then pursued an M.A. in Learning Sciences at Northwestern University, an Ed.D in Learning Design from Johns Hopkins University, and a post-doc in the Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology lab at Stanford University. During that time, she spent 15 years in diverse roles in K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations, developing and leading immersive, engaging educational programs for youth & adults. 

She currently teaches, advises teachers and school leaders, designs evidence-based curricula for schools and organizations, and is an adjunct professor in the Religion department at the University of South Florida. In her free time, she co-leads weekly halaqa groups in Tampa, Florida, for young professionals (Deen & Caffeine) and youth (Revivers & Lightkeepers), and directs youth camps (Camp Leena).

She is passionate about designing enjoyable, evidence-based learning experiences for all and nurturing young Muslims to grow strong in their faith, identity, and mental well-being. She is also a mom of three who enjoys sweater weather, long walks in nature, experimenting with tea flavors, and spending time with family, friends, and her extended global Rabata community!

She is beyond excited and honored to join Ribat University during the inauguratory Fall 2026 term!

Anse Eamaan Rabbat

Anse Eamaan Rabbat currently serves as an Islamic Studies instructor at Ribāṭ University, in addition to teaching RabaTEENS classes and in-person classes locally in Minnesota and at the Rabata Cultural Center. She is a co-faculty member at the Emerging Religious Leaders Intensive hosted by the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies as well as a volunteer speaker for the Islamic Resource Group. She is also an interreligious fellow at the Collegeville Institute Fellows Program.

Anse Eamaan holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications with concentrations in Advertising and Journalism and a master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Education. She received the Ribaat Teacher Certification and the Ijazah in the Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi in 2022.

For over twenty-five years, Anse Eamaan has held various positions in educational institutions and schools, as an educator, volunteer, staff member, and finally leader, dedicating her time to the education and upbringing of students of all ages including children, youth, and adults. She has contributed to the establishment of a variety of educational institutions both online and in person.

Anse Eamaan presently serves as Dean of Academic Affairs at Ribāṭ University. Honored to have served as Director of Ribaat Academic Institute since its inception in 2012 and Rabata Education Director starting in 2020, she is eager to begin a new legacy as she guides the licensing and accreditation efforts of Ribāṭ University as well as overseeing curriculum and faculty affairs.

Anse Eamaan was raised in the United States and Syria, where she benefited from renowned female teachers of the Islamic fields of study, including tajwīd, sīra, hadith, fiqh, tafsīr, and ʿaqīda. She currently lives in Minnesota, USA and works from Rabata Cultural Center.

Anse Dr. Marah Dahman

Anse Dr. Marah Dahman serves as an Islamic Studies teacher for the Ribaat Academic Institute, namely in the areas of Purification and History. Dr. Marah received her dentistry degree and currently works as a dentist. She also has extensive education in studying tafsīr, hadīth, tajwīd, and other fields. 

Born and raised in Syria, Anse Marah now lives in Tampa, Florida, where aside from dentistry and her Ribaat teaching, she also teaches at her local masjid. Anse Marah was greatly influenced by her teachers in Syria, who she remembers as open, kind, patient and wise. “My teacher made things easy on us and put the world into perspective,” she said. “All our teachers spent so much time bringing us up. I am excited to be able to pay that debt forward by teaching at Ribaat.”

Anse Dr. Marah started teaching with Ribaat since its inception in 2013.

Anse Rydanah Dahman

Anse Rydanah Dahman serves as an Islamic Studies instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She holds an AS in Computer Programming and Applications and studied pharmacy in Syria for 3 years before moving to the United States. She now also holds a position as a certified IRS Enrolled Agent.

Anse Rydanah received traditional Islamic knowledge from her teachers in Syria and teaches a variety of subjects including usūl, tafsīr, hadīth, and fiqh, and is frequently invited as a guest speaker at local colleges and universities. She has dedicated her life to teaching Islam, leading weekly halaqas in her community in Tampa Bay, Florida for the past 30 years and has played a vital role as part of Ribaat’s teaching faculty. Anse Rydanah states about teaching at Ribaat, “I love the idea of providing a taste of what Allah (swt) allowed us to get from our teachers, and to be part of a safe, reliable, and effective teaching institution.”

Anse Rydanah comes from a large and loving family with many siblings, children of her own, one of whom she describes as “a true angel” due to being diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome, and three grandchildren. With the little time she has left in between working, family, and teaching, she enjoys reading, writing, and needlework.

She has been teaching with Ribaat since its inception in 2013.

Anse Raghad Bushnaq

Anse Raghad Bushnaq serves as an Arabic and Islamic Studies instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She studied Sharīʿa at Imam University in Saudi Arabia and Agricultural Engineering at Damascus University. In 2006, she returned to Imam University to study Islamic Economics.

Born and raised in Syria, Anse Raghad studied with some of the blessed city’s best teachers, including those who have published works in the subjects of fiqh, comparative fiqh, tawḥīd, sīra, fiqh, hadith, tafsīr, tajwīd, rijāl, and sciences of the Quran. She memorized the Quran in 1994 and later received ijāza to teach tajwīd in the recitation of Ḥafs. She is currently working on a ḥifẓ ijāza.

While in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, she taught English as a second language at Al Rowad International Schools and developed a curriculum for Jewels of Knowledge International Schools. Since coming to the United States, she has been an instructor and an active member in the Muslim community of the DC Metro area since 1989 and was an instructor at the Fawakih Institute.

She is the founder and Executive Director of Mozaic, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing refugees in the DMV area with the necessary support to settle, adjust, and adapt to their new lives. It is also an effort to provide women and children with educational and material support to motivate and empower them.

Anse Raghad teaches the Arabic language at Ribaat as well as courses taught completely in Arabic, such as Companions of the Prophet ﷺ. She is a mother of five and grandmother of four. She has been teaching Arabic and Islamic Sciences courses with Ribaat since 2015.

Ustadha Rukayat Yakub

Ustadha Rukayat Yakub serves as an instructor at Ribaat Academic Institute. Ustadha Rukayat received her teaching certification in Montessori elementary education and earned her Master of Arts in Islamic Education. She is currently working on a Doctorate in Ministry to further her studies in belonging and community development.

An award-winning children’s author, educator, publisher, trainer, consultant, and school climate coach, Ustadha Rukayat has worked in education for 25 years. Her areas of expertise include Heartwork (addressing anti-blackness to build spaces of prophetic belonging), curriculum design, Islamic Studies and ethical wealth flow. She works with leaders to develop and implement best practices that infuse prophetic courage, kindness, and humility in community institutions.

Ustadha Rukayat began teaching at Ribaat in 2019.

Anse Sana Mohiuddin

Anse Sana Mohiuddin serves as an Islamic Studies instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute.  She holds a History degree and a minor in Religious Studies from Texas A&M University and a graduate degree in Marital and Family Therapy from Northeastern Illinois University. In 2015 she graduated from Jamia Zainab lil Banaat, Lusaka Zambia, with a degree in Islamic Studies (ijāza in hadith, tafsīr, fiqh, and sīra).

Born in Canada and raised in Texas, after undergraduate university, Anse Sana moved to Chicago, where she worked simultaneously on her Islamic studies degree and graduate school. Along with her educational pursuits, she volunteered from a young age with various local and national organizations. She worked closely with the Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) during high school in both her hometown and on a national level, and chaired the national MYNA conference at ISNA at the age of 17.

In college, she worked with the Muslim Students Association (MSA) and was the sisters’ coordinator for her university in her final year of undergraduate studies, and volunteered with youth and adult programs after moving to Chicago. She currently works as a female religious scholar for the MCC community in Chicago and runs her own therapy practice, Sound Hearts Therapy.

Anse Sana has taught Arabic with Ribaat since 2015, along with the 99 Names of Allah ﷻ and Conversations with the Prophet ﷺ. She also teaches a Rabata halaqa.

Anse Leila Anwar Pačariz

Anse Leila Anwar Pačariz serves as a Sīra instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She graduated from First Bosniak High School and currently studies at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in Sarajevo. Anse Leila holds an ijāza in Qur’an recitation Hafs ‘an ‘Asim and an ijaza in 40 hadith of Imam Nawawi. 

Anse Leila’s introduction to Rabata came during the Pilgrims at Home competition many years ago. Now, she runs Rabata’s affiliate in Bosnia, a women’s association named Halka – which means circle and is the name for the traditional Bosnian door opener. The word Halka signifies the importance of bringing people together and opening the door for everyone with good intentions. Since 2004, she has continuously run Quran classes in Bosnia, welcoming students who are tremendously passionate about learning the Quran. Together with fellow Rabata and Ribaat enthusiasts, she hosted Dr. Anse Tamara Gray and a few of her students in Sarajevo in 2018.

Anse Leila was born and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she still lives and works today. She is a single mother of two young women. Her eldest is studying to become an agricultural engineer and is planning to help build back the economy of Bosnia. Her younger daughter is in school, working hard and dreaming of becoming a doctor of Sharīʿa, to stand strong with Muslim women on the path of knowledge and independence. Anse Leila enjoys making colorful spreadsheets and reading reports. 

Anse Leila began teaching Sīra at Ribaat in 2023 along with leading a Rabata Halaqa. She also serves as the Operations Manager at Rabata, a role she took on after 15 years of work in the humanitarian field.

Ustadha Safiyyah Salaam
Ustadha Safiyyah Salaam serves as an instructor in Teaching Methodologies for the Ribaat Academic Institute. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, and a master’s degree in Collaborative Education and Educational Leadership. She also holds an English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement. Ustadha Safiyyah began her career in special education and eventually shifted to ESL where she has worked as a team leader, peer coach, and as an ESL Coordinator.  In 2024, Ustadha Safiyyah received her Ribaat Teacher Certification. She also previously served on the Rabata Board of Directors.
Currently, living in Memphis, Tennessee, Ustadha Safiyyah is the Director of Students Services at a local Islamic school. Her specialty areas include family engagement, instructional planning and delivery, co-teaching, and instructional coaching. In her volunteer life, she serves as the parliamentarian and member-at-large for TN TESOL (Tennessee Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) and, she serves as a course instructor and volunteer for the Ribaat Academic Institute.
Ustadha Safiyyah also volunteers on the Memphis Islamic Center Dawah team, teaching a course mainly targeted towards Muslim women converts. In addition, she is a wife, and mother of three teen daughters. Her core values are integrity, excellence, child-centeredness, empathy, and cultivation.
Ustadha Safiyyah started teaching with the Ribaat Academic Institute in 2017.
Anse Randa Mardini

Anse Randa Mardini serves as an instructor in the field of Sīra at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She joins Ribaat with extensive studies in all of the fields of Islamic Studies and holds a degree in electronic engineering from Damascus University. Additionally, she holds ijāza (verified certifications) in Quran in the Hafs recitation and is an accredited and experienced educator.

Anse Randa has studied the full curriculum of Islamic sacred texts and subjects including Shāfiʿī jurisprudence (fiqh), Islamic theology (ʿaqīda), Quranic sciences (tafsīr and tajwīd), Arabic grammar (naḥū), geography of the Muslim world, Islamic civilization and culture, Islamic history and classical methods of spiritual growth (tazkiya). Her specialty area is the sīra of the Prophet ﷺ, in which she has done extensive research since the 1990’s.

She has been part of many efforts to teach and spread knowledge of the Prophet’s life and lessons learned from it, including curriculum programs, an Arabic and English software “Prophets & Messengers in the Shade of Islam”, and the translation of “A Compendium of the Sources on the Prophetic Narrative”. She has taught in schools and masjids in Damascus for many years.

Anse Randa has been teaching Sīra with Ribaat since 2018.

Dr. Zainab Alwani

Dr. Zainab Alwani serves as a Tafsīr Instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. Dr. Alwani received her Ph.D. in Islamic Sciences and Islamic Jurisprudence from the International Islamic University in Malaysia. Her Ph.D. dissertation focused on the implementation of the higher aims of Islamic law (Maqāṣid al Shariah) within the domain of the American Muslim family.

She serves as the Founding Director and the first Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Howard University School of Divinity (HUSD). She is also the chair of the Master of Arts (Religious Studies) program at HUSD. Over the years, she has authored and co-authored a wide variety of publications ranging from books, textbooks and book chapters, to scholarly articles. She is particularly interested in deriving methodologies for approaching the Qur’an, Sunna and Islamic jurisprudence in the area of women and family relations.

Dr. Alwani is currently serving as the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Islamic Faith and Practice, a scholarly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Islamic Seminary Foundation in partnership with IUPUI University Library. Her research focuses on Quranic studies, Islamic jurisprudence, and the relationship between civil and religious law in the area of women and family.

Dr. Alwani is the first female jurist to serve on the board of the Fiqh Council of North America and currently serves as the Council’s Vice-Chair. Currently, Dr. Alwani is working on a groundbreaking project regarding orphan care titled “The Orphan Care Project”.

She is a mother of four, and a grandmother of six. Her hobbies include spending time with her family, reading, writing and traveling.

She began teaching Tadabbur of the Quran at Ribaat in 2021.

Ustadha Maha Hamoui

Ustadha Maha Hamoui serves as a Tafsīr instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute She holds a degree in Education and has studied Islam under many prominent scholars in the Middle East. 

Born and raised in the Middle East, Ustadha Maha has worked as an activist and lecturer for the last 35 years. After moving to the United States, Ustadha Maha taught throughout California and lectured on Islam at various conferences. Her classes are conducted in English and Arabic and include students of various ages and ethnicities. Many youth on the West Coast consider Ustadha Maha to be their teacher, Islamic role model, and inspiration to live as a devoted servant to Allah. She is the founder and president of the Islamic Outreach Foundation (IOF), which runs a weekly school.

Ustadha Maha has been teaching with Ribaat since its inception in 2013. She teaches the Level 1 Tafsīr course “Reflections from the Quran”, which takes an in-depth look at a different sura each term.

Dr. Leea Gibson

Dr. Leea Gibson is a native to the US who grew up in Southern Indiana. She earned a BSC in English education, Masters Degree in Educational Administration/ Curriculum and Instruction, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Dr. Gibson is currently the CEO of PaySii, a fintech MSB that helps people send money to their friends and family all over the world. Most of Dr. Gibson’s adult life was spent in Ethiopia building and developing Gibson School Systems as the founder and managing director. GSS is an amazing activity and character development based comprehensive educational system with more than 20 schools  for students preschool to grade 12 and Gibson College, an online university. 

During her career, Dr. Gibson has worn many hats including teacher to all ages and various subjects, board of directors member, program creator and coordinator, educational consultant, and master editor- to name a few. In her free time, Dr. Gibson enjoys road trips, reading, participating in writing groups and writing poetry and short stories, basking in nature, and all things Rabata. Dr. Gibson has been married to her lovely husband Abdi since the beginning of time and is the mother of Ahmed, Abdiselam, Zack, and Bilal and grandmother to Ahmed and Leea.

Anse Dahlia Kasswani

Anse Dahlia Kasswani serves as a Tafsīr instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. Anse Dahlia earned her degree in English Literature and continued on to study Early Childhood Development in Chicago. She pursued her Islamic education in Damascus, which included in-depth studies of tafsīr, sīra, fiqh, and ʿaqīda. She is proficient in tajwīd and gained a certificate in recitation of 15 juz’ and is now working on gaining her ijāza in Quran recitation in the UAE.

Born in Egypt and raised in Syria, Anse Dahlia has also lived in the United States and Canada. As an English Literature graduate, Anse Dahlia pursued her passion for English through courses, communicating with native speakers, reading, and teaching

For the last 10 years she has taught English in schools, supervised youth groups, and has provided young adult programs for Muslim girls. She also works closely with young women at her local Masjid. She is currently married with three grown children and lives in Dubai, UAE.

Anse Dahlia has been teaching tafsīr with Ribaat since 2015.

Anse Kiashe Pugh

Anse Kiashe Pugh serves as a Tafsīr instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute and also teaches for the RabaTEENS and Dragonflies youth programs. She earned her degree in Psychology from Rutgers University. While living abroad in a number of countries, Anse Kiashe studied different fields within Islam and ultimately earned the high honor of accreditation in formal Quranic recitation from world renowned Quranic scholar, Shaykh Abu Hasan al Kurdi, in 2003.

A native of New Jersey, Anse Kiashe Pugh converted from Christianity to Islam in 1990. Soon after conversion, she spent 19 years abroad and returned to the United States in 2013, and her passion for service compelled her involvement with a multinational humanitarian organization. She also serves on the Board of Rabata as Vice Chair. 

Anse Kiashe also serves as an instructor with Hafsa Quran Society and Sakina Institute.

When not teaching, mentoring, or community leading, she most enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and hosting guests. She is a lifelong learner and teacher who encourages others to continually learn and reflect, especially on the Quran.

She started teaching with Ribaat in 2015.

Anse Najiyah Maxfield

Anse Najiyah Maxfield serves as an instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute in the areas of writing and public speaking. She holds a Ribaat Teaching Certificate and a Dare to Lead Certificate. Anse Najiyah brings with her the vast experience of teaching English and history in the US and the Middle East.

Anse Najiyah authored many articles, poems and short stories. Her young adult novel, “Sophia’s Journal”, is an award-winning, time-travel adventure, for which Daybreak Press also produced a companion curriculum.

Anse Najiyah also serves as the Head of Publishing of Daybreak Press, Rabata’s non-profit publishing company. She also leads workshops and seminars on writing and developing your craft, as well as running Project Lina workshops.

Anse Najiyah began teaching at Ribaat in 2016 and also leads a Rabata halaqa.

Ustadha Zaynab Ansari

Ustadha Zaynab Ansari serves as an Islamic Studies instructor and curriculum contributor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She earned degrees in World History and Middle Eastern Studies from Georgia State University.

Blessed to have studied in the Middle East, Ustadha Zaynab spent her formative years in Damascus, Syria, where she was introduced to the foundations of traditional Islam and the etiquette of seeking knowledge. Upon her return, she enrolled in Georgia State University in Atlanta, where she focused on the humanities. In addition to her work in her local community, she spent many years in the pioneering field of online Islamic education as a consultant, writer, volunteer, and instructor.

A strong believer in women’s education and leadership training, Ustadha Zaynab also contributes to the social sciences curriculum at Ribaat in collaboration with Shaykha Dr. Tamara Gray. She was also honored to join the dynamic team at Jannah Institute under the leadership of Shaykha Haifaa Younis, where she contributes to the Year of Knowledge academic program.

Ustadha Zaynab currently serves as a full-time instructor at Tayseer Seminary and an adjunct instructor at Boston Islamic Seminary, where she teaches classes on Islamic law, Quran and Hadīth studies, Prophetic biography, American Muslim history, and women in Islam.

She began teaching with Ribaat in 2015.

 

Anse ‘Alimatunnisa Abdul Ghani

Anse ‘Alimatunnisa Abdul Ghani serves as an Islamic Studies instructor at Ribāṭ University. She studied Arabic and Islamic sciences at Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah in Singapore for 12 years. Afterwards, she traveled to Damascus, Syria once completing her GCE A-Level to pursue her bachelor’s degree from Abu Al Nour University in the Faculty of Islamic Da’wa. She also holds a master’s degree in Islamic Studies from Charles Sturt University in collaboration with the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy (ISRA) in Australia.

Born and raised in Singapore, she moved to Damascus for deeper Islamic learning. She spent four years in Damascus, Syria and one year in Beirut, Lebanon learning from various scholars. She considers Damascus her hometown: a place where she found profound spirituality and amazing upbringing. She is now back in her home country of Singapore and enjoys sharing the gems she has gained from her teachers with others.

Anse ‘Alimah also presently serves as an Academic Affairs Support Officer at Ribāṭ University. She is passionate about supporting Islamic programs and has experience in teaching Islam to students of various backgrounds, including Muslim inmates and students with learning differences such as autism and Down syndrome. She enjoys working with youth and adults alike—those who are new to Islam or those learning more about the sacred sciences.

Anse Dr. Farhana Yunus

Anse Dr. Farhana Yunus serves as a Tafsīr instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. Anse Farhana earned her Doctor of Optometry degree and works as an optometrist. As a lifelong student of sacred knowledge, she completed the Ribaat Teacher Certification through the Ribaat Academic Institute in 2020 and completed Bayyinah Access 1, 2, and 3. She also studied the Ajroomiyah with Qutoof Academy, completed tajwīd and studied the Jazariyyah with Rahman School of Orlando, and studied with Islamic Online Institute with the Islamic Circle of North America Sisters Wing.

Anse Dr. Farhana has been teaching Tafsīr of the Quran for over 10 years and currently runs a study circle for women of Qur’an Tafsīr and Sīra. She also organizes the women’s Annual Spirit Retreat, has served on the Muslim Women’s Organization Board, and is a Girl Scout Troop leader.

She is a mother of five children, who loves to travel, hike, kayak, run Disney marathons, and spend time with her family.

She joined Ribaat as an instructor in 2021, and also teaches for both Rabata youth programs, RabaTEENS and Dragonflies. Anse Dr. Farhana also leads a Rabata halaqa.

Dr. Jumana ElSamna
Dr. Jumana ElSamna serves as an Islamic Studies Instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She earned her PhD in Hadith and Sunna from the Islamic University of Gaza, where her dissertation focused on the concept of moderation in the chapter headings of Sahih Al-Bukhari related to women’s issues. Dr. ElSamna also holds a Master’s degree in Hadith Sciences from the same university, with a specialised focus on studying the narrations of two narrators mentioned in Al-‘Ilal by Al-Daraqutni. She has two bachelor’s degrees: one in Usool al-Dīn in Arabic and another in Contemporary Da’wah in English. Additionally, she memorized the Qur’an at a young age and holds a certification in recitation in Hafs ‘an ‘Asim.
Dr. ElSamna has taught as a lecturer at the Islamic University of Gaza and, in recent years, has dedicated her time to teaching Islamic Studies to English-speaking students on various platforms. She also published several research papers in peer-reviewed academic journals, covering diverse topics such as prophetic references to violent events that have occurred in modern times and Imam Bukhari’s moderation in addressing women’s issues in the book of AlJihad in Sahih Al-Bukhari.
She also contributed to developing an Islamic curriculum for a private school in Gaza, designed to give students a comprehensive understanding of Islam and equip them to face contemporary challenges.
Dr. ElSamna is a mother of one child. Her hobbies include reading, walking, and enjoying coffee.
Dr. Jinan Yousef

Dr. Jinan Yousef serves as an Islamic Studies teacher at the Ribaat Academic Institute. Dr. Jinan completed her studies at Cambridge Islamic College and Al-Salam Institute, and she continues her learning in hadith and tafsir. She currently teaches courses and halaqat on the Names of Allah, Quranic reflections, and other related topics.

Award-winning writer, Dr. Jinan authored Reflecting on the Names of Allah (Al Buruj Press, 2020), which won Daybreak Press’s Book Award in the Nonfiction, Motivational/Self Help category in 2021, and also wrote 99 names Guided Journal (3rd edition, Towards Faith, 2023). She also serves as a Senior Research Fellow at Yaqeen Institute, a lecturer and writer for Tawasaw Institute, and has taught for SWISS Institute. Dr. Jinan is passionate about helping Muslims connect to Allah.

Dr. Jinan Yousef started teaching with Ribaat in 2025.

Dr. Hussn Alalami

جميع الاجازات معتمدة من مصدرها وجمعياتها ومعتمدة من جمعية الدعوة الاسلامية العالمية – مكتب الدعوة والإرشاد والثقافة – طرابلس
اعمل واعظة ومعلمة متطوعة في جمعية الدعوة الاسلامية العالمية – مكتب الدعوة والرشاد والثقافة – طرابلس

Anse Nawar Taleb-Agha

Anse Nawar Taleb-Agha serves as Tajwīd Coordinator for the Ribaat Academic Institute. She holds a bachelor’s in Linguistics from University of California at Berkeley and a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) from San Francisco State University. She has been teaching ESL at local language centers and community colleges since 2013. She also holds multiple certifications in tajwīd.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, California, Anse Nawar was introduced to a tajwīd teacher during her first visit to Syria. She worked swiftly through to receive an ijāza in the Hafs recitation from the late Shaykh Abu Al-Hassan Al-Kurdi (may Allah have mercy on him). While studying tajwīd, she fell in love with Damascus and began to visit more frequently until she moved there for three years to study Arabic, tafsīr, fiqh, hadith sciences, and more.

During her time in Damascus, Anse Nawar also memorized the Quran and received an ijāza from Shaykh Muhammad Nizar al-Kurdi. Anse Nawar has been teaching tajwīd since her first ijāza in 2003. She currently lives in California with her husband and enjoys indoor gardening and crochet.

Anse Nawar started teaching with Ribaat in 2015 as a Tajwīd instructor. 

Anse Nisreen Al Jallad

Anse Dr. Nisreen Al Jallad serves as a Tajwīd instructor at Ribāṭ University. In 1995, she received her ijāza in the Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim recitation and has been teaching Quran and Tajwīd ever since. She is also licensed to teach Fiqh al-ʿIbādāt according to the Shāfiʿī school and is licensed by the Ministry of Awqāf in Damascus, Syria, to teach Quran and Islamic Studies.

Anse Nisreen previously served as a member of the Ministry of Awqāf’s Board for Review (Sabr) of the Holy Quran, where she evaluated students in tajwīd and ḥifẓ. She also contributed to the development of fiqh and tajwīd curricula taught in mosques throughout Syria. In 2014, she became certified to teach al-Qāʿida al-Nūrāniyya. She is the author of Zīnat al-Tilāwa fī ʿIlm al-Tajwīd (The Beauty of Recitation in the Science of Tajwīd), published in 2010.

Since moving to the United States, Anse Nisreen has continued her dedication to Quranic education, teaching Quran and al-Qāʿida al-Nūrāniyya and supporting ḥifẓ programs at various Islamic schools. Alongside her work in Islamic education, Dr. Nisreen is a full-time Assistant Professor of Dentistry and Director of the Perinatal Dental Clinic at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York.

Anse Nisreen started teaching Tajwīd at Ribaat Academic Institute in 2014 and currently serves on the Tajwīd Committee at the Ribāṭ University Sanad Center.

Anse Nahal Dahman

Anse Nahal Dahman serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. Anse Nahal studied Library and Information Sciences at Damascus University and received an ijāza in tajwīd of the Holy Quran in the Hafs recitation.

Born in Syria, Anse Nahal spent her youth studying the sacred sciences. These studies traversed many topics including fiqh, tafsīr, ‘aqīda, and hadīth. Additionally, she was honored and blessed to take the sīra of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with Shaykha Anse Samirah al-Zayed (may Allah grant her the highest of ranks in Paradise).

Anse Nahal later studied Early Childhood Education and has spent the past two decades teaching Quran, Islamic studies, and Arabic. Since leaving Syria, she has lived in Canada and now resides in California with her family where she continues to teach and serve the community.

Anse Nahal began teaching tajwid with Ribaat in 2019 and currently teaches Level 1 Quran fluency.

Anse Ola Habbab

Anse Ola Habbab serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute.  She holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Syrian Virtual University in Damascus and a Web Development Certificate from a graduate program completed at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Over the years, she also acquired her certifications in Quran and tajwīd, through which she serves and teaches women around the world.

Syrian-born, Anse Ola spent her childhood and adolescence between the US, Lebanon, and Syria. She spent 10 years under the teaching and guidance of her teachers, with whom she learned tajwīd, fiqh, ‘aqīda, and hadīth, and earned an ijāza in both Quran and al-Qāʿida al-Nūrāniyya. Anse Ola studied She currently resides in Connecticut.

Anse Ola has been teaching tajwid with Ribaat since 2015 and also works with tajwīd students one-on-one as part of the Quran Program.

Anse Dr. Saadia Mian

Anse Dr. Saadia Mian serves as an instructor for the Ribaat Academic Institute. She teaches the Quran memorization class entitled, ‘The Crowning Venture’ and also as a tajwid instructor. She is board-certified endocrinologist and runs her clinic, ‘The Functional Endocrinologist,’ merging her passion for functional and integrative medicine with her allopathic degree. While in medical school, Anse Saadia traveled to Syria to study Arabic, Quran, and sacred knowledge.

She received her ijāza in the Hafs recitation from Shaykh Abu al-Hassan Al-Kurdi (May Allah ﷻ be pleased with him) and also from Shaykh Krayem ar-Raji. She completed the memorization of the Qur’an and is currently working on obtaining an ijāza al-ghaib (ijāza in memorization). She also holds an ijāza in the Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi (may Allah ﷻ be pleased with him) and the Forty Hadith of Palestine. She helped to launch the Ribaat Qur’an program and also authored the book, “The Crowning Venture: Inspiration from Women Who Have Memorized the Quran” along with a companion journal. She was on the founding board of Rabata and continues to volunteer her time as a halaqa teacher. She graduated as part of the first cohort of the Ribaat Teacher Certification in 2020. She is a certified life coach and has a special interest in transformational leadership to support women to bring their own visions to life.

Anse Maryam Salman

Anse Maryam Salman serves as a tajwīd instructor at Ribāṭ University. She graduated with a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. In the late nineties, she spent an initial period of three years in Damascus, Syria, where she studied Arabic and Shāfiʿī fiqh. She completed the memorization of the Quran and received an ijāza in Quran recitation from the late Syrian scholar, Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Kurdi.

Anse Maryam has been actively involved in teaching both privately and in classroom settings to women, teenagers and children. She continues her Islamic Studies at Ribāṭ University and currently resides in Chicago with her husband and five children.

Anse Maryam has been teaching tajwīd with Ribāṭ since 2015.

Anse Hafsa Abdul-Hakeem

Anse Hafsa Abdul-Hakeem serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She earned the Ribaat Teacher Certification in 2020 and holds certifications (ijāza) in topics such as tajwīd, fiqh, and Arabic grammar.

Born and raised in Georgia and now living in New Jersey, Anse Hafsa has been a lifelong seeker of Sacred Knowledge. She began her studies in her youth with local scholars and later traveled overseas to pursue deeper studies in Tarim, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt.

Her hopes to pursue Islamic scholarship continued when she heard about Rabata and was recommended to jump on the wave by her community teachers. Ribaat connected her to the legacy of Muslim women’s scholarship and leadership. She graduated with the first Ribaat cohort and is still studying but also enjoying family life, teaching and working in the non-profit sector in social services.

Anse Hafsa has been a Ribaat Tajwīd teacher since 2020 and also teaches with Dragonflies, Rabata’s youth program.

Ustadha Samia Mubarak

Ustadha Samia Mubarak serves as a Quran instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She completed her memorization of the Quran at age of 23, shortly after attaining her Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in Psychology from Florida State University. Since then, she has formally studied with a number of scholars and religious seminaries.

Ustadha Samia has a love for Quran recitation and is currently working on an ijāza (Quranic memorization certification) in Hafs recitation with Kiflayn in Amman, Jordan. Samia is also currently a student of the Muddakir Quran Tafseer and Memorization program under the guidance of Ustadha Huda Ghadban (may Allah reward her), and is also a student of Al-Madina Suhba Seminary under the guidance of Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui (may Allah reward him), where she is studying a variety of courses, including tazkiya, usul al-fiqh, aqeeda, and al-haqiqa al-Muhammadiyya ﷺ, among others.

She has studied Quranic Sciences extensively under the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Shaykha Zainab Alwani (may Allah reward her). Ustadha Samia has also taken classes with Anse Dr. Tamara Gray through Rabata and is a graduate of the Fawakih Quranic-Arabic summer program.

Ustadha Samia is also the founder of Quranic Ocean, a guided platform dedicated to building personal and emotional connections with Allah’s words. Ustadha Samia spent most of her childhood and teen summers in Amman, Jordan, where she first began her journey in Quranic memorization, tawjeed and Arabic grammar.

Much of Ustadha Samia’s inspiration comes from her grandfathers, Sheikh Ibrahim Zaid Al-Kilani and Sheikh Mohammad Al-Mubarak, who were scholars of their time, dedicating their lives to teaching Allah’s words and reviving the sunnah of RasulAllah ﷺ, with each of them having a direct lineage to our Beloved Prophet and Messenger Muhammad ﷺ. May Allah have mercy on them both and make Ustadha Samia’s continuous efforts in sharing love of the Quran a sadaqa jāriya (ongoing charity) for them 🤲🏼.

Ustadha Samia is a single mom to two girls, one of which was born with a very rare syndrome called CHILD and has special medical needs, alhamdulillah. She is a home barista and loves pouring latte art! She hopes to help people dive deep into the Quranic ocean so they can find comfort and reassurance through Allah’s words amidst the varying circumstances of life. She has a unique ability of helping people tap into their emotions through the words of Allah ﷻ.

Ustadha Samia began teaching with Ribaat in 2023.

Anse Farah Malas

Anse Farah Malas serves as a Tajwīd instructor with the Ribaat Academic Institute and at Rabata Cultural Center. She received her Islamic education in a range of Islamic Sciences including tajwīd, sīra, fiqh, and ‘aqīda. She received an ijāza in the Holy Quran in the Hafs recitation as well as a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Damascus University. 

Born and raised in Damascus, Syria, Anse Farah later moved to the United States where she has been teaching Arabic, Quran, and Islamic education to Muslim youth and adults both in person and online.

Anse Farah currently lives in Minnesota with her husband and two kids. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and enjoys coffee, reading, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Anse Farah joined the Ribaat Academic Institute in 2021.

Anse Tasneem Naji

Anse Tasneem Naji serves as a Tajwīd instructor with Rabata Cultural Center. She earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Special Education and then completed her graduate studies in School Psychology.

Syrian-American, growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Anse Tasneem spent many of her childhood summers in Syria. She found great benefit in visiting her family, reconnecting with her culture, and building up her deen during these times with the guidance of wonderful female teachers. 

Anse Tasneem has been blessed to attend Islamic schools for her K-12 schooling in the US, and has always made an effort to continue her Islamic and Arabic studies. Anse Tasneem earned an ijāza in al-Qāʿida al-Nūrāniyya.

During the school year, Anse Tasneem works as a school psychologist. She currently lives with her husband in Minnesota and enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and hiking.

Anse Tasneem began teaching with Rabata in the summer of 2023.

Anse Shaimaa Zayan

Anse Shaimaa Zayan serves as a Tajwīd instructor with the Ribaat Academic Institute. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and taught for 3 semesters at Cairo University. She moved to Texas in 2007, where she earned her masters in Special Education and Diversity from UT Austin and taught Math to middle/high school students. Anse Shaimaa holds a tajwīd ijāza and completed her thesis on teaching Arabic Early Literacy for non-Arabic speakers.

Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, as a child, Anse Shaimaa was blessed with an exceptionally loving and caring Islamic environment where she memorized the Quran, learned basic Islamic studies, and developed her love and appreciation for the Arabic language.

During the pandemic, Anse Shaimaa discovered her passion for community work and social justice serving unprivileged families through humanitarian assistance programs at the local Islamic center. Currently working as the Operations Manager for the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Texas (CAIR-Texas), Shaimaa enjoys building bridges and enhancing the understanding of Islam through outreach and educational programs.

She feels honored to be part of the Ribaat community. Outside of work, Shaimaa enjoys the company of her three children, walking in nature, painting, and writing Arabic poetry.

She joined Ribaat in 2023.
Anse Miski Dayib

Anse Miski Dayib serves as a Tajwīd instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute and also teaches in the RabaTEENS program. She graduated with a degree in Nutrition Studies from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in 2021.

A Somali-American, Minnesota-born-and-bred, life-long learner, Anse Miski worked as a public health nutritionist and health disparities researcher. She has extensive experience in type 2 diabetes research with a particular focus on the development of culturally-competent interventions for patients with limited English proficiency. Her other academic interests include nutritional biochemistry, public health, and community medicine.

Anse Miski began her Islamic Studies education through Abubakar As-Siddique Islamic Center (AAIC) Dugsi based in Minneapolis, where she was a student of Quran memorization and tajwīd. She then went on to graduate from AAIC Institute with a two-year degree program in the foundational Islamic Sciences in 2016. Currently, Anse Miski continues her studies with local teachers and is an incoming student of Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui’s Suhba Seminary program as well as Ribaat Academic Institute with a focus on tajwīd. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, running, and sampling good-quality matcha.

She began teaching at Rabata in the summer of 2023. 

Anse Deena Alzalam

Anse Deena Alzalam is a British Quran teacher of Palestinain and Irish mixed heritage. She was raised in the United Kingdom and has been teaching Quran recitation for over 15 years. 

During her early youth, she studied law and psychology at college. Later, she travelled with her young family to Damascus, Syria, to begin learning to read the Quran and Arabic language. Whilst there, she earned an ijāza with certification from the Ministry of Religious Education. Upon returning to the UK, she began to teach children and adults both in a local masjid and from her home. Later, she travelled to Saudi Arabia and began and completed her ijāza in the recitation of the Holy Quran. 

Anse Deena currently resides in the UK with her family. She is passionate about home education, nature studies, spending time with her family, walking, and travelling. In the future, she aspires to complete a nature curriculum that combines nature studies with traditional subjects within an islamic framework as a holistic approach to learning.

Anse Ragad Kanawati

Anse Dr. Ragad Kanawati is a tajwīd teacher with a commitment to serving her community through Islamic education. She received her ijāza in Quran recitation of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim from Damascus, Syria.

Anse Ragad has been with Ribāṭ for over ten years, sharing her knowledge and passion for the Quran with students from diverse backgrounds. Beyond her teaching at Ribāṭ, Anse Ragad is an active member of her local community. She regularly organizes and leads educational programs for women, teen girls, and children, with a focus on nurturing faith, knowledge, and a strong connection to the Quran.

She grew up in West Virginia and earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) from the West Virginia University School of Dentistry. After practicing dentistry, her passion for Islamic education and community service became an increasingly central part of her life.

She currently resides in Illinois, USA, where she is raising her four children while continuing her work in Quranic education and community service.

Anse Reem Sawaf

Anse Reem Sawaf serves as a tajwīd instructor at Ribāṭ University.

In 1994, Anse Reem received her hifz certification. Since then, she has been honored to teach the rules of tajwīd, support students in the proper recitation of the Qur’an, and participates in programs of taḥfīẓ in both Syria and the United States, carrying the Qur’an with her wherever Allah places her.

Anse Reem was born and raised in Damascus, Syria, where she earned her degree in Pharmacy from the University of Damascus in 1990. During her university years, she was blessed to attend circles of Islamic knowledge under the guidance of learned and pious teachers who profoundly shaped her spiritual path and whom she describes as reminding her of the noble Companions of the Prophet ﷺ.

A few years ago, she was grateful to join the Rabata team, an environment she feels continually nurtures and deepens people’s love for Allah, His Messenger ﷺ, and the Qur’an. 

Anse Reem has been an instructor for the Ribāṭ tajwīd courses since 2024.

Anse Dr. Anna-Maria Ramezanzadeh

Dr. Anna-Maria Ramezanzadeh serves as Consultant for Arabic Language Instruction within the Ribaat Academic Institute, with the aim of producing an engaging, effective, and accessible curriculum for those wishing to use the language to access sacred sources. Dr. Anna-Maria is a language researcher and curriculum developer with a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of Arabic language studies. She received her doctorate in Education, specializing in Arabic Applied Linguistics, from the University of Oxford, along with her MSc in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition, and a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Persian.

Dr. Anna-Maria currently works in the University of Oxford’s Department of Education. She conducts a review of existing research on the teaching and learning of the Arabic language. She also produced research for the British Council and the AHRC Creative Multilingualism project.

She served as an Arabic instructor at undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Oxford, as well as the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and the Department for Continuing Education.

She started leading the Arabic program restructuring at Ribaat in 2022.

Anse Raghad Alsayd

Anse Raghad Alsayd oversees the Ribaat Arabic Conversation department and serves as Rabata’s current Administrative Director. She received her bachelor’s in Arabic Literature and an ijāza (certification) in the 40 Hadith of Imam an-Nawawi and the 40 Hadith of Palestine. She has been a dedicated student of Islamic knowledge and Arabic throughout the years, sharing her knowledge with children, youth, and young women.

Born in Damascus, Syria, Anse Raghad spent 17 years of her youth there and worked as an early years ESL teacher. Her spontaneous move to Minnesota in 2014, led her to Daybreak Bookstore, where she became a loyal volunteer. After two years, she moved to Winnipeg, Canada, where she worked in social programming for 6 years serving newcomer children and families in schools, while maintaining her diligent involvement with Rabata.

Her journey with Rabata started in the Fall of 2012 after she joined the pilot Ribaat Academic Institute class, Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, as a student. She later joined Ribaat’s Arabic program as an Arabic conversation teacher in the Fall of 2013 until the launch of the new Arabic program in 2022. Since 2021 she has been working in partnership with the new Arabic program team to support the development and launch of the revamped program.

She currently splits her time between Winnipeg, Minnesota, and places around the world that her work and family call her to. She loves starting her day off with a doughnut and a coffee, and keeps a busy social calendar connecting with family and friends. 

She began teaching at Ribaat in its first year in 2013, and started teaching a Rabata halaqa in 2023.

Anse Nishat Aisha Lal

Anse Nishat Lal serves as an Arabic instructor at Ribāṭ University. A born Muslim of Indian descent, she was raised in a village outside of Cardiff, Wales. Anse Nishat began studying Arabic at the young age of 14 and never stopped! She received her bachelor’s degrees in Arabic and History from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. She spent a year abroad studying Arabic at the University of Damascus, as well as studying the religious sciences in the Madrasa an-Nuriya ḥadīth school for women.

While in Damascus, she earned her ijāza in tajwīd and became a student of Shaykha Dr. Tamara Grey, deepening her knowledge and practice of the Islamic sciences. Upon her return to London, Anse Nishat pursued a master’s degree in Arabic Translation from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

Anse Nishat has been teaching Arabic with Ribāṭ since 2014 and loves helping people on their Arabic journey. She also works with tajwīd students one-on-one. She has always been especially passionate about the sira and, since 16 year old, she has been teaching sira in her local community. Anse Nishat served as the lead for Rabata UK for 10 years and is still an active member of the Rabata UK team. She served on the Rabata board for several years and assisted in building the RabaTEENS program. She began teaching a Rabata halaqa in 2023. She is the translator of the beautiful dua book In the Garden of Remembrance,  a Daybreak Press publication. She is also the author of a children’s book titled I Am Palestindian—a sweet book about dual heritage since her children are half Palestinian and half Indian. She currently lives in Amman, Jordan with her husband and three children.

Ustadha Nadia S. Ahmed

Ustadha Nadia S. Ahmed serves as an Arabic instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She completed her studies at Jaamia Ayesha Siddiqua, covering all the areas of Islamic Studies, Quran, and Arabic.  She spent six years studying both classical and modern literary Arabic, in addition to classical texts in other fields, including tafsīr, ‘aqīda, tajwīd, hadīth, fiqh, sīra, and Islamic history.

Born and raised in Hyderabad, Pakistan, Ustadha Nadia joined Jaamia Ayesha Siddiqua in Karachi in 1996 after completing high school. After graduating in 2002, she taught tafsīr, usūl al-tafsīr, fiqh, conversational Arabic (al-Hiwār), Arabic grammar, poetry, literature, and calligraphy at the same institute.

She moved to the United States in 2010 and co-founded Nakhlah Institute with the goal of providing higher Islamic education. Through Nakhlah, she taught Arabic language and Tafsīr to women and girls in the community. In her local community, she runs a hifdh program and is also actively involved with the Islamic Center of New England, Sharon. 

In the US, she continues to deepen her knowledge by studying with local teachers, including Shaykh Jihad Brown, Anse Tamara Gray, and Shaykh Khalil Abdur-Rashid. Ustadha Nadia strongly believes that learning Arabic with the intention of preserving the language of the Quran is a profound spiritual journey in which every single letter or a new vocabulary word or a new grammatical concept that we learn and apply takes us one step closer to Allah Most High.

In order to contextualize her classical training, she attends seminars on modernity, feminism, liberalism, atheism, and other relevant topics. Ustadha Nadia Salma currently resides in Sharon, MA with her husband and kids.

Ustadha Nadia began teaching Arabic grammar with Ribaat in 2020.

Ustadha Samah Atef

Ustadha Samah Atef serves as an Arabic instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute. She graduated from the renowned Al-Azhar University and is a hafidhah, having completed memorization of the Quran at a young age. She also holds a Tajwīd ijāza from Jadeer Academy in Egypt.

She has a strong foundation in the Arabic language and Islamic Sciences from her 17 years of education at Al-Azhar University in Egypt, where she studied topics such as fiqh, ‘aqīda, sīra, hadīth, tafsīr, Quran, and more. Since 2017, she has dedicated herself to teaching Arabic and Islamic studies to non-Arabs. She loves to share her passion for the Arabic language and heritage and works hard to provide students a safe and encouraging learning environment.  As an online Arabic teacher for 7 years, Ustadha Samah excels in creating engaging and interactive classes. She utilizes the active learning approach, to ensure students actively participate in the learning process. 

In 2020, as recognition for her expertise in her field, she was awarded a Fulbright grant and taught Arabic Language and Culture to the faculty and staff at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, USA, as a professional development program.In addition, she was an active member of the Muslim community there and taught children at the Islamic school at Al-Iman Mosque in Iowa City.

She now resides in Egypt and plans to pursue a master’s degree in Language Teaching and Pedagogy.

Ustadha Samah started teaching with Ribaat in 2022.

Anse Dr. Samar Chmseddin

Anse Dr. Samar Chmseddin serves as a Tajwīd and Arabic instructor for the Ribaat Academic Institute. She commenced her education and teaching career in her native homeland of Lebanon, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Arabic Literature and started her teaching career. After relocating to the US, she earned a master’s degree in Arabic Literature and Teaching. To expand her knowledge base and expertise, she successfully pursued her PhD in Leadership and Management in Education.

For the past 25 years, Anse Dr. Samar has taught Arabic in a variety of settings, including weekend programs, summer programs, full time private schools, and full-time charter schools. She also served as an instructor at Henry Ford Community College and Johns Hopkins University. Her teaching career extended to teaching Arabic language to elementary, middle, and high school students as well as adults in Lebanon and the US.

Anse Samar has also served on curriculum boards, creating and implementing Arabic curriculum materials designed for students learning Arabic as a second language. Dr. Samar studied a variety of Islamic Science subjects and holds an ijāza in tajwīd of the Holy Qur’an. Along with teaching tajwīid and Arabic online with Ribaat, she teaches in her local community as well.

She started working with Ribaat in 2020.

Anse Dr. Basma Alwani

Anse Dr. Basma Alwani serves as an Advanced Arabic instructor at Ribāṭ University. 

In 2010, she received her degree in Applied Linguistics from the Saint Joseph University of Beirut, where she then continued her studies to complete her Ph.D. in Arabic Language and Literature. Her degrees provided her with the necessary background and experience for her specialization in instruction of Arabic as a foreign language. Prior to her current role, Dr. Alwani served for over a decade as a faculty member in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature at prestigious Turkish universities.

She has published studies, research papers, and books in the field of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. She is currently conducting a research project designed to facilitate the teaching of authentic Islamic texts; the project ensures the material is appropriate for specific proficiency levels, emphasizes a highly gradual progression, and enriches the student’s vocabulary.

Her interests include exploring new and effective teaching methods that help her students acquire language skills and develop their research-oriented mindset.

Dr. Alwani started teaching Advanced Arabic with Ribāṭ University in 2023.

Ustadha Sadaf Syed (Um Talhah)

Ustadha Sadaf Syed (Um Talhah) serves as an Arabic instructor at Ribāṭ University. She holds an ijāza in the Asharah Qira’aat (10 Recitations) of the Blessed Quran and is certified in teaching tajwīd and Arabic grammar from Saudi Arabia. She holds a bachelor degree in Islamic Sharīʿa from Mishkah University and is currently working on her master degree from the Islamic Seminary of America (TISA). She is also pursuing extensive tafsīr studies at the Al-Salam Institute under Sh. Akram Nadwi and extensive fiqh studies under Sh. Tahir Wyatt.

Alhamdulillah she holds the many titles of writer, speaker, teacher, mosque tour guide, Hajj & Umrah guide, motivational speaker but none that she holds as dear as mama to her four amazing and examplary Muslim youths. She has spent the last 30 years studying under various scholars and institutes both in the U.S and abroad. She has been teaching Arabic, Quran, and Islamic studies in the US and overseas for the past 20 years alhamdulillah. She specializes in helping people connect back to the basics of Islam, specifically with their relationship with Allah.

Ustadha Alia Selim

Ustadha Alia Selim serves as an Arabic instructor at Ribāṭ University. She holds a postgraduate certificate in education from the University of Liverpool and a certificate in teaching Arabic to non-speakers from the American University in Cairo. She earned her ijāza in Hafs ‘an ‘Asim and Shu’bah recitations, and continues her studies in other recitations.

Raised in Egypt, an Egyptian-French with a background deeply rooted in Arabic, Quran, fiqh, sīra, and hadith, Ustadha Alia dedicated herself to these teachings. For over 20 years, Ustadha Alia volunteered in Quran and sīra programs for children and teens.

Living a multifaceted life, Ustadha Alia seamlessly navigates between Switzerland, France, and Egypt. Through her travels, she quickly recognized the need for Western Muslims to learn Arabic and Islam and began teaching to fulfill this need.

Beyond her role as an educator, Ustadha Alia leans into her interests and passions. A mother of five, she homeschools her younger children, engages in artistic pursuits as a designer, and tends to her garden.

Ustadha Alia started teaching Arabic at Ribaat Academic Institute in Spring 2024 and looks forward to continuing with Ribāṭ University.

Anse Saimah Asghar

Anse Saimah Asghar serves as an Arabic instructor with Ribāṭ University. She holds a certificate in Islamic Counselling, accredited by the  Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB), as well as a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. She received a Master’s degree in Arabic Translation and a Bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Development Studies from SOAS, University of London.

Anse Saimah has been teaching Arabic with Ribāṭ since 2015.

Anse Asma Alam

Anse Asma Alam was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She graduated at the top of her class with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from York University while concurrently completing a 2.5-year Arabic language curriculum at the Shariah Program. After moving to the US, Asma continued her pursuit of sacred knowledge at the Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin, Illinois, where she received merit awards in both Arabic and hadith memorization.

Anse Asma’s pursuit of Arabic has always been paired with a deeper fascination about language itself.  This led her to a second Bachelor’s in Communication Disorders & Deaf Education, where she gained a strong grounding in linguistics and the science of language acquisition, knowledge she now draws on directly in her approach to teaching Arabic. She has continued building on this foundation academically, and is due to graduate this year with a Master’s in Classical Arabic through Charles Sturt University.

Anse Asma has been studying under the tutelage of Anse Dr. Tamara Gray since 2012, while continuing her Islamic Studies coursework at the Ribaat Academic Institute (now, Ribāṭ University). Through Ribāṭ, she earned ijāzas in the 40 Hadith of Imam Nawawi and the 40 Hadith of Palestine, and in 2026 completed the Ribāṭ Teacher Certification. 

The work and mission of Rabata is very close to Asma’s heart. She has been a dedicated volunteer of many years and currently serves as Arabic Program Coordinator and adjunct faculty with Ribāṭ University.

Anse Momina Naveed

Momina Naveed is an Islamic Studies academic and mental health counsellor whose work brings together Islamic scholarship, spirituality, and psychological wellbeing. Her academic interests include Islamic psychology and spirituality, women and gender in Islamic thought, and the ways in which Islamic intellectual and spiritual traditions can speak meaningfully to contemporary Muslim life.

Momina holds a Master of Islamic Studies and a Master of Research in Islamic Studies from Charles Sturt University, Australia. She received the Dean’s Award during her Master of Islamic Studies and was awarded an Australian Government Research Training Program scholarship for her research degree. She also holds a Master of Counselling (Mental Health) from Monash University and is registered with the Australian Counselling Association. Alongside her university studies, she completed four years of traditional Islamic seminary (ʿĀlimiyyah) studies, providing her with a foundation in classical Islamic studies.

Her journey into Islamic learning was shaped by a spiritual awakening at the age of seventeen, which inspired a sustained commitment to seeking sacred knowledge and, in particular, to contributing to the education and development of Muslim women. This continues to inform her approach to teaching, counselling, and community engagement.

Momina currently works as a casual academic at Charles Sturt University and as a mental health counsellor at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Her research has particularly explored women and gender within Muslim religious thought and movements, while her wider academic and professional interests increasingly focus on the intersection of Islamic spirituality, psychology, and emotional wellbeing.

Alongside her professional work, she volunteers within her local masjid and remains involved in community-based Islamic education and service. Outside of her academic and professional work, Momina enjoys spending time in nature, has a particular affection for animals and pets, and values the quieter opportunities for reflection, learning, and personal growth.

She joins Ribāṭ University as a faculty member in the Arabic Department.

Anse Abeer Aborshaed

Anse Abeer Aborshaed serves as an Arabic and Tajwīd instructor at the Ribāṭ University. She received a diploma in Medical Engineering from Damascus University. In 2001, she received her ijāza in the recitation of the Quran from the late Shaykh Muhyi al-Din al-Kurdi, after which time she memorized Imam Al-Nawawi’s Riyadh Al-Salihin. She also holds an ijāza in memorization of the Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi and a certification in teaching al-Qāʿida al-Nūrāniyya.

Originally hailing from Syria, Anse Abeer was born and raised in the blessed Madinah al-Munawarrah. Upon her return to Syria, she studied with some of the most renowned teachers in Damascus in the areas of fiqh, ‘aqīda, sīra, hadīth, tafsīr, tajwīd, rijāl, and sciences of hadīth at the Nurriyah Hadith School.

She is currently pursuing studies in Arabic philology, with a specialization in the Arabic language as it relates to the Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah.

Currently, she teaches Arabic, Quran, and Islamic Sciences to an array of students all around the world, sharing her expertise and her love for Islamic knowledge to all.

She started teaching with the Ribaat Academic Institute in 2017 as a tajwīd instructor, and two years later, she also joined instruction for the Arabic department. In 2024, she started leading a halaqa with Rabata.

Nadia Naviwala

Nadia Naviwala serves as Riverstead Coordinator at Ribāṭ University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Born in New York, raised in Houston and Atlanta, Nadia now calls Chicago home. Since 2019, Nadia has been pursuing Islamic studies at the Ribaat Academic Institute under the guidance of Anse Dr. Tamara Gray. She comes on as staff after years of dedicated Rabateering as a Ribaat admin and more.

Beyond her studies and work, Nadia enjoys being involved in her community. She volunteers with Girl Scouts, supports elementary school PTA events, and helps organize local Rabata chapter activities. At home, she loves drawing and doing puzzles with her two daughters, exploring the outdoors, and experimenting with new recipes from around the world. Her hidden talents include lightning-fast typing and expert-level note organization!

Asma Alam

Asma Alam was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She graduated at the top of her class with a Bachelors of Science in Biology from York University while concurrently completing a 2.5 year Arabic language curriculum at the Shariah Program. After moving to the US, Asma continued her pursuit of sacred knowledge at the Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin, Illinois, where she received merit awards in both Arabic and Hadith memorization.

Asma combined her interests in Science and Linguistics by recently completing a second Bachelors in Communication Disorders & Deaf Education with the intent to complete a Masters in Speech & Language Pathology.

Asma has been studying under the tutelage of Anse Dr. Tamara Gray since 2012, while continuing her Islamic Studies coursework at the Ribaat Academic Institute. The work and mission of Rabata is very close to Asma’s heart. She has been a dedicated volunteer and Arabic language instructor, and is grateful to contribute in this role as Arabic Program Coordinator.

Nawar Taleb-Agha

Nawar Taleb-Agha serves as Quran Program Coordinator for the Ribaat Academic Institute. She holds a bachelor’s in Linguistics from University of California at Berkeley and a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) from San Francisco State University. She has been teaching ESL at local language centers and community colleges since 2013. She also holds multiple certifications in tajwīd.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, California, Nawar was introduced to a tajwīd teacher during her first visit to Syria. She worked swiftly through to receive an ijāza in the Hafs recitation from the late Shaykh Abu Al-Hassan Al-Kurdi (may Allah have mercy on him). While studying tajwīd, she fell in love with Damascus and began to visit more frequently until she moved there for three years to study Arabic, tafsīr, fiqh, hadith sciences, and more.

During her time in Damascus, Nawar also memorized the Quran and received an ijāza from Shaykh Muhammad Nizar al-Kurdi. Nawar has been teaching tajwīd since her first ijāza in 2003. She currently lives in California with her husband and enjoys indoor gardening and crochet.

Elsa Schroeder

Elsa Schroeder serves as Rabata’s Educational Initiatives Officer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Beloit College and a Master of Arts in Standards of Decision-Making Across Cultures with a specialty in Cultural Anthropology and Javanese Dance from Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. In 2019, Elsa was awarded the Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad) Program by the State Department and lived in Indonesia for one year. She would later return in 2023 to conduct research on Royal Court Dance in the Palace of Yogyakarta.

A St. Paul native, Elsa has had the privilege to live in Indonesia, Spain, and Germany. She loves learning languages and has studied Latin, Indonesian, Arabic, Japanese, German, Javanese, and Somali. Her excitement and eagerness to connect with others is something she brings to every meja, mensa, tisch, and table she sits at.

When it comes to nonprofit work, Elsa seeks opportunities to utilize her skills and learn from the other Anisaat, through which she is able to serve the Muslim community. Keeping this goal close to heart, she passionately brings her anthropological perspective to the table and faithfully attends the Sunday Halaqa to increase her Islamic knowledge.

In her spare moments, outside of her time spent at Rabata, Elsa can be found lost in a long historical fiction book, sewing yet another new dress, or curled up in a cozy spot with her cat, Serafina.