Our Team
Founders: The Azeez Brothers
Imam M.
A. Azeez
Director
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.
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.
Read more
Sherif
Azeez
VP, Marketing & Business Development
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.
Read moreBoard Members
Mohamad
Dwidar
Chairperson
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.
Read more
Mark
Farouk
Vice Chair
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.
Read more
Muzhda
Ferouz
Treasurer
Sister Muzhda Ferouz serves on the Board of Trustees of the Tarbiya Institute bringing with her over 15 years of Islamic educational experience at an Islamic weekend school. She has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Davis and currently
serves the State of California as an Engineering Manager. In addition to her years of experience as a youth mentor, Sister Muzhda has previously led a sister’s Halaqa program and chaired the Tarbiya Halaqa Program prior to the creation of Tarbiya Institute. Sister Muzhda was a member of the board of trustees and the Religious Services Committee of a local mosque for 9 years. Her service to the Sacramento Muslim community began at at early age with her first volunteer efforts beginning when she was only 15 years old. Muzhda resides in Sacramento with her husband and two children.
Read moreNosheen
Khan
Secretary
Nosheen Khan serves on the Board of Trustees for Tarbiya Institute. She holds a degree in Business Administration with Emphasis in Management Information Systems. Nosheen has lead and facilitated numerous volunteer
projects and activities, including the historically successful “Muhammad: The Great Optimist” event that celebrated the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). She volunteered for several years for a local mosque and served as a board member. Nosheen is focused on offering quality educational and community outreach programs that include opportunities for the whole family that assist community members to flourish both individually and collectively for the attainment of ultimate goodness and complete submission to Allah. Nosheen resides in Sacramento with her husband and two beautiful kids.
Read moreStaff Members
Arwa
Houry
Executive Manager
Arwa Houry is the Executive Manager of Taribiya Institute. Arwa has a B.S. in Computer Science and is an expert in graphic design and video editing. As Executive Manager she is responsible for project management and organization of
Tarbiya Institute events and programs. Arwa has a history of community service serving as a School Board Secretary and School PTO Vice President, as well as, an organizer for numerous Islamic events in the Sacramento Region. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations, Arwa is responsible for Website development, graphic design and video editing services for Tarbiya Institute. Arwa is known at Tarbiya House for her nonstop efforts at keeping everything organized and the constant drive to ensure that staff stay on task.
Read more
Ustadh Kamran
Islam
Director of Youth Development
Ustadh Kamran Islam is the Director of Youth Development at the Tarbiya Institute overseeing all programming designed to empower the youth within the community. He graduated from UC Davis in 2011 and has been studying the Islamic
sciences with Imam M.A. Azeez and other local teachers for the decade. He previously served as the Program Director for the Sacramento Academy for Muslim Youth (SAMY) and spent many years as an Advisor for CAIR's Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP). Kamran is a specialist in organizational leadership, project management, and Islamic educational program development. In 2011 he was presented with the Outstanding Youth Service Award by the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He currently resides in Sacramento with his wife and young son.
Read more
Ustadh Ayman
Mohamed
Director of Islamic & Quranic Studies
Ustadh Ayman Mohamed is the Director of Islamic and Qur'anic Studies at Tarbiya Institute. From an early age he was engaged in the pursuit of Islamic education as he finished memorizing the Qur’an at the age of nine. He spent his youth
continuing his studies of the Islamic sciences with prominent Islamic scholars. Over the last decade Ayman has been teaching Arabic, Qur’an, Tafseer and other Islamic disciplines in the Sacramento community. He spent over four years as a youth instructor working with Sacramento’s Muslim youth with an emphasis on the Islamic sciences, and community engagement. Ayman has delivered Friday Khutbahs at Masjids throughout the Sacramento region and continues his own quest for Islamic Knowledge. In addition to his duties at Tarbiya Institute, Ayman volunteers his time to assist and support various Islamic events in the community.
Read more