Spring 2026 Instructors

Asiya Kirmani is a speech pathologist who works in outpatient clinics and skilled nursing facilities. She has always had a passion for art and has been doing Arabic calligraphy for over 18 years. Find her on instagram: calligraphy_by_asiyak. Other fun facts about her are that Asiya is a black belt in martial arts and loves traveling with her 2 girls!

Brother Salih is an experienced archery instructor who has been teaching for over four years. Leading and teaching an archery event at a community Olympic Fundraiser, family camps, and weekly community sessions. He currently teaches at Masjid Dar Al Rahma and Medina Homeschool, bringing a passion for both skill and character development through archery. Rooted in the Prophetic tradition, his classes emphasize discipline, focus, and safety while creating a welcoming environment for students of all ages.

Artist, mother, teacher and creative soul. With a background in architecture and a lifelong love for storytelling through art, her work is shaped by a rich tapestry of heritage movement and identity. For Zainab, creating isn’t just a passion its way of connecting and building community through shared inspiration.

Aya Kabbani is a compassionate and friendly native Arabic speaker from Syria, with over 10 years of teaching experience and a true passion for helping students connect with the beauty of the Arabic language. She creates a welcoming classroom where children feel confident learning to read, write, and speak Arabic—whether they are beginners or continuing learners.

In addition to teaching Arabic, she has more than 6 years of experience teaching the Quran and holds certification in Qira’at Hafs 'An 'Aasim by the way of Shatibiyyah from the Muslim World League and the Society for the Preservation of the Holy Quran in Jordan. Her lessons blend language and culture, helping students build a strong foundation in Arabic understanding.

Bushra Murad is a Canadian educator turned entrepreneur who has a deep passion in everything business related. She holds an undergraduate degree in business and a masters degree in education leadership. She has taught for several years and enjoys teaching students of various age groups including middle and high school. She is currently running her own small business in Canton, Barakah Boutique, and enjoys volunteering her time within the Muslim community.

Shirin Khan is the executive director of ALIM - American Learning Institute for Muslims which holds its flagship three week summer Islamic studies intensive each summer along with other programming throughout the year. She studied Arabic in college and attended the CASA program in Cairo. Shirin is currently studying Arabic with Sheikh Hasan through MCWS and she is also a student at Fawakih. 

Shirin lives in Canton and is married with four children.

Maryam was born and raised in London, England. She has a degree in Arabic from the University of Westminster. She also studied  Arabic at the University of Alexandria in Egypt for a year. Currently, Maryam is continuing her journey as a student of Quranic Arabic, Alhamdulillah. 

Maryam is a certified teacher for all subjects through middle school and ELA through high school. 

She lives with her husband, 4 teenaged children and her cat in Northville. 

Maryam loves to bake and do jigsaw puzzles, her passion is everything book related.

Izzah Siddiqui believes that food has the power to nourish both body and soul. Armed with a degree in nutrition and a diploma in the culinary arts, she combines her love for flavor with nutrition to help others cook with confidence and purpose.

Through her cooking and nutrition classes, Izzah empowers kids and teens to create meals that are wholesome, vibrant, and full of flavour. Her approach is simple yet inspiring—teaching practical skills, smart ingredient swaps, and the joy of turning everyday cooking into something extraordinary.

Most of all, she loves showing kids that cooking can be fun, empowering, and delicious. Through hands-on experiences, playful techniques, and approachable recipes, Izzah helps young chefs develop confidence in the kitchen—sparking a lifelong love for good food and the joy of making it themselves.

Mariam Ahmad is a certified life coach, artist, and creative with a passion for helping others express themselves through art and design. She has spent years exploring different creative mediums and sharing her work through her art and journaling platforms. Teaching this graphic design course is an exciting opportunity for her to guide students in discovering the joy of creativity, color, and self-expression while learning practical design skills in a fun, supportive space. You can find her on instagram, at shopwithartifyime.

Athar Selim is an experienced educator and home improvement enthusiast with a background in early childhood education and a certificate in Interior Design. As a mother and DIY enthusiast, she has developed strong practical and creative skills through years of hands-on projects at home. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and inspiring others to take on their own DIY and home improvement projects with confidence.

Nafiah Khan is a speech therapist who previously worked in the public schools and has always been passionate about education. She has experience in the clinic and school settings, and has incorporated communication techniques such as teaching whole group lessons of various ages about writing mechanics and sound-letter awareness. Nafiah was also previously a respiratory therapist, and has always loved working with different personalities and getting to know others. She resides in Canton with her husband and 2 children.

Ranya was homeschooled her entire life and graduated from Oxford Virtual Academy. She has always loved working with kids and teaching. Ranya tutored for the National Honor Society in her last two years of high school. She was also enrolled in an early college program and has completed numerous classes toward her teaching degree. She is working towards a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Ranya enjoys ice skating, swimming, reading, and baking.  

Samira Bacha has homeschooled her whole life and graduated high school for Oxford Virtual Academy (OVA). She has tutored for the National Honor Society in her highschool years. Samira also enrolled in an early college program (OSEC) and has completed many college classes toward her degree. Samira loves working with kids! She is working towards a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Samira also enjoys reading, swimming, and trying new things. 

Urba Saghir has loved Math and Science since she was a little girl. Her love for Math bloomed into an interest in programming while she was in high school, where she learned to code in Scratch, Python, Java, and a little bit of Processing. She continued this journey in college, where she learned front-end basics of Java and C. Ultimately, she ended up completing her Bachelor’s in Nanomedicine from Virginia Tech, and her Master’s in Bioengineering from George Mason University. She has taught students programming in Scratch and Java online through iD Tech Camps, and has also served as the STEM teacher and Coding teacher for Medina Homeschool.

Seraj is a robotics educator working with middle and high school students, drawing on his engineering background to introduce core concepts in design, programming, and problem-solving. He focuses on learning through building and experimentation, guiding students to ask questions, test ideas, and understand how systems work. Seraj aims to create a supportive, hands-on environment where students build confidence and curiosity in STEM.

Saleel Aldwake is a STEM teacher at Medina Homeschool and a pre-med student with a background in tutoring and community volunteering. She is passionate about making science engaging and accessible for young learners, and she enjoys combining her love for STEM with her commitment to faith, service, and education. Saleel is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and plans to continue on to medical school, inshaAllah.

Diana Syam is a mom of two elementary-aged children. She has been an eclectic homeschooler for 4 years, with lots of hands-on science projects, stories, art and creativity. Before homeschooling, she earned a Master’s of Science degree in medical sciences from the University of Kentucky and worked in medical research studying hearing loss in mice models. She has also practiced Taekwondo for more than 10 years, participated in many Taekwondo competitions and is a 3rd Dan black belt.

Salifou started training at the age of 8. He is a certified economic development finance professional (EDPP), certified by the National Development Council. He has a Bachelor's degree in economics, an MBA in supply chain management and various graduate certificates. Hobbies: Cooking, biking, watching documentaries, and physical coaching.