Noura Shamma is the Secretary of Deen Arts Foundation. Noura has 20+ years of experience as a teacher, counselor, and youth advisor worldwide. She has studied the Islamic sciences with leading scholars in Malaysia, Morocco, Jordan, the USA, and Turkey, focusing on the Sirah and Sunnah of our beloved Prophet ﷺ. In addition, she has helped develop multiple Islamic educational programs for children and adults both online and in person.

Farzana Razzaque is a graduate of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. Farzana Hoca has been studying calligraphy and tezhip for over 5 years. She has received her Ijazah, the permission to teach the Thuluth and Naskh scripts in the Ottoman tradition, from her teachers Master Calligraphers Haji Noor Deen Hoca and Ahmet Kutluhan Hoca. Farzana Hoca is also studying tezhip, the art of illumination with Master Tezhip Artist Fatma Ulusoy Sirajuddin Hoca.

Ustadh Fouad Blili is a highly accomplished Moroccan Illumination artist renowned for his specialization in the intricate Maghribi-Andalusian style.

Haji Noor Deen is a renowned master of Arabic calligraphy. He was born in Yucheng, in the Shandong Province of China, in 1963. In 1997, he became the first individual from China to be awarded the Certificate of Arabic Calligrapher in Egypt after studying the calligraphic arts there for over ten years

Thuluth & Naskh Scripts

Dr. Serap Ekizler Sönmez is a historian and specialist in Islamic geometric patterns. Dr. Sonmez’s breadth of knowledge stems from her extensive travels to notable Islamic heritage architectural sites of exemplary geometric patterns. In addition, Dr. Sönmez’s expertise in the theological and historical analysis of geometric patterns extends to noteworthy academic research.

Shahryanshah Sirajuddin was born in Sangkulirang, Indonesia (b.1986) and graduated from the faculty of Islamic Law of Al-Azhar University-Egypt in 2009. In Egypt, he received his Ijazah for Riq’a, Diwani, and Diwani Jali scripts from Sheikh Belaid Hamidi.