Our Team

Founders: The Azeez Brothers

Imam M.

A. Azeez

Senior Imam

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 Senior Imam at 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. Imam Azeez has made dozens of media appearances, both local and national. He was interviewed on the Sacramento Bee, the Sacramento News and Review, the Columbus Dispatch, and the Los Angeles Times. He made appearances on dozens of TV channels, and was featured on CBS News.

Sherif

Azeez

Executive Imam

Sherif is a young businessman and entrepreneur whose career spans more than 2 decades . Sherif studied English literature, business administration, Islamic studies & recently received his EMBA from HEC Paris. Over the past

five of years, Sherif worked as CDO for a large real estate & property investment firm in the Gulf. He currently owns and manages a leading scientific company involved in the health and research sector in the Gulf. In addition to that, Sherif is the COO for California Real Traders, a California-based real-estate investment company In addition to his experience and education in the business field, Sherif was trained in the Islamic sciences and finished memorizing the Quran at a young age. Sherif worked and volunteered at numerous Islamic institutions in Ohio, Nevada and California. Sherif has recently decided to move with his family to Sacramento, and is now one of the founders of Tarbiya Instate and acts as the Vice-Chair for Business Development. He will bring a host of knowledge and massive experience to further Islamic work in the US. Sherif is married with three children, Hamsah, Ahmed and Sandra.

Board Members

Mark

Farouk

Chairperson

Mark Farouk serves on the Board of Trustees for Tarbiya Institute. Mark is an expert in public policy and communications and has over 15 years of experience in public policy and politics. He is also the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief

of The Loud Pedal (www.theloudpedalblog.com) a news and opinion website about cars, the automotive industry, and auto racing. Currently, Mark manages the public relations and communications for Tarbiya Institute, and believes that Islamic institutions must have a strategic vision that can inspire and uplift the community. Mark graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a B.A. and M.A. in Government and currently resides in Sacramento with his wife and two daughters.

Naser

Sharif

Vice Chair

Yaqub

Khan

Secretary

Mohamed

Dwidar

Treasurer

Mohamed Dwidar is the President of the Tarbiya Institute Board of Trustees. Mohamed, an engineer by profession, has been actively involved in community service for over 25 years. He has served as the elected head of the outreach

committee at the Muslim Community Association Santa Clara. In Sacramento, Mohamed served as the chairperson of an Islamic primary school for two years, as well as serving on the board of trustees for a local mosque for 5 years. He has given Friday Khutbas at mosque throughout the Sacramento region. Mohamed brings his methodical approach to engineering to his work in the community to ensure that the activities of Tarbiya Institute meet the necessary benchmarks quality and value to the community.

Staff Members