Meet Our Dedicated Team

Aasia currently resides in Washington, DC with her husband and three beautiful children. She was raised on the East coast, and she holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and a master's degree in Education. Aasia has been matchmaking for 7 years and has made successful matches that lead to marriage, alhamdulillah. She knows matchmakers from all over the country that she regularly connects with. When she is not matchmaking, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Kamila was born in England to convert parents but spent most of her childhood growing up in different Muslim communities in the U.S. She also spent a lot of time overseas living in the Muslim world and doing some studies when she could fit it in to being a mother and homeschooling children! Her experiences in many diverse, thriving Muslim communities and her drive to help people on a communal and personal level, gives her inspiration to give what she can in helping others find their companions in this life.

Sharifa has been involved in her local Muslim community and Islamic School in various capacities since she was a child. She holds a B.S. in Psychology and an M.Ed in Education. Sharifa finds true pleasure in trying to make a difference in people's lives; especially when it comes to helping people unite in the sacred bond of marriage. She lives in Maryland, and loves going on long walks with her best friend and husband, and her two beautiful boys, alhamdulillah.

Alisa was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a second-generation Spanish immigrant and has experienced first hand what it means to look beyond. After receiving her Bachelor's in Family Studies and Spanish from the University of New Mexico she studied abroad in Spain to continue her education. While living in Andalusia Spain, she found Islam and will be Muslim going on eight years now. After traveling and living in other parts of Europe, Alisa came back to the US with her Moroccan husband to give birth to their first child. Being a mother is Alisa's greatest accomplishment. She is humble and happy to have her family and loves being a matchmaker knowing that she is helping others find and start their own families. Her background in family studies, passion for helping others, and charisma for gaining special bonds with people from all ethnicities makes her a perfect attribute to our team.

Juwairiyyah is originally from the West Coast, where she was born in LA and raised in Seattle. She currently resides in Chicago with her husband and their cat. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Juwairiyyah values building relationships and is devoted to helping the Muslim community. She has served in various capacities from volunteering as a Sunday School teacher at the masjid to working with local Islamic organizations. Outside of Beyond Chai, Juwairiyyah works as a Senior Administrator for an Islamic non-profit educational organization. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, eating good food, and spending time with her family and friends.

Anbareen is from the Midwest and currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two beautiful children. She has a B.S. in Education and has worked in both public and Islamic schools. She also worked at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the largest Muslim organization in North America. Anbareen enjoys being part of the Muslim Community and is currently teaching in Sunday School. The Muslims community is very important to her because she feels it is the foundation for building a great Muslim family. During her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, going on walks, planning parties and spending time with family and friends.

Samiya was raised in the US and has a degree in Psychology. She enjoys spending time with her family, loves to travel and tries to stay abreast on all things technology. Being recently married, Samiya understands and can relate well to the challenges of finding suitable match. She's looking forward to applying her experiences and educational background to help Beyond Chai clients in their journey to marriage.

Umarah, originally from Pakistan, was born and raised in the UAE, where she received her bachelor's degree in Computer Science. She currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. In her free time, Umarah likes baking, doodling, reading and volunteering at her local mosque.

Muhammad Nubee is an American-born revert currently based in Cairo, Egypt. He has long served the Muslim community in various capacities including Relationship Coaching, Imam, and numerous educational posts. Br. Nubee’s education background is in the fields of Sociology and Psychology, holding a Bachelor’s Degree.

Br. Nubee has been married for more than four decades and is the grandfather of 10, ma shaa Allah. He understands the integral value and importance of families in Islam, Br. Nubee has demonstrated a passion and commitment to strong and healthy marriages starting with premarital coaching and guidance; he has been actively involved in helping new and long-married couples to stay the course.

A Canadian Pakistani currently living in the United States. Saima completed her Bachelor's in Psychology and then her Master's of Business Administration in 2000. After working in the corporate world for some years Saima realized her true calling was to help people and make a difference in their lives. This paired with her other passion for fashion and style, Saima completed her certification as an Image Consultant in 2008. Since then Saima has dedicated her life to helping people look, feel, be and achieve their best. She is professional and truly cares about making a positive impact in her clients lives.

Maliha is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist currently residing in Maryland. She was raised in the US and has traveled over most of the country and to many places abroad. Maliha is an active member in her community, she provides counseling/coaching to adolescents, adults, couples and families. She believes American Muslims struggle with finding their identity within their families and friends and feels compelled to support them through their journey of finding themselves.

Salma Abugideiri is a licensed professional counselor in private practice in Vienna, VA. She received her masters degree in counseling from GMU and completed a post-master’s certification program in marriage and family therapy at Virginia Tech. She provides counseling to adolescents, adults, couples and families.

Usman is a Marriage & Family Therapist and holds a Master's of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northern Illinois University and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, along with a degree in diagnostic medical imaging. Usman enjoys providing premarital counseling.

Dr. Marwa is a life coach, instructor and public speaker. Her interest in human behavior compelled her to complete two advanced degrees in Psychology and a PhD in Neuroscience. She has taught courses at the Biology (University of California, Irvine), Psychology & Human Development (Cal State University, Long Beach) departments. Her interdisciplinary background allows her to intersect fields to come up with innovative ways to understand 'why we do what we do'. She is a firm believer that it is at these intersection foci that creativity and novelty find fertile grounds.

Dr. Yasmeen Khan is a licensed clinical psychologist. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She has a subspecialization in cross cultural psychology. She is trained in the Internal Family Systems model from the Center of Self Leadership. She also holds a certification in clinical hypnosis from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Dr Khan has a private practice called The Self Empowerment Center in Wheaton, IL. She has been in practice for over 15 years. She works with children, adolescents, and adults. She provides individual, group, couples, and family therapy. She has extensive experience working with muslims, religious and culturally diverse population. Dr Khan utilizes a holistic approach in her therapy where she believes in working with the mind body and spirit thus working with the whole person. Dr Khan has presented many workshops on many subjects both in US and abroad.

Dr. Nora Alarifi Pharaon is a counseling psychologist licensed in New York and New Jersey. She provides individual, couple, and group psychotherapy as well as performs psychological evaluations for adults, youth and children. She volunteered for 10 years as a United Nations NGO representative of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI). She was an active member of the UN NGO committee on Mental Health and the committee on Refugees and Displaced Persons. Nora earned her doctorate and master’s degree in psychology at Columbia University.

Najwa Awad, LCSW-C is a licensed clinical social worker who offers therapy services to individuals, couples and families in Baltimore County and Howard County, Maryland. She obtained a Bachelors degree in Psychology from George Mason University in 2005, and in 2007 she received her Masters in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University with a specialization in the clinical treatment of individuals and families. She provides individual counseling for clients who are struggling with issues related to getting married (stress from family about getting married, interpersonal stress about not being able to find someone and chronic unstable relationships.

Shamir A. Khan, Ph.D. is a New York City psychologist with over 15 years of experience across the fields of psychology, education, research, business, and online publishing. His counseling sessions involve working with parents/families , particularly if the family is not supportive of the marriage/partner.

Dr. Khan has co-authored peer-reviewed articles in such journals as Schizophrenia Research & Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology and has been quoted in the areas of psychology or education in The New York Times, AM New York, New York Family Magazine, The New York Observer's Scooter Magazine, and West Side Spirit

Originally from South America, Dr. Khan currently resides in NYC with his wife of 14 years and children, ages 11 and 8. In addition to living in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and different parts of the U.S., he has travelled extensively, focusing on ethnic, religious, racial, and political warfare zones around the world.

Dr. Nafisa Sekandari is the co-founder of Mental Health 4 Muslims (http://mentalhealth4muslims.com). She is currently licensed and practicing in California and Arizona. She provides counseling on mental health issues that is both clinically supported and Islamically sound. She works with a wide variety of Muslims from different backgrounds and knows firsthand how important such a service is to our community. She is also a published author and lecturer.

Malahat Baig-Amin is a psychotherapist licensed in VA and the District of Columbia. She received her master's degree in social work & international social welfare from Columbia University in New York. She counsels adolescents, adults, couples and families. She helps clients with depression, anxiety, mood disorders, marital conflict, domestic violence, anger management, trauma, abuse, interpersonal conflict, work issues and adjustment disorders. She utilizes her knowledge of Islam, multiculturalism and psychology in her practice with her Muslim clients.