Alumni

Bayan Alum

Meet Muslema Purmul

Muslema Purmul was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and raised in San Diego, California. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a double major in Religious Studies and Middle Eastern Studies. During these years she served a number of different roles at her local MSA at UCSD as well as MSA West. After graduating she left to study in Egypt where she spent the better part of the next 7 years. She completed the Bachelors program in Sharia from al-Azhar University in Cairo and also completed almost two years of graduate work at the American University in Cairo in Islamic Studies.

Upon her return to America, she served the Southern California community in various capacities including religious instruction, directing youth and young adult programs, university chaplaincy, and offering community pastoral care at and with local masjids and organizations. She has taught classes and spoken nationally and internationally about issues related to Islamic law and ethics in an array of educational settings including conferences, retreats, universities, libraries, and mosques.

Currently she serves as Assistant Religious Director at The Majlis, a community organization she and her husband co-founded together seeking to nurture safe community spaces where people can learn and live Islam, based on the traditional sources of understanding the faith, while acknowledging the particular challenges of the American context. Muselema recently graduated from Bayan.

Meet Muslema

Bayan Alum

Meet Cesar Domiguez

César Domínguez works in Administration and Student Services at Bayan Islamic Graduate School, where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Islamic Studies and Leadership in 2015. He studied classical Arabic at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. He is a Mexican convert to Islam, born in California, and currently serves as imam and teacher for LALMA, the Los Angeles Latino Muslim Association and is also co-chair of the Christian-Muslim Consultative Group. Since 2006, he has been actively involved in the Muslim community of Southern California through his work with local mosques and several Muslim organizations, taking part in interreligious activities and text-study groups and leading sessions on Islam at churches and schools to foster understanding between people of different faiths and to promote an unbiased and honest image of Muslims in North America, especially within the Spanish-speaking population. He is a Spanish-language translator of Islamic books and a stage actor.

Meet Cesar

Bayan Alum

Meet Jihad Saafir

Dr. Saafir earned a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies and Leadership from Bayan at Claremont School of Theology (CST) in 2014, and then completed his Ph.D. at CST in Practical Theology. He is the resident Imam and the Founding Executive Director for Islah Academy, a K-8 Islamic private school based in Los Angeles. He is a former chaplain of The California Institute for Women and the former Imam of Masjid At-Taqwa in Altadena, CA.

In 2018, Imam Jihad was awarded with the prestigious KCET Local Hero’s Award. More recently, South Coast Interfaith Council recognized Dr. Saafir as its "2022 Faith Leader of the Year." Through Dr. Jihad Saafir’s leadership, Islah LA has spawned a new wave of civic engagement within the Muslim American community. At Bayan, he teaches courses in Muslim adolescent identity formation, leadership development, and Islamic education.

Meet Jihad

Bayan Alum

Meet Kori Majeed

Kori Majeed, a Bayan Islamic Studies graduate (Class of 2022), has been shaping conversations around environmental justice and mindful living in Muslim communities.

Since 2013, she has used her Green Ramadan platform to encourage Muslims to eat mindfully and cultivate sustainable habits rooted in Islamic principles of stewardship and justice. Her work shows how Islamic scholarship can meet today’s pressing challenges.

GreenFaith Fellow & Master Naturalist-trainee
Chair of the Green Team at Masjid Muhammad, the Nation’s Mosque
Co-author of Forty Green Hadith on environmental justice
Bayan Graduate (Islamic Studies, 2022)

“Islam calls us to give all of Allah’s creation their rights. Green Ramadan is about living that truth every day.” — Kori Majeed

Bayan Alum

Meet Nora Zaki

Chaplain Nora Zaki, MDiv, has completed her MA in Islamic Education at Bayan. She has served as a university chaplain (Vassar, Bard, Dominican), the first Muslim hospital chaplain at Tampa General Hospital, and a volunteer prison chaplain—walking with people through grief, hope, and healing.

Nora writes and teaches on Qur’anic ethics and tazkiyat al-nafs. Her trajectory reflects Bayan’s mission to equip Muslim women with rigorous knowledge and practical pathways to serve communities across campuses, hospitals, and masājid.

Bayan Alum

Meet Adrian “Ashir” Kirk

Adrian “Ashir” Kirk is the founder and Executive Director of the Measured Tones Institute of Quran, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching proper Qur’an recitation (tajwīd). His journey began early — at just 16, he left school to study Arabic and Islamic sciences in Syria and Morocco, where he earned two ijāzahs in Qur’anic recitation.

Before launching his institute full-time in 2021, Ashir spent years teaching in Ohio and Tennessee. A Bayan graduate with a Master of Divinity in Islamic Chaplaincy (Muhammad Ali Scholarship), he now serves his community as Imam of Midtown Mosque in Memphis, TN, Director of Interfaith Relations, and Outreach Coordinator for the Muslim Prisoner Project. He is also a husband, father, and budding children’s author.

The Return on Your Investment

Because of your stewardship, leaders like Ashir can pursue knowledge, serve with compassion, and uplift communities. Your support ensures that the Qur’an, prophetic wisdom, and dedicated leadership continue to bloom.

Adrian 'Ashir' Kirk — Imam, Educator, and Bayan Graduate

Embrace Scholar

Meet Jacquelyn “Jackie” Crutchley

Sister Jackie, a Jersey-born, Philadelphia-based convert who accepted Islam in 2016, is a shining example of how converts strengthen our ummah through knowledge and service. A descendant of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, she has dedicated her career to community leadership and advocacy.

She serves as a Senior Program Coordinator at the American Association for Cancer Research and the Core Lead for Embrace Philadelphia, a project of ICNA. Jackie also completed her MA in Islamic Leadership at Bayan, equipping her with the knowledge to organize and uplift communities with compassion and ihsān.

Former Program Chair, Women International Leaders of Philadelphia
Experience in business development, events, and organizing
Advocates for inclusivity, equality, and servant leadership

“My journey began with knowledge and practice, but it was Allah who inscribed Islam and hijab in my heart. I pray it never fades.” — Jacquelyn Crutchley

Jacquelyn 'Jackie' Crutchley — Embrace Scholar at Bayan

Meet the Bayan Alum

My Journey Into Islamic Chaplaincy | Triska Alima Moosa

I Studied Traditionally & Then Came to Bayan | Ustadh Ashir Kirk

The Importance of Advocating for Islamic Chaplaincy | Dilnaz Waraich

Bayan 2022 Graduation | Congratulations to Zoya Mirza

Bayan 2021 Graduation | Congratulations to Imam Fateen Seifullah