Muslims in the United States are experiencing a variety of social welfare, mental health, behavioral health, marital and family problems. Family and marital problems continue, hunger and homelessness continue, other challenges continue to face our youth each and everyday, our disabled and elderly continue to need support. The formerly incarcerated have nowhere to turn when they reenter society and as practicing Muslims want to make a new start in life. We are facing a crisis because of the lack of Muslim counselors and the lack of mainstream providers knowledgeable of best practices with Muslims. We need social workers and mental health professionals in our full time Islamic schools. We need volunteers, paraprofessionals and professionals who can work with Muslims facing a variety of challenges everyday.
The Islamic Social Services Association, Inc. (ISSA-USA) envisions a spiritually and culturally competent social service network that ensures the highest quality of life possible for every individual, family, and community.
The mission of ISSA-USA is to build a network of professional, paraprofessional and volunteer social service and mental health providers; and to enhance their capacity through education, training, technical assistance, research, mentorship and collaboration.
Our approach is multifaceted and includes a focus on the secular and other faith providers, Muslim community members, imams, community leaders and professionals as well as promotion of cross-cultural awareness among Muslims. ISSA-USA offers a range of training and capacity building resources for Muslim, other faith and secular communities that facilitate our approach.
ISSA-USA's methodology is multifaceted and includes a focus on mainstream providers, Muslim community members, imams, community leaders, human services students and professionals. Additionally the plan promotes cross-cultural awareness among Muslims, the coordination of zakat and sadaqa collection and distribution on the local level, the development of strategic alliance and partnerships and the investment in qualitative and quantitative, evidence based human service research.
ISSA was established in 1999 at the annual conference of Muslim Social Services where 60 Muslim social workers, mental health professionals and counselors convened in Washington D.C. This dedicated group of individuals were concerned about the social issues affecting the Muslim community in North America. These community leaders believed it would be important to develop a network of Muslims in the field of human services to begin to address the mental health, social welfare, and general family issues that impact Muslims. Additionally, founders felt that it would be important to work closely with secular and other faith professionals to develop a partnership in meeting this work, promote understanding about Islamic traditions, beliefs, and practices, as well as provide a forum to discuss contemporary social issues facing Muslims in America.
In 2003 ISSA split into 2 sister and independent non-profit organizations: one in the USA and one in Canada. They were each incorporated having their own voluntary board of directors for services to be delivered in the U.S.A and Canada respectively. These two boards of directors work together on projects that serve to educate and connect social service providers to the community.
Visionary founders of ISSA include the late Dr. Maryam Funches, Dr. Aneesah Nadir, Dr. Bilquis Eltarab and Shahina Siddiqui.
President, Co-Founder
Ph.D of Social Work. Policy and community practice focused. Retired professor at Arizona State University. Practice focused on marriage and family. Based in Phoenix, Arizona.
President-Elect
LMSW of Social Work. Focus on mental health and trauma. Has worked in fields of home care, educational community building, community mental health, and recovery from substance abuse. Based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Secretary
MA in Islamic Studies with a concentration on Women and Children's Rights in Islamic Law. Focused on Trauma Awareness and Relationship Coaching. Has worked as a Professor, Dialogue Facilitator, Building Trust and Reconciliation, and Trained in Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resiliency. Based in Richmond, Virginia.
Treasurer
Ph.D. of Social Work. Focus on research and statistics. Retired professor at Mississippi Valley State University. Latest research on Bullying of Muslim children. Based in Chicago, Illinois.
Member at Large
Juris Doctor. Family and juvenile law attorney. Focused on access to justice and the enforcement of Islamic law under the US civil law. Sociology and criminal justice instructor at University of Dubuque. Based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Member at Large
MS OTR. Occupational Therapist and Islamic Psychology Practitioner specializing in soulful mental and sexual health education, therapy, and training. As the founder of Sexual Health for Muslims, she integrates Islamic traditions of the soul into holistic, trauma-informed frameworks for Muslims and the professionals who serve them.
Member at Large
LCSW and CADC with nearly two decades of dedicated experience in mental health, addiction treatment, mentorship, and education. His extensive background includes counseling and mentoring individuals from incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and inner-city backgrounds.
Member at Large
A compassionate mental health professional pursuing a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy. With a background in Psychology and an MBA, she is certified in trauma support, CBT, and therapeutic
art. She supports individuals, couples, and families in their healing journeys, fostering resilience and emotional growth.
President, Co-Founder
Dr. Aneesah Nadir is a retired Arizona State University social work professor. She has enjoyed a fulfilling career as a social worker for over 40 years and continues to mentor students in social work and other human service professions. She is an award-winning pioneer in the field of Muslim mental health and provides diversity education and training.
Dr. Nadir is a trailblazing leader in the Healthy Muslim Marriage Movement. She raises awareness about the impact of healthy marriage and dysfunctional marriage on mental health and well-being. She has developed and provides the Before the Nikah® Marriage Preparation Course and other premarital education programs through the Before the Nikah Institute. She is also the author of the book, Before the Nikah: Proven Principles to Help Single Muslims Choose
Wisely and Build Strong Marriages.
Dr. Nadir serves as the President and is a cofounder of the Islamic Social Services Association-USA (ISSA-USA), a national nonprofit headquartered in Arizona which provides mental health education and advocacy. ISSA-USA's Sakinah Healthy Marriage Initiative and the Annual National Healthy Muslim Marriage Week raises awareness about the importance of Healthy Marriages and Families in the Muslim Community.
President-Elect
Shaema Imam, has her MSW from the University of Denver with a concentration in Mental Health and Trauma. She has worked in the fields of homecare (Canada), community development (Bahrain and Dubai), and community mental health and recovery from substance abuse (Atlanta). She is registered as an LMSW in the State of Georgia and is currently working as a suicide prevention specialist. She has previously worked with the Islamic Family and Social Services Association in Edmonton as a youth development and parenting education coordinator and has been involved with ISSA since 2002.
Secretary
MA in Islamic Studies with a concentration on Women and Children's Rights in Islamic Law. Focused on Trauma Awareness and Relationship Coaching. Has worked as a Professor, Dialogue Facilitator, Building Trust and Reconciliation, and Trained in Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resiliency. Based in Richmond, Virginia.
Treasurer
Ph.D. of Social Work. Focus on research and statistics. Retired professor at Mississippi Valley State University. Latest research on Bullying of Muslim children. Based in Chicago, Illinois.
Member at Large
Juris Doctor. Family and juvenile law attorney. Focused on access to justice and the enforcement of Islamic law under the US civil law. Sociology and criminal justice instructor at University of Dubuque. Based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Member at Large
Sameera Qureshi, MS OTR, is an Occupational Therapist and Islamic Psychology Practitioner specializing in soulful mental and sexual health education, therapy, and training. As the founder of Sexual Health for Muslims, she integrates Islamic traditions of the soul into holistic, trauma-informed frameworks for Muslims and the professionals who serve them. A sought-after subject matter expert and thought leader, Sameera’s work is rooted in compassion, self-accountability, and spiritually grounded approaches to healing.
Member at Large
Shahana is a compassionate mental health professional pursuing a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy. With a background in Psychology and an MBA, she is certified in trauma support, CBT, and therapeutic art. She supports individuals, couples, and families in their healing journeys, fostering resilience and emotional growth. Shahana is also a gifted artist who channels her creativity through oil and acrylic painting to support and raise funds for charitable initiatives.
Member at Large
Tabari Zahir, LCSW, CADC, is a clinician, educator, and advocate with nearly 20 years of experience in mental health and addiction treatment. As founder of Lamps of Light Project, he addresses addiction in Muslim communities with cultural sensitivity. Having witnessed addiction’s impact firsthand in street communities, his approach blends deep empathy, clinical expertise (MSW), and Islamic knowledge. He mentors incarcerated and inner-city populations, teaches at Islamic institutions, and serves as a UCLA chaplain. Based in Southern California, he bridges therapy, social justice, and spiritual growth.