In 2011, The Islamic Seminary Foundation (ISF) was incorporated as a CT non-profit on the 9th of September, with the goal of “supporting the founding of an Islamic Seminary in North America” through “raising awareness of the need for an Islamic Seminary.”
Since its inception, ISF has organized and co-sponsored numerous courses and workshops as a way of raising awareness for the need for graduate level education for Muslim American leadership.
In Dallas, TX on April 3, 2017, ISF signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the original Islamic Seminary of America board that transferred the name, all assets and the ultimate authority for operating the seminary over to ISF. In December of 2022, ISF was renamed to The Islamic Seminary of America, resulting in only one institution.
Retired Director of The Fairfax Institute at International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), Dr. Unus has served as President of MSA in 1975 and as Secretary General of ISNA in the 1980s. He presently serves on ISNA Board of Directors and is Director-at-Large at United Nations Association of the National Capital Area. He has received life-time service awards from CAIR and ISNA. Dr. Unus holds a PhD from Emory University.
Former, long-time Chair of ISNA Founders Committee. Former President of Muslim Society of Memphis. Thoracic and Cardiac Surgeon who serves multiple hospitals in Memphis.
Salma Kazmi is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School (MTS) and she currently works as the Director of Operations, Digital and Connected Health at ZS, a management and consulting firm. Her impressive resume includes working as the founding Executive Director of the Boston Islamic Seminary. Salma Kazmi also serves as the chair of the Board’s Compliance Committee, which is focused on preparing TISA for accreditation.
Chaplain Shazeeda Khan has an economics degree from New York University. She began her career as a commodities accountant at a Wall Street firm. She is currently a volunteer chaplain at the United States Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, CT since 2005 where she serves Muslim women. She also serves as the Director of Islamic Education and teacher for the Baitul Mukarram Masjid of Greater Danbury. There she develops the Islamic Studies curriculum for the youth ages 5 to 18 and supervises a team of teachers. She also develops halaqa programs for the women. Since 2000, Chaplain Khan has served on the board of the Association of Religious Communities (ARC), an interfaith community service organization. She is currently President and one of the founding board members of the Muslim Endorsement Council of Connecticut (MECC, Inc.).
President and CEO of United Muslim Relief. PhD International Development. In 2010, he was appointed by the US Agency for International Development to serve on its Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid. He also is serving a second term on the US State Department’s Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group.
Md. Tauhid Choudhury is the President of Versacom LP and the CEO of Aspen Square Homes, Tasacom Real Estate LLC and Tasacom Investment LLC. He has been actively involved with AABEA since 2002, serving the North Texas chapter in multiple capacities.
Mr. Choudhury began his career at IBM Global Services. He later joined AdaptMax as a lead system analyst, becoming the company’s CEO in 2007. That same year, he co-founded Tasacom Technologies, for which he continues to be the CEO. Under Mr. Choudhury’s dynamic leadership, Tasacom has been recognized as a member of INC5000 and was ranked 827th in 2016 as the fastest growing IT company in the United States. He is also the President and Co-owner of Versacom LP, a telecommunication infrastructure development company. Currently, Mr. Choudhury leads several large-scale property development projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He effectively manages more than 100 employees in five locations and in three countries. Engaged with social, political and philanthropic activities, Mr. Choudhury serves on the board of directors for the North American Bangladeshi Islamic Community and is the organization’s treasurer. In 2009, he received CIP status from the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment for his contributions as a highest remitter.
Mr. Choudhury earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both in information system management, from Oklahoma City University. He is happily married to Dr. Fahmida Choudhury. They live with their two beautiful children in Richardson, Texas.
Dr. Haq is the president and founder of the first Muslim non-profit organization called A Continuous Charity (ACC) which gives non-interest based loans for higher education.
Dr. Haq is originally from Los Angeles, CA. He spend his first 23 years in Southern California receiveing a BA in Psychology from UCSD. He then moved to Des Moines, IA to obtain his Doctorate of Osteopathy in 2011. He then traveled Detroit, MI for his residency in Internal Medicine at Wayne State University. Dr. Haq brings to UTSW a strong background in general medical specifically for the underserved. He came to UTSW for the strong camaraderie amongst fellow physicians. Dr. Haq desires to serve the underserved community not only from the medical side but also education. He was three beautiful children and spends his free time with them.
Dr. Mona Islam is an educator, published author, a youth worker and community builder who holds a Doctorate in Curriculum and Institution. She is a transformational curriculum developer with extensive knowledge of the classical Islamic disciplines. She has studied under numerous scholars in various subjects of Islamic Sciences. She has written curriculum, engaged in youthwork, and facilitated community education through administering and teaching both academic and Islamic classes. She has organized various community programs and events and partaken in various humanitarian aid efforts.
TISA is a premier American Islamic Graduate Institution dedicated to cultivating a generation of world-class doers and thinkers who lead from an Islamic paradigm while engaging contemporary challenges and opportunities.
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