Yasmine Ahmed is a translator at Deen Arts Foundation. She has studied Quran and Arabic in Egypt and has Ijazah in 4 variant readings of The Quran. She teaches in the UK alongside being a calligraphy student of Master Calligrapher Haji Noor Deen Hoca in the Thuluth and Naskh Scripts.

Alaa Elamin is a translator at Deen Arts Foundation. She studied Psychology at Pennsylvania State University and trained as a social skills therapist at UCLA. Alaa is currently a traditional artist. She studied Tezhip and Ebru in Istanbul from master artists Alparslan Babaoğlu and Dilara Yarcı. And is currently studying Arabic Calligraphy in the Chinese Style and Thuluth and Naskh script in the Ottoman tradition under Master Calligrapher Haji Noor Deen.

Nawaar Abdus-Salam is the MANAGING DIRECTOR at Deen Arts Foundation. She is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Dallas. As a manager, Nawaar will be facilitating community planning and projects, as well as supporting and enhancing students’ learning experiences. Nawaar is also a student of Calligraphy and Tezhip under the master calligrapher Shahryanshah Sirajuddin and master illumination artist Fatma Ulusoy Sirajuddin.

Nazmin Khanom is program director and translator. She completed her MA in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics at King’s College London. Her journey into Islamic arts has been influenced by her travels to Turkey, Spain, Morocco, Egypt, and Bosnia, where she gained inspiration from the grand architecture and rich Islamic heritage. She was also able to meet masters of calligraphy and illumination in her travels. Nazmin studies rika and Diwani with master calligrapher Shahryanshah Sirajuddin Hoca and Thuluth under the tutelage of master Nuria Garcia Masip Hoca.

Fatma Ulusoy Sirajuddin was born in Istanbul (b.1988) and graduated from European Islamic University Faculty of Islamic Sciences in 2012 and Anadolu University Open Education Faculty of Theology in 2016.

Esra Aslan is the Executive Assistant at Deen Arts Foundation. She works closely with our Executive Director in planning Istanbul-based programs and international tours.
She has a BA in Economics and 17 years of professional experience as a sourcing manager for textile brands headquartered in Germany, Belgium, Italy, and the United States.

Whilst on a career hiatus, Esra has been studying Islamic illumination, geometric patterns and miniature art for the past 5 years. She has used her expertise to curate both local and international exhibitions.

Sr. Rahela studied business administration at UT-Dallas and has worked as a youth advisor and principal for summer and Sunday schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for several decades. She has also been involved in numerous non-profit organizations that support women and provides relief work. She has a love for travel and is a huge patron of Islamic art. Rahela is originally from the Midwest, but currently lives in Irving, Texas with her husband and son.

Dr. Ogunnaike is the Academic Advisor of Deen Arts Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in African Studies and the Study of Religion from Harvard University and spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University’s Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies. Dr. Ogunnaike is an assistant professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. He also teaches courses on Islam, Islamic Philosophy, Spirituality, Art, and African and African Diasporic Religions.

Dr. Na’eel Cajee is the Growth and Program Chair of Deen Arts Foundation. He is a Harvard-trained endodontist. He is a hafiz and cantillator of the Qur’an and a longtime apprentice of Mohamed Zakariya and other master artists. He brings first-hand knowledge of Islamic arts pedagogy and intimate knowledge of the fine arts scene in Istanbul.