Mohamed Marei

Graduated with high honors in Philosophy from UCLA and received a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School; worked briefly as a strategy consultant for the Boston Consulting Group before being awarded a Fulbright fellowship to research trade relations between Jordan and the US. A National Champion in Speech & Debate and a published news- paper columnist, he is at home with both the written and spoken word. His entrepreneurial interests have led him to share a founding role in a half-dozen companies, including Andalusian Arts, Website.com, Aqeel Consulting, and Qasid, where he presently serves as an Executive Director.

Faisal Matadar

Studied Religion at the George Washington University. After developing an early love of languages through formal studies of both Latin and Spanish, Ustadh Faisal went on to devote his energies to the Arabic language, studying under scholars from al-Azhar University. He went on to serve as a Lecturer in Arabic at George Washington, as well as teaching private classes at Georgetown, Howard University, and other venues in the Washington area. His studies in Arabic and Islamic Studies have taken him throughout the Middle East, including Mauritania, the UAE, and Egypt. He presently serves as an Executive Director and occasionally teaches in the Sciences department.

Omar Matadar

Born and raised in the United States, Omar Matadar graduated from George Washington University, majoring in Philosophy and Art History. He commenced his Arabic studies at Georgetown University and Middlebury’s Language School. Desiring to deepen his knowledge of Arabic, after his initial studies, Matadar pursued further instruction in the Middle East, focusing on Islamic Studies as well as language. After graduating from the core program at the Qasid Institute, where he excelled and rose into its teaching faculty, his knack for implementing learning strategies and broad understanding of the pedagogy allowed him to assume the role of Programs Coordinator. Aside from shaping the curriculum and implementing learning strategies for students, Omar leads a team that is the first point of contact and liaison for all students and visitors who come to Qasid.

Sohail Nakhooda

Studied Government at the London School of Economics and Christian Theology at the Angelicum, Vatican, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Theological and Philosophical Hermeneutics. He has a parallel expertise in graphic design, having placed as a finalist in the 2002 British Book Design and Production Awards. Sohail was one of the co-founders of Islamica Magazine in his student days at LSE, and played a critical role in reviving the magazine in its present-day format. He currently serves as its Editor-in-Chief, and is a member of Qasid’s Board of Directors.

Anik Misra

Anik Misra is a native of Toronto, Canada, and a graduate of the University of Toronto. He began studying the Arabic language while in university, and upon completing his degree, studied abroad to further his language studies in immersion settings, focusing on classical Arabic. His pursuit finally led him to the Qasid Institute in Amman, Jordan, where he graduated from the Classical program. Admiring the vision of Qasid, and falling in love with living in Jordan, he joined Qasid’s administrative team soon thereafter. His is currently the Director of Study Abroad Programs at Qasid, and coordinates the institute’s university partnership programs, as well as diplomat training modules for various governments. His frequent travels to universities and conferences around the world allow him to combine his professional and personal research interests, as well as maintain close ties with academics and professors from around the world.