Islamic Studies Scholarship Recipients
Sabih Islam Khwaja
Sabih, from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, completed his Master’s Degree in Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, United Kingdom. He is an active member of the Muslim community in Northeast Wisconsin. He received the Mahmoud Taman Islamic Studies scholarship as an academic student of Islam and continue his studies and community efforts to serve Allah (swt).
Tricia Pethic
Tricia is a Muslim chaplain with experience in correctional and university settings. She served as social media coordinator for Hartford Seminary and the Association of Campus Muslim Chaplains. She writes for various media outlets and currently is the principal at a masjid development consulting service.
Maggie Mitchell Siddiqi
Maggie was a graduate student at Hartford Seminary, who completed an M.A. in Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations and a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy. Maggie is a 2012-2013 fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute and has previous experience in government consulting, community organizing for the Obama campaign, and legislative work in the Office of U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee. Maggie has a B.A. in religion from Wesleyan University and is proficient in Spanish and German.
Rasha Azoni
Rasha was a student at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut - studying for her M.A. Her area of study is Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations. She plans to serve the Muslim community by using her education to become a scholar-teacher-activist who can contribute to the empowerment of Muslim women as a means of achieving peace and justice for all people.
Ebadur Rahman
Mr. Rahman memorized the Qur'an at the age of 15. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School in 2004, he studied for four years in the pilot seminary program at the Zaytuna Institute in the San Francisco Bay Area. He completed an undergraduate degree from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. His concentration at Gallatin involves using history and sociology to look at challenges facing the contemporary Muslim American community. He has served as a teacher assistant at the Zaytuna Summer Arabic Intensive from 2008-2010 and serves as an instructor at the Muslim Education and Converts Center of America (MECCA).
Jeta Lubotoni
Lubotoni received an Islamic Studies scholarship to help support her work toward a master’s degree in Middle East and Islamic Studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Her interests include the unique practices of Islam among Albanians (her own heritage) as well as the interactions between religion and culture more broadly. She is passionate about youth access to trustworthy religious counseling and guidance. Lubotoni, from Springfield, Virginia, completed her undergraduate degree in International Relations at American University in Washington, DC.
May Kosba
May was a graduate student atthe Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, pursuing an M.A. in Islamic Studies. Since graduation, she works on challenging cultural stereotypes pertaining to Islam and women. She graduated from the Faculty of Commerce, English Department at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. May has seven years of experience working in the nonprofit field, where she worked for human rights and community and youth development organizations in Cairo. She is also a poet and a writer, having co-authored a book, Hello, It's a Muslim Calling (Saray Publishing, Cairo).
Jarrod Long
Also known as Ibrahim J. Long, Jarrod is an American Muslim chaplain with experience providing care in correctional, educational, and healthcare facilities. Ibrahim received his BA in Humanities and Religious Studies from California State University, Sacramento. He completed an MA in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations and a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy from the Hartford Seminary. Currently, Ibrahim serves the patients, family members, and staff of St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario.
Erol Sinan
Erol was a graduate student at New York University, studying Islamic law and society. His area of focus is the formative period of the Islamic legal tradition. He plans to serve the Muslim community by striving to acquire and impart knowledge throughout his career.
Heba Youssef
Heba is a student at Hartford Seminary, receiving a MA in Christian- Muslim relations and a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy. She plans to serve the Muslim community in the capacity of a Muslim chaplain, and is currently interning as the first ever Muslim chaplain at Fairfield University in Connecticut.
Matthew Ingalls
Matthew is Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Religion at University of Puget Sound where he teaches: Introduction to Islam, Islam in America Sharia Law, Law and Religion, Jihad and Islamic Fundamentalism, Religion and Rhetoric and Sufism. Matthew received his PhD from the Islamic Studies Program at Yale University. He has number books and publications including the Egypt and Islam: A History published in 2016 (Princeton University with co-author Clark Lombardi) His articles have appeared in the New York Times.
Imtiaz Uddin Uzair
Imtiaz studied at St. John's University and Hartford Seminary. He also has a law degree.