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Jihad Turk is the founding President of Bayan Islamic Graduate School, a preeminent Muslim institution of higher education offering accredited Master’s degrees in the fields of Islamic Studies, Leadership, Education, and Chaplaincy. Bayan also offers a doctoral degree in ministry with a focus on Islamic Leadership. 

Dr. Turk is a sought after national speaker on issues related Islam and Muslims in America, ethical leadership and spiritual formation of youth. Having served as an imam for many years at the Islamic Center of Southern California, one of the region's oldest and largest mosques, Dr. Turk is often consulted to provide mosque board trainings nationally. 

Having been born to a Muslim-Palestinian father and a Christian-American mother in Phoenix Arizona, Jihad spent his college years traveling the Muslim world and exploring his roots and the Islamic tradition. He spent time in both the Islamic University of Medina where he studied Arabic and Islamic Studies, and in Iran where he studied Farsi at the University of Tehran and in Qum. He completed his undergraduate study at the University of California, Berkeley where he received his B.A. degree in History and Arabic. Jihad completed his Master’s degree at the University of Texas, Austin in Arabic and Islamic law and jurisprudence. In 1999, Jihad began his doctoral studies in Islamic Law at the University of California, Los Angeles and obtained his doctorate in education from the University of Southern California. He taught as adjunct faculty for many years at UCLA and at Southwestern School of Law

Jihad has co-founded several interfaith organizations with the aim of collaboratively addressing homelessness, poverty and peacemaking.

Dr. Turk has been consulted by the White House and has traveled around the world (Indonesia, Morocco, Qatar, and France) for the US State Department to speak to Muslim communities abroad and represent the American Muslim Community. Jihad is a member of the USINDO, an NGO that aims to strengthen ties between the US and Indonesia.

Jihad has been profiled on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, regularly appears on NPR and other news outlets, has appeared numerous times on the History Channel and was featured in a documentary produced by the Annenberg Foundation’s www.explore.org about the Abrahamic faiths, entitled “Traveling with Jihad.”

Dr. Turk has received awards for his religious leadership by the US congress, the Valley Interfaith Council, and the South Coast Interfaith Council, has been acknowledged as a Local Hero by the World Festival of Sacred Music and was recognized as one of the 500 Most Influential people in Los Angeles by the LA Business Journal.


Community Service & Interfaith Activity

Education

Founding President 

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Munir Shaikh is Vice President of Operations and Academic Affairs at Bayan Islamic Graduate School. He holds an M.A. in Islamic Studies from UCLA. He has participated in programs for advanced study of Arabic in Morocco and Egypt, and specializes in the history of Islamic Spain and the Mediterranean region. He has taught university courses in World History, the Middle East, and Islam at colleges and universities in Southern California. He has participated in numerous public education projects related to Islam and Muslim culture and history, is a reviewer of K-12 world history textbooks, and has provided professional development workshops to thousands of K-12 educators over the course of his career. He regularly provides public lectures addressing medieval Islamic civilization, art, and literature, as well as contemporary inter-religious issues.

Vice President

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Basmah Salam is the Director of Development at Bayan. Basmah Salam is the Director of Advancement at Bayan. She develops and operationalizes strategic plans for Bayan to fulfill its mission through financial sustainability and community support. She has been actively working in nonprofit advancement since 2011 in primary education and mental health and disability services and then began her service at Bayan in 2018.
 
 
She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston, followed by her Master’s in Public Administration with a specialization in nonprofit management. She is now working on her second Master’s degree in Islamic Leadership from Bayan Islamic Graduate School. 
 
 
Basmah volunteers with local Houston Islamic schools, mentors Muslim adolescents, and supports Muslim leaders to grow into their roles for the Muslim or broader American community. She is an advocate for addressing mental health issues, children's growth and identity development, and combatting abuses against women primarily. 
 
 
She is a proud Texan, an avid reader and writer, and an aunt of four powerful unicorns (also known as nieces).

Director of Advancement 

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At Bayan, Abdullah al Mamun is the Senior Director of Advancement, a role in which he works on organizational development, fundraising, and student recruitment. He is an activist, public speaker, entrepreneur, advisor to boards, and is a nationally recognized director with experience in professional leadership and management experience in both nonprofit and for-profit sectors. This includes his work in broadcast television and corporate America for over eight years, then he ran his own marketing consulting firm for four years. He later served as the Deputy Executive Director for a nationally recognized Muslim nonprofit for eight years prior to joining Bayan in January 2021. Abdullah has completed his undergraduate studies at Fordham University and then completed his graduate studies from New York University. He now lives in Dallas, TX with his wife and their three sons.

Vice President, Advancement

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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.

Student Services

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Faria has been involved in numerous philanthropic and community outreach efforts. She currently serves on the board of Women for Women International, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and the Interfaith Center of New York. She is also a member of the Shoulder to Shoulder Consultative Council and NYU President’s Global Council. 
 
In the years prior, she has served as a board member of Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, Medina Clinic, Duke Islamic Studies Center, and the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. She has also served as Board President of the Princeton Girlchoir and the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom. Faria co-founded the Mizaan Retreat, hosted annually by Princeton University’s Muslim Life program. 
 
Faria holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland and an M.S. in Computer Science from The Johns Hopkins University. She lives in the DC area with her husband and three children.

Director, Bayan Tours 

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Dr. Hall is a proven C-level executive of multiple for-profit corporations, post-secondary institutions, and non-profit organizations. Dr. Hall founded a public company that was a category leader in the higher education student lifecycle management category. He successfully founded and sold enterprises as well as having a strong-record serving as a trusted director and hands-on strategic advisor to technology companies, C-level executives, post-secondary institutions, university presidents, governmental agencies, institutional investors, and major non-profit organizations. 
 
In higher education, Dr. Hall’s areas of expertise include strategy, finance, enrollment management, advancement, strategic turnaround management, corporate governance, school combinations, and accreditation. Since 1997, Dr. Hall has been directly involved in the strategic execution of projects that have generated over $ 300 million in tuition revenue for colleges and universities as well as the raising of nearly $ 1.5 billion in public and corporate contributions to major 501(c) organizations and post-secondary institutions. Dr. Hall also serves on the Board of Trustees of Chicago-based Roosevelt University, where he chairs the Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Committee of the Board and is a member of the Board’s Executive Committee. Dr Hall was also appointed by former California Governor Jerry Brown to serve as a member of the State of California Interagency Coordinating Council, between 2014 and 2018. 
 
At Bayan, Dr. Hall oversees finance, business affairs, technology, talent management, and strategic projects. He also supports strategic guidance for Bayan's Development, Enrollment Management, and Alumni Affairs efforts. 
 
Dr. Hall earned his B.A. in Political Science and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Pepperdine University as well as his Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from the University of Southern California.

Chief Business Officer

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Ayman Taleb is passionate about the advancement and betterment of the condition of his Muslim American community, and inviting people to support that cause. 

He was born in Dallas, TX, where he was raised in a family of activists and serves his community in various ways. In addition to volunteering as a youth mentor, Ayman also served as a Youth Director in North Texas and as a Mosque Director in Southern California. He regularly delivers Friday sermons, presentations, and short talks around the USA to different audiences including interfaith and the youth, speaking about modern challenges and relevant issues facing the American Muslim community. 

Ayman made history when he wrote, produced, and directed a trilogy play called "Mercy to Mankind," the 1st theatrical production of the life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in English, and this was accomplished with an all-youth Muslim cast. He has released 2 singles and is working on his first studio album that is reflective of his Muslim American Texan experience. 

He is married with 2 daughters, 2 sons, a daughter waiting for him at the gates of Paradise, and 3 cats.  

Director of Community Relations 

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Jibril Latif, Ph.D. is Dean of Bayan Islamic Graduate School. Jibril is committed to community development and academic excellence, combining over a decade of traditional study in the Middle East with academic modes of training in journalism, philosophy, English, and Islamic studies. An experienced academic leader, he has lectured extensively, chaired curricula and accreditation, and directed research. Jibril is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on Islam, media, and political economy and he holds a BA from the University of La Verne, an MA from California State University, a second MA from the University of California Irvine, and a Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham.

Dean

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Dr. Imam Sherif Ahmed is the Co-Founder of Tarbiya Institute and the Dean of its Seminary. He is an entrepreneur whose career spans more than two decades. He studied English Literature, Business Administration, and Islamic Studies and received a Master’s in Strategic Business Unit Management from HEC Paris. Dr. Ahmed also has a Doctorate in Non Profit Leadership and Management. 

Dr. Ahmed is trained in the Islamic sciences, finished memorizing the Quran at a young age, and received a degree from The Islamic Studies Institute in Egypt.
Additionally, he is the Co-Founder of California Real Traders, a real-estate company operating in Northern California. He is a father of five children, a mentor, and a teacher to many students in the community. Lastly, Dr. Ahmed served as an Imam and Executive Director of different Islamic centers in the United States over the past 20 years.

Visiting Scholar 

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Irslan Ahmad is the Strategic Content & Advancement Specialist at Bayan Islamic Graduate School, where he focuses on organizational development, content creation, and strategic initiatives that enhance the institution's mission. He holds an M.A. in Islamic Education from Bayan, where he was awarded the prestigious Dr. Fathi Osman Scholarly Excellence Award for his thesis entitled The Manzumat Tradition: A Defense of Traditional Islamic Education in Light of Western Standards and the Taxonomy of Learning. Currently, Irslan is pursuing a second M.A. in Islamic Studies at Darul Qasim College, a leading institution for the study of sacred sciences.
 
 
In addition to his advanced Islamic studies, Irslan holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas, which has informed his interdisciplinary approach to education and community engagement. With over eight years of experience as an educator and mentor, Irslan has consistently worked to bridge the gap between traditional Islamic learning and contemporary educational needs. He is a co-founder of The Preservers, a nonprofit organization aimed at empowering young Muslims to become ambassadors of their faith, and has played a key role in several youth-focused initiatives, including Young Muslims, WhyIslam, EPIC Youth, and more. 
 
 
Irslan regularly conducts lectures and classes for youth on Islamic education, spirituality, theology, Qur'anic studies, and more. His work reflects a deep commitment to fostering the next generation of Muslim leaders, while strategically advancing the role of Islamic education in diverse settings.

 Advancement Specialist

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With a decade of experience in non-profit fundraising, Jamal Barakat, co-founder and principal of Barakah Group, has dedicated his career to mission-driven work. As an American Muslim of Palestinian heritage, Jamal has consistently sought to lead a service-oriented life, finding fulfillment in connecting donors' philanthropic interests with organizational funding needs. Before launching Barakah Group, Jamal served as the Director of Development at Loyola Law School, where he managed major gift fundraising for the J.D. Evening Program, the Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic, and student scholarships. He previously led fundraising efforts at Zaytuna College to help establish the first accredited Muslim college in the U.S. Jamal’s career also includes experience in marketing and public relations for various nonprofits and consumer brands in Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Arts in Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California. Outside of work, Jamal enjoys exploring nature, playing competitive sports, and spending time with his wife and two children.

Chief Development Officer 

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Yasmin Elayan holds a degree in Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University (2019) and currently serves on the board of Al-Noor Foundation, supporting education initiatives in Palestine and aid for orphans in Gaza. Yasmin has been the advancement coordinator at Bayan since 2023. 

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Staff