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 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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Shemeem
Khan
Office Manager
Sr. Shemeem Khan is the Office Manager of Tarbiya Institute. As Office Manager, she is responsible for the organization and logistical support of Tarbiya Institute's events and programs. Sr. Shemeem has more than 10 years of working experience in Administration
at the Sutter Medical Group. Sr. Shemeem has been a part of the NorCal Muslim Community for more than 30 years. She used to organize matrimonial events for 6 years to help the young Muslim men and women of our community find spouses. She is married to Br. Mohammad Khan and together they have 2 children and 4 beautiful grandchildren.
Sr. Shemeem is known at Tarbiya Institute for her nonstop kindness, compassion, and her big heart.
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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.
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Laila
Baig
Project Manager
Sr. Laila Baig is the Project Manager at Tarbiya Institute. She has completed both her B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from U.C. Davis. She is married to Ahsan Sheikh and they have 2 children, Meshal and Aisha. She has over 10 years of professional experience in
the Engineering field. She has worked as an Engineer on multiple projects, been a Lecturer at a University in the Department of Architectural Engineering and assisted in the management of her family business. It is this wide array of professional experience that gives her the skills to be an effective Project Manager.
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