Speakers/Performers
Lobna Mulla
Lobna Youssef Mulla was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley along with three other siblings. She graduated from California State University with a B.S in Business administration with a focus on accounting. She was a board member of the Muslim Public Affairs Council for two years and worked as an accountant for 10 years. In 2005, Lobna moved to Egypt with her family for three years where she studied, Islamic Studies, Arabic, and tajweed before moving back the U.S. For more than a decade, Lobna has been working with youth such assisting youth camps, leading halaqas , teaching tajweed classes, and leading a MAS Girl scouts group. She now lives in Orange County with her husband and four children, where she is the Vice Chair for MAS Greater L.A Tarbiya Department. |
Omar Merchant
Omar Merchant, 24, is a fourth year medical student who lives in Houston, TX and is hoping to specialize in dermatology. He is of Pakistani descent, however due to his 10 year long stay in Saudi, he speaks fluent Arabic as well. As for his work regarding the empowerment of the Muslim Youth, he has served as a councilor for the Muslim Youth of North America(MYNA). |
Noor Wazwaz
Sr. Noor Wazwaz is a journalist who received her master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism where she specialized in national security. Her work has been featured in VICE News, US News, Military Times and much more. In Washington D.C. and Chicago she has written on a wide variety of subjects including race and diversity, same-sex marriage and immigration. As both an Arab and an American, her identity gives her perspectives that allow her to share untold stories, which led to her being named "The Voice of Arab Women in the U.S.” by local and international news organizations. |
Dr. Sameera Ahmed, Ph.D
Sr Sameera Ahmed is the Director of the Family Youth Institute (FYI) and currently serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Wayne State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, M.S. in Biology, as well as a certificate in Family Life Education. Dr. Ahmed is also an Associate Editor for the Journal of Muslim Mental Health, and currently a Fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. In addition, Dr. Ahmed is a licensed psychologist in the States of Michigan and Ohio. |
Imam M. A. Azeez of Tarbiya Institute
Dr. Mohamed Abdul-Azeez is an imam, a writer and an advocate for youth work. He served as the religious leader of the SALAM Islamic Center in Sacramento CA for 10 years, and is the founder and President of the Tarbiya Institute. Imam Azeez was educated in Medicine, political science, sociology, Islamic history and Islamic theology. He holds an MD from Ain Shams University, a BA from Ohio State University, and an MA from University of Chicago. Imam Azeez has been involved in Islamic activism and education for the past 20 years. He worked with and taught Islam at numerous institutions from the Midwest to the West coast. |
Dr. Essam Alkhawaga, M.D.
Dr. Alkhawaga is a practicing psychiatrist and currently teaches at Wright State University. He is also a committed leader of the Dayton Muslim community. His session will be geared towards parents where he will discuss how to raise confident children with a healthy self-esteem and how to foster healthy integration into American Society. He will share insight from a psychological and Muslim paradigm on how to develop within youth a balanced American Muslim Identity by utilizing the principles derived from our faith to become productive and successful individuals of our community. |
Shamsa Bashir Ali
Sr. Shamsa Bashir Ali is a high school teacher by way of profession, is married and has four grown children. She is very active in a variety of community activities, including working with Muslim Family Services of Ohio, participating in the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio's Education Committee, being a mentor for the Columbus Inter-Faith Youth, and volunteering on the planning committee for the Good Neighbor's Annual Picnic for the Homeless. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden and travel. |
Omar Offendum
Omar Offendum is a Syrian American hip-hop artist, designer, poet and peace activist. He was born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Washington, DC. After graduating as valedictorian of his class in 1999 from the Islamic Saudi Academy, he attended the University of Virginia School of Architecture. He now lives in Los Angeles, California and tours the world performing at international music festivals, lecturing at major academic institutions and fundraising for humanitarian relief organizations. |
Mo Sabri
Mo Sabri is a hip hop artist from Johnson City, Tennessee. He is best known for videos on YouTube and has been featured on The Washington Post. In February of 2013, Sabri’s positive impact of music got him invited to Washington D.C. for breakfast with President Barack Obama. His first album debuted as a top five seller on the iTunes World Chart during first week in 2012. |