Meet the Art and Wilderness Institute Green Team behind the Green Masjid Initiative
Suhana Shereef
Green Masjid Initiative Director
Suhana started her journey with the AWI community through her children’s outdoor education classes at AWI. As a family, they slowly started making changes in their daily lives to be more mindful of doing their part to help take care of the environment. In her free time, she enjoys making special handmade gifts and enjoying a quiet cup of tea.
Aaysha Memon
Eco-Educator
Aaysha completed her B.A. in Women and Gender Studies from Cal State Long Beach in the Fall of 2021. She took Environmental Studies courses in her free time and continued her passion for environmental studies through the UCR Palm Desert Climate Change Stewardship Program. She completed her project on incorporating green education and creating community change through youth and Sunday school programming. Aaysha is curious about herbalism and foraging as well as creating lasting community change. She has also been a fellow in Vigilant Love’s Solidarity Arts Fellowship and currently works at a Community Health non-profit. In her free time, she likes to read and spend time with friends. She hopes to continue being engaged in the AWI community and support youth in their development as changemakers.
Amina Mustafa
Creative Project Advisor
Amina Mustafa is veteran hiker with Art and Wilderness Institute. She loves sisterhood and getting to know everyone. You would find her volunteering, working, playing, crafting, or reading with children. Learning new ways to teach and parent is very important to her. Nowadays, she's hitting the trails with her 4 children learning about plantlife and wildlife. Amina is a homeschool mom of 6 years. She loves everything art from sketching, painting, illustrations, animation and photography.
Hossai Amir
REGIONAL MANAGER FOR SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Hossai Amir works in the dental field. By nature she is passionate about the environment and environmental justice causes. She is a mother of 3 kids who also takes part in school green teams. Hossai considers herself blessed to have been working with highly motivated and God loving individuals. She has volunteered with different masjids, interfaith groups, churches, and nonprofits to serve the underserved. She thinks the earth with all its natural habitats is a sacred trust from God that needs to be preserved and protected.
Amy Hossain
Zero Waste & Permaculture Advocate
Here in the big city and sprawling suburbs, we are becoming increasingly more distant from a life harmoniously intertwined with nature and natural systems. Taking small steps over the years, Amy has been trying to shorten this distance by learning about and implementing a more life-friendly culture at home and wherever she is able. Learning from earth-interdependent cultures is a vital step in reviving these practices.
Maira Mohiuddin
Social Media Coordinator & Content Creator
Maira is a new and enthusiastic member of AWI. She is a mom of 2 toddlers, and is expecting her 3rd child. She currently works as a pediatric pharmacist in a hospital setting. She has long enjoyed going on hikes and exploring nature, and AWI sparked a new-found passion within her to learn more about the beauty surrounding her. As a child, her mother taught her the importance of recycling and reducing waste. As an adult, she always wished to play a role in inspiring change in the community to adopt an eco-friendly attitude. When AWI provided that opportunity, she was sure to jump on it! In her downtime, she operates a home-baked macaron and cookie business, experiments with new cooking and baking recipes, enjoys reading novels, and spending time with her family and friends.
Alia Dada
AWI Green Team Religious Advisor
Alia is a mom of 3. She has a degree in Islamic Law from the University of Al Azhar, Cairo. She inspires to revive the connection between Islam and the environment by working with AWI and through her published children’s Islamic book Environmental Sunnahs.
Aminah Khan
Green Masjid Liaison
Amina Khan is a market research analyst and holds a Business Degree in Marketing and a certificate in Human Resource Management. She has also studied overseas in Jordan, Syria and Egypt. She grew up in Canada and is married with 2 lovely children who love nature, and protecting the environment. In fact, it was her son who wanted the family to go styrofoam free at an early age. Her family loves the outdoors by exploring trails and hikes. She has been a Girl Scout leader for 6 years. Her love for traveling has taken her to many countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. She is happy to assist the Art and Wilderness Institute in creating a lasting change in the community by promoting the environment.
Amina Khan
Conscientious Consumerism Educator
Amina Khan earned her Bachelors of Arts in Family and Consumer Science from CSULB and have been working in Public accounting for 10 years. She believes it is crucial for a Muslim to be a conscious & ethical consumer. She is a mom of two children who she is raising to be ethical consumers. Her interests are corporate social responsibility, Islamic business ethics, and an abundance Barakah mindset.
Fiona Motala
Presentation Coordinator & Public Relations Coordinator
Fiona Motala is a culinary and design enthusiast. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and immigrated to California 21 years ago where she now resides with her husband and three kids. Being African is in her blood, she grew up in nature, and exploration and outdoor adventure is a huge part of who she is. She is a debate coach and loves traveling and hiking. She is a new leader for the Inland Empire Outdoor Woman’s Club. She can’t wait to learn and grow with her community.
Zara Nawab
Research Specialist
Zara is a mother of 3 growing leaders who enjoy caring for life, engineering creations, and motivating others. She has a Masters degree in business finance and seeks to broaden her horizons at every opportunity. If the future is ours to make, we would be well-served to heed lessons from those before us. May we all seek to be empathetic, logical and credible as we guide each other, respected organizations, and cherished students into an exciting wealth of expanding knowledge.
Alya Khan
Environmental & Occupational Health Advisor
Dr. Alya Khan is the Program Director for the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency and an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and Program in Public Health. She holds dual board certifications from the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Preventive Medicine, as well as a Master's degree in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Irvine. In her clinical role at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, she provides essential services to local and regional employers as well as toxicology consultations. Alongside her professional commitments, she takes joy in being a mother to two children and enjoys reading and skiing. Her passion lies in sharing valuable educational insights in occupational and environmental health, aiming to contribute positively to both individual well-being and community awareness.
Joining our Women's Green Team takes dedication and commitment. It takes knowing that you will be in it for the long haul. You don't have to know anything about the environment to join, you just have to be ready and willing to take on projects, tasks and assignments and get ready to educate yourself even more.
Projects and assignments will be dealing with Greening up Masjids, from helping to kickstart and implement Zero-Waste Initiatives to helping to apply for grants, organizing planting days, and helping to empower students with service-learning projects that pertain to Green up the Masjid Campaign.
Joining the team also means helping to volunteer at booths that educate our community on why its so important to have a stewardship model.
STEP 1- fill out the form below STEP 2- You will receive a phone call from our project manager. STEP 3- Upon screening, you will be added to a Whatsapp group with further instructions.