The Islamic Association of Raleigh will soon hold its Shura election to help shape the leadership and direction of our community.
Key details:
Only members who joined prior to March 1, 2025 are eligible to vote.
There are 16 candidates running for 7 open Shura seats.
You may vote for up to seven (7) candidates.
Learn more about what the IAR Shura does here.
To verify your eligibility, please email [email protected].
Kashif Osman
Kashif Osman has been an active member of the Islamic Association of Raleigh for over a decade and served as an IAR employee for six years. During his tenure, he organized record-breaking fundraisers, developed a far-reaching social media presence, and collaborated with every Shura member and IAR committee to advance the masjid’s mission. Professionally, Kashif is a financial advisor specializing in faith-based and endowment investing, bringing expertise in strategic growth and sustainability. His vision for IAR focuses on strengthening its institutions, empowering its schools, and ensuring long-term financial stability for future generations.
Arif Khan
Arif Khan is a born and bred native of the Raleigh community, having grown up at the Islamic Association of Raleigh. Arif was on the shura for the last four years and is excited to run again in hopes of serving the community. Professionally, Arif is the Chief Strategy Officer at BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina where he is responsible for leading enterprise-wide transformation efforts, strategic planning and intelligence, portfolio management, and enterprise consulting. Arif is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is an active member of the community. His past and present board appointments include the UNC Board of Visitors, The UNC School of Pharmacy Foundation, the BCBS NC Foundation, Baltimore Medical System, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Heart Association (Greater Maryland), and the Our Three Winners Foundation.
Munir Abdullah
Munir Abdullah and his family have lived in this community for 41 years. He has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and is a retired pharmaceutical executive. Munir has volunteered and served IAR and the Community in various leadership roles over a span of 32 years. Currently, he is a Shura member and serves as Vice Chair of IAR Shura. His other volunteer roles and services at IAR include Page Road Committee/LLC Chair and Principal Manager; Team Lead for IAR Page Road campus opening and celebration; Interim Chair/Lead, Al-Iman School Transition Team for the establishment of Al-Iman School Campus at Page Road in partnership with Al-Iman School Administration; Chair, Cemetery Expansion Ad hoc Committee; Chair, Social & Welfare Committee; Chair, Al-Furqan School Committee; Shura member on IAR School Board; Lead, Shura ad hoc teams on Constitution & Bylaws and Consolidation of Islamic Education. Outside of IAR, Munir serves as Board Chairman of Mariam Clinic which offers free healthcare to the needy in our community.
Nouman Siddiqui
Nouman Siddiqui has been in Triangle area for more than 30 years. He is a current member of the IAR shura. He has been involved in volunteer outreach over the years. He is married and the proud father of four kids, MashAllah.
Ahmed Ayad
Ahmed Ayad currently serves as a member of the Shura, having completed two terms over the past eight years. In addition to his Shura responsibilities, he contributes to the IAR community as a volunteer speaker for Jummah Prayers. Ahmed previously chaired the Strategy Committee in 2020 and has served on several ad-hoc committees, including those for Al-Iman School, the Imam Search Committee, and the development of the IAR Speakers Policy.
Professionally, Ahmed is a process improvement executive with 23 years of experience helping organizations enhance efficiency and accelerate overall performance. A lifelong member of the IAR community since 1982, he grew up attending the masjid with his family and was actively involved in the Youth Committee. During his time at North Carolina State University, he served as President of the Muslim Student Association. Ahmed is married and a father of three daughters.
Rashid Salahat
Rashid Salahat has over 20 years of volunteer service at the IAR. He has been a dedicated member of the Safety & Security Committee. Experience in working with local law enforcement to ensure safety precautions for large community events such as Eid prayers. In addition, he has overseen the safety of the IAR schools, which includes regular inspections and lockdown drills.
Imran Aukhil
Imran is a Principal at HR&A Advisors, Inc, an economic development consulting firm. He leads teams on complex development, economic analysis, and innovation ecosystem projects across the country and in the Middle East. He is also an adjunct professor at NC State, teaching real estate development and city building. Imran has served previously as a Shura member and spent 8 years on the Al Iman School Committee and nearly 15 years supporting the IAR’s media and public relations efforts.
Rana Badwan
Born and raised in this community, Rana M. Badwan is an attorney for the State of N.C., an adjunct professor, a wife, and a devoted mother of three daughters. With a deep commitment to service and justice, she brings both professional expertise and personal dedication to every endeavor. If elected, Sr. Rana will proudly serve her second term on the Shura, continuing her work to strengthen and support the IAR.
Ala Odeh
Abdul Wahab Malik
Br. Abdul Wahab Malik is a dedicated community volunteer from Raleigh, North Carolina. He has been serving at the Islamic Association of Raleigh (IAR) for about ten years, contributing his time and efforts to support the masjid’s programs and initiatives. His long-standing commitment reflects a deep love for his community and a sincere desire to serve for the sake of Allah.
Eager and optimistic about the future, Br. Abdul Wahab Malik looks forward to continuing his work with IAR and embracing new opportunities to grow, give back, and inspire others in their service to the community.
Ahmed Gomaa
Ahmed A. Gomaa, Ph.D., has been serving the Triangle Muslim community since 2011. He leads the IAR Events Committee—organizing Eid Prayers, Eid Fest, and major social and religious programs reaching tens of thousands annually. Under his leadership, the committee became fully self-sustaining and a mentorship hub for youth developing leadership and project management skills.
Ahmed also founded Itkan Robotics at IAR and across the Triangle, empowering over 100 Muslim students in STEM education, with teams earning top regional, national, and world-level awards. Professionally, he is a Senior Project Manager at Red Hat, leading global transformation initiatives, a co-founder of Locus Biosciences, and inventor of the CRISPR-based therapeutic platform for multi-drug resistant infections.
As a father of three, his vision for IAR centers on empowering youth and ensuring long-term sustainability for our growing community.
Hatem Khamis
Hatem Khamis is an engineer and longtime member of the Raleigh Muslim community. He strives to serve with sincerity, teamwork, and respect for everyone. As a husband, father, and student of the Qur’an, he values strong families, youth involvement, and open communication.
From 1998 to 2001, Hatem served as an NC State MSA organizer, helping to build programs that nurtured faith and leadership among college students. He then continued his service as a youth counselor from 1999 to 2001, and later as an IAR youth counselor from 2001 to 2005, guiding and mentoring young community members through educational and spiritual activities.
Hatem hopes to contribute to programs that strengthen our unity, deepen our connection to the masjid, and help every member feel welcomed and supported.
Hatem Mohamed
Hatem Mohamed is a senior consultant and trainer with over 15 years of experience in supplier development, quality systems, and interactive training. He currently serves as Director of Supplier Development at Airbus Americas, where he leads supplier assessments, improvement initiatives, PPAP reviews, and transfer of work projects to support new product introduction and operational readiness.
Hatem’s background includes leading large-scale training programs and conducting 3rd-party audits across multiple standards including IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 45001, and others. He holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and an M.Sc. in Manufacturing Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Beyond his professional work, Hatem has been a dedicated member of the Islamic Association of Raleigh (IAR) community since 1996, when he moved to Raleigh and joined prayers at the upper level of Al-Iman School. Since then, he has been an active community member, contributing to major initiatives such as the construction of the new masjid, where the community currently prays, and regularly participating in community activities, including Iftars during Ramadan.
Waleed Jarrad
Waleed Jarrad is an strategist and marketing consultant, born in Raleigh, grew up in Jordan, gaining a unique global perspective and understanding of world culture and its mechanics, a lifelong learner in both the Deena and dunya affairs and sciences. He has been an involved member of the IAR for more than a decade, participating on all levels, from hands-on volunteering, interfaith building, committee chair, vice chair, to working with the Imams’ Office in focusing on education & better management culture. Passionate about building creative, faith-driven spaces where individuals can grow personally and professionally while serving their communities. A community leader who has lead cross-functional teams to deliver technology-driven solutions that enhance efficiency and inclusion. His aim is to extend the reach of IAR to the broader communities and increase its development and fundraising efforts. He holds a BS in Information Systems with a minor in Organizational Psychology, and enjoys spending free time with family, reading, and outdoor activities, from hiking, biking, and climbing.
Iltifat Husain
Iltifat Husain is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Raised at IAR since the age of five, he recently returned to Apex with his family. Dr. Husain has authored multiple peer-reviewed scientific publications and has successfully built digital education and podcasting platforms reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners worldwide. His work has been featured in the national news and reflects his commitment to innovation and community impact.
He also helped pioneer The Lighthouse’s Legacy Circle, a novel sustainable donor model that supports long-term community growth. With expertise in Instagram, TikTok, and multiple podcasting platforms, Iltifat is passionate about reimagining how we engage youth—meeting them where they are through digital platforms, authentic conversations, and creative storytelling. He hopes to leverage this experience to build pathways for youth connection and new donor engagement, bringing both deep IAR roots and a forward-looking vision to strengthen the masjid’s future.
Abid-Alhamid (Abood) Dahnoun
Abid-Alhamid (Abood) Dahnoun is a Raleigh-Born Muslim, Palestinian-American Eye Doctor. He attended Al-Iman school from K-8 (Class of 2007), then Raleigh Charter High School (Class of 2011), followed by UNC-Chapel Hill (Class of 2015). He graduated from UNC Kenan Flagler Business School with an academic concentration in strategic consulting. He had extensive training in information technology, natural sciences, and healthcare systems. After a short time working as an operations director in the technology industry, Abood pursued a Doctorate of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee from the Southern College of Optometry. He graduated with Distinct Honors in 2020 and became Dr. Dahnoun, annd immediately returned to start practicing in North Carolina. In 2022, Dr. Dahnoun opened his own practice, See More Eye Care OD PLLC, in South Raleigh in a partnership with Costco. Through the years, Abood has been able to learn and fluently communicate in English, Spanish, & Arabic.
In 2023, Dr. Abood Dahnoun joined the Islamic Association of Raleigh as the committee head of Strategy Planning & Advancement. He was very focused on bring a unified direction for IAR through significant revisions of the IAR consitution and bylaws. He assisted in the reshaping and full understanding of the IAR system-being one of the founding thinkers behind the 5 pillars for IAR’s internal & external organization (Community, Administration, Services, Institutes, Operations). Abood is running for shura because he wants to help bring alive this vision of unified system to the highest degree. I want us all to work as a team and achieve the highest level of success because I think we have what it takes! It will take some sacrifice and not everyone will be happy with what has to happen..but we must come to understand that we will always be stronger together, and I hope to drive home that message to our amazing community of Muslims. جزاك اللهُ خيرًا
