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Sheikh Mohammad Saeed
Bahmanpour - Mohammad Saeed
Bahmanpour was born and raised in Iran. He studied mechanics at
Queen Mary College London, sociology at the London School of
Economics as well as Islamic studies and sociology at the Allameh
Tabatabai University in Tehran. He was Editor in Chief of several
cultural, religious and political magazines, a visiting fellow at
the University of Cambridge and most recently a lecturer at the
Islamic College for Advanced Studies in London. His most recent
book, "Muslim Identity in the 21st Century" was published in London.
..>>>read more |
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Sheikh Mohammed Ali Shomali -
Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali is a graduate of the Islamic Seminaries of
Qum and has also both a BA and an MA in Western Philosophy from the
University of Tehran. He has earned his Doctorate in Philosophy from
the University of Manchester. His publications include:
Self-Knowledge (1996 & 2006, also translated into Malay, Spanish and
Kiswahili), Ethical Relativism: An Analysis of the Foundations of
Morality (2001, also translated into Malay), Shi‘a Islam: Origins,
Faith & Practices (2003 & 2010; also translated into Spanish &
Swedish), Principles of Jurisprudence: An Introduction to
Methodology of Fiqh (2006). He is a co-editor of Catholics & Shi'a
in Dialogue: Studies in Theology & Spirituality (2004), Catholic-Shi'a
Engagement: Reason & Faith in Theory and Practice (2006) and A
Catholic-Shi‘a Dialogue: Ethics in Today’s Society (2008).
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Sheikh Saleem Bhimji -Shaykh
Saleem was born in Fort Rae, North West Territories - Canada. After
completing his secular studies in the field of Electronics in
Edmonton, Alberta, he and his wife, Sister Arifa Hudda began their
Islamic studies in the Imam al-Asr Theological Seminary in Medina,
New York and then shifted to the Theological Seminary of Qum, Iran.
Shaykh Saleem has worked on and off for three years with the Islamic
Humanitarian Service as a Muballigh (Propagator of the faith of
Islam), Translator, Graphic Artist and Web Designer and other
non-Profit charities. He also runs his own organization, Al-Fath Al-Mubin
Publications and small-business - The Islamic Publishing House.
Shaykh Saleem has translated close to 40 books into English - a
majority of which have been published in Canada, UK, and Iran - some
in multiple editions. Currently, Shaykh Saleem volunteers with five
different non-Profit Shia religious organizations all the while
working full-time for Canada's largest designer and manufacturer of
"Smartphones".
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Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi -
Sayyid
Muhammad Rizvi was born in the Saran district of Bihar, India. He
migrated with his family to Tanzania, where he underwent elementary
schooling. In 1972 he went to Qom for religious studies and in 1982
he returned to India...>>>read
more
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Sayyed Mohammad Razavi- Sayyed
Mohammad Razavi was born into a religious Pakistani family in the
holy city of Qum, Iran in 1960. While still young, he moved to East
Africa when his father was invited to serve the Shi’ah Muslim
Community there.
Sayyed Razavi entered the famous theological centre of Qum in 1974
and continued his studies in a range of disciplines including Arabic
Literature, Fiqh, Ussoul, Logic, Political Science, and Islamic
Philosophy. He continued with his advanced studies in Islamic
theology at the theological seminaries in Qum until 1984. He started
his theological studies under the supervision of his father and many
prominent scholars such as Ayatullahs Noori Hamadani, Nasser Makarim
Shirazi, Ja’far Subhani, Mousavi Tabrizi, Mohammad Shirazi,
Shariatmadari, Mesbah Yazdi, Motahhari, Etemadi, Sheikh Ali Panah,
Hussaini Gorgani, Modarress Afghani, Majd Faqihi, Mohsen Qara’ati,
Mehdipour, and Dr. Ghaemi, Mahmoud Hakimi and Ezzati. .>>>read
more |
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Sheikh Shafiq Hudda - Bio to
come
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Sheikh Jaffer H Jaffer -
Jaffer H. Jaffer raised in Los Angeles, CA moved to
Sayyida Zainab AS, Damascus in 2007 with his family to pursue his
Hawza studies. Upon completion of his studies in 2011, he moved to
Brampton, Ontario where he will soon begin to serve the local
community. He is also currently writing his Master's dissertation
under the supervision of Sheikh Bahmanpour and will in sha Allah
graduate with a Masters degree in 2012.
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Sheikh Hasnain Kassamali -founder
of the Academy, served as resident alim in Edmonton for 5 years and
in Vancouver for about 10 years. Qualified as a Muballigh in 1986
and acquired further studies in Darul Hikamh and Muassis Imam Sadiq
(1990). BA with major in Sociology (UoA, 1992) and MA (UBC 1997) in
Islamic studies. Madrasah teacher for about 30 years. |
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Brother Vinay
Khetia Brother
Vinay was born and raised in Toronto. After a prolonged search for
self discovery he embraced Islam about eight years ago at the age of
17. He completed his undergraduate degree in Near Eastern
Studies/Arabic and Religion at the University of Toronto. During
these years he also attended the Hawza 'Ilmiyya of London, UK where
he studied classical Arabic, Jurisprudence, Hadith sciences and
Tafseer. Upon his return to Toronto, he continued his research at
the University of Toronto focusing on history of Shi'i Islam and the
relationship between the infallible Imams and the Qur'an. Following
this he briefly attended the Shi'i Seminary in Damscus focusing on
Qur'anic and hadith commentary.
Br. Vinay is currently an M.A
candidate in the History and Philosphy of Religion at Concordia
University working towards a thesis examining the life and times for
Fatima - Al- Zahra [as] following the death of the Prophet Muhammad
[saw]
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Sr. Tahera Kassamali
- graduated as a Muballigha in 1984, BA with
honors in English (UoA, 1993) and BEd (UBC 1995). Eloquent and
experienced lecturer. |
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Sr. Arifa Hudda
- Sister Arifa was born in East Africa and then
migrated to Canada when she was only 9 months old. All of her
schooling was done in the city of Kitchener. After high school she
did a Medical Laboratory Technologist course in The Michener
Institute in Toronto and then worked part time in a laboratory in
Brampton, ON. Immediately after marriage, her husband Shaykh Saleem
and her proceeded to the Hawza in Medina, NewYork and then to the
holy city of Qum where they studied for four years.
Upon her return to Canada in the year 2000, she translated and
compiled some books, namely "A Mother's Prayer," "Forty Ahadith on
the Holy Quran," "Tasbih of Sayyeda Fatima Zahra(AS)," "Morals of
the Masumeen - an activity book for children" and some others.
She has edited numerous books on different topics for various
scholars. At the moment, she is the principal of the Al-Husayni
Madressa in Kitchener, Ontario which is under the Islamic
Humanitarian Service (IHS). This is an Islamic school which is run
on Sundays and has children between the ages of 4 - 22 years old
from all different ethnic backgrounds. She is also continuing to
further her Islamic studies at home.
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Sr. Masooma Diana
Beatty -
Sister Masooma was born, raised and resides in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. She has a degree in physics and a
masters degree in education. She teaches mathematics and statistics
at the high school level in the public education system. Her
conversion story was published by the World Islamic Network
http://www.winislam.com/web/welcome.html a decade ago and is
available online at
http://www.al-islam.org/reflectionsnewmuslim. She currently
writes articles for Islamic Insights
http://islamicinsights.com/ and keeps a blog at
http://masooma.blogspot.com. |
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Sr. Fatimah Ali -
Fatima Ali was "introduced" to Islam through the
penmanship of Alex Haley & the Autobiography of Hajj Malik Al
Shabazz (Malcolm X). Sr. Fatimah reverted to Islam 1995 and has
been a follower of the Ahlul Bayt (as) ever since.
She has diplomas in Social
Sciences and Special Care Counselling and is currently pursuing
her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature with a Minor in
Professional Writing. She works full-time in the Supply Chain
Department for a well-known cosmetic company. She has held
Chairperson positions for the United Muslim Women Association and
The Path of Light, an association developed to respond to the needs
of Reverts and Canadian Muslims. Her spare time is spent
volunteering in the Muslim communities in Montreal and Haiti.
Sr. Fatima
resides in Montreal with her 15 year old son, Muhammed. |
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More details of our
remaining speakers to come.. |
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~ R.M.A
Committee Board Members ~
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- R.M.A Founder/RMA Director North America
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Sr. Jennah Heydari
-
Now living in Ontario, Canada with her husband, Nafe Heydari, and
her two children, Sr. Jennah originates from Montreal, Quebec.
Jennah briefly studied in marketing but then moved on to study the
Arts and Graphic Web Design and book illustrations. She runs a small
graphics business at
home "Artistic Designs" and also offers computer and software
support. Since 2005 she has taken part in various on-line Islamic
studies including: Spring Education - Islamic studies program under
the guidance of Sheikh Mohammad Zakaria, UK. Sr. Jennah has been
asked to speak on Racism in the Ummah as well as representing R.M.A
and bringing attention to the group’s initiative. Sr. Jennah is
founder of the Revert Muslims Association and she runs and maintains
the R.M.A website and forums along with the help of her husband Br.
Nafe Heydari. Jennah spends a great deal of time on various
collaborated Islamic projects some of which include using her
Artistic talents. Sr. Jennah also coordinates and sits as head of
the committee board for the annual International Revert Muslims
Conference. |
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- RMA co-Founder - RMA Committee Chair Member
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Br. Nafe Heydari -
Raised in Qum, Iran he later moved with his family to the United
Kingdom and is now living in Ontario, Canada with his wife Jennah
Heydari and her two children. Br. Nafe seeks to complete his
education as a Computer/Electrical Engineer. Br. Nafe comes from a
very culturally- rich Iraqi Islamic upbringing and accredits his
strength and iman to his parents. He is a Sayed and works hard
towards the true value of his lineage by seeking a good
understanding of Shi’a Islam. Br. Nafe attended ICAS (Islamic
College for Advanced Studies) in London, England before moving to
Ontario, Canada to marry his wife Sr. Jennah Heydari.
Always the entrepreneur Br. Nafe runs a small t-shirt business from
home along with offering technical and hardware computer advice on
the side. Br. Nafe works as a Sales Manager for a Toronto Marketing
firm his job includes training, interviewing and sales. Like his
wife, Sr. Jennah Heydari, Br. Nafe is also artistically inclined and
continues to pursue his talents through painting and various Art
projects. Br. Nafe had begun training in the Islamic Martial-art of
Silat while still living in the UK and looks forward to one day
completing his training and opening a Silat school for Muslims. In
the mean time he continues his study of Aikido martial arts.
Br. Nafe also maintains the forums at the Revert Muslims Association
and sits on the Committee Board for the International Revert Muslims
Conference. |
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- RMA Director Europe - RMA Committee Chair Member
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Sr. Roshni Hosseinzadeh
-
Born and Raised in a strict
Christian family, Sr.Roshni reverted to Islam when she was only 15
years old, and over the subsequent 14 years, has played an important
role in a comprehensive range of Islamic and dawa activities,
joining the board of Directors of RMA in 2008. A trained journalist,
Sr.Roshni has worked for the BBC and a range of international
broadcasters, as a producer, presenter and researcher. More recently
though, Sr.Roshni has left the world of journalism and works mainly
within a range of non-governmental projects, spanning equality and
diversity training, policy development, environmental justice and
leads on a range of projects tackling sectarianism for the Scottish
government. Roshni is also the Scotland representative of
Transatlantic 2020, (A British Council initiative designed to build
and strengthen relations between the US and Europe post 9/11 and
7/7), and she is also vice chair of the Shia Council for Scotland.
As a
visually impaired person, Roshni is especially passionate about
improving access to Islamic knowledge for disabled Muslims. Sr.
Roshni led a unique workshop challenging perceptions of disability
and empowering participants to take action in their local masjids
and communities at the Revert Muslims Conference 2008. Sr. Roshni is
also leading on a new interfaith project based in Scotland which
will bring faith leaders together to tackle discrimination and
poverty through spirituality. |
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- RMA Committee Chair Member
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Sheikh Saleem Bhimji
- Sheikh Saleem was born in Fort Rae, NWT,
Canada. After completing his secular studies in the field of
electronics in Edmonton, Alberta, he and his wife began their
Islamic studies in the Imam al-Asr Theological Seminary (Hawza) in
Medina, New York and then shifted to the Theological Seminary (Hawza
`Ilmiyyah) of Qum, Iran. Shaykh Saleem has worked on and off for 3
years with the Islamic Humanitarian Service [www.al-haqq.com] as a
Muballigh, translator, graphic artist and web-designer and also runs
his own organization, Al-Fath Al-Mubin Publications [www.al-mubin.org]
dedicated to the translation and publication of books and articles
on a wide variety of topics – with over 300 works on his site! In
addition, he also manages his own publishing house for Islamic
literature - The Islamic Publishing House [www.iph.ca] which has
thus far published five books with six more on the way, including
Sunanun Nabi by the late Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Taba’taba’i.
Some of his translations into English include: Secrets of the Hajj;
A Mother’s Prayer; Introduction to the Science of Tafseer of the
Qur`an; Commentary of the 29th Section of the Noble Qur’an; and The
Islamic Moral System: A Commentary of Suratul Hujurat. |
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- RMA Committee Chair Member
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Sr. Arifa Hudda
- Sister Arifa was born in East Africa and then
migrated to Canada when she was only 9 months old. All of her
schooling was done in the city of Kitchener. After high school she
did a Medical Laboratory Technologist course in The Michener
Institute in Toronto and then worked part time in a laboratory in
Brampton, ON. Immediately after marriage, her husband Shaykh Saleem
and her proceeded to the Hawza in Medina, NewYork and then to the
holy city of Qum where they studied for four years.
Upon her return to Canada in the year 2000, she translated and
compiled some books, namely "A Mother's Prayer," "Forty Ahadith on
the Holy Quran," "Tasbih of Sayyeda Fatima Zahra(AS)," "Morals of
the Masumeen - an activity book for children" and some others.
She has edited numerous books on different topics for various
scholars. At the moment, she is the principal of the Al-Husayni
Madressa in Kitchener, Ontario which is under the Islamic
Humanitarian Service (IHS). This is an Islamic school which is run
on Sundays and has children between the ages of 4 - 22 years old
from all different ethnic backgrounds. She is also continuing to
further her Islamic studies at home. |
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- RMA Committee Chair Member
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Sr. Zainab Rezavi -
Sr. Zainab Rezavi - Born in the UK, Sr. Zainab
reverted to Islam in 1980 after searching for a more comprehensive
and intellectually satisfying belief system and way of life. She has
spent the intervening years raising her children, whilst continuing
to study informally at home. Sr. Zainab also attended classes at the
Islamic College for Advanced Studies, the Hawza Ilmiyyah and Islamic
Centre of England in London. She is especially interested in the
fundamental and central role of Islamic Spirituality and Akhlaq, for
example ma'arifat-un-nafs (self awareness) and tadhkiyah-tun-nafs
(purification of the self), in building and guiding ourselves, our
families, our communities and ultimately society as a whole. She is
very interested in improving worldwide presentation and
understanding of the reality of Islam as taught by the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.),
in trying to be available to help reverts if and when needed, in
interfaith work and in environmental issues. Sr. Zainab sits on the
committee board for the International Revert Muslims Conference.
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Br. Mohammed Langston - Br. Mohammed, will be our Conference Master of Ceremonies!
Mohammed Langston was born and raised in Detroit,
Michigan U.S.A, where he currently resides. He is a student of
religious studies completing a Bachelors of Arts and Science in
Philosophy of Religion. He is also an experienced Photographer and
runs a photo-blog titled Seeking Nearness, which is an attempt to
display the harmony of lifestyle and spirituality in the western
world. Mohammed came into Islam January 19th, 2007 at 19 years of
age. Since converting he has begun to study the Arabic language and
introductory texts of Maliki Jurisprudence. Additionally he is
currently studying Tajwīd of Qur'an with a qualified instructor to
begin memorization of the Qur'an.
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