In Memory
Dr. Cheryl El-Amin
Dr. El-Amin was married to Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin for 39 years and had three children. She retired from a 20-year career as a school social worker for Detroit Public Schools, with past experience as an inpatient psychiatric social worker, and in her later years provided clinical therapy and pre-marital and marital advisement on a part-time basis.
She received her undergraduate and social work degrees from the University of Michigan and earned her doctorate from Walden University, completing a dissertation titled “Personal and Professional Spirituality: Muslim Social Workers’ Perspectives.” A licensed social worker and clinical practitioner, Dr. El-Amin co-authored two book chapters with Dr. Aneesah Nadir on Muslim perspectives in counseling and social work, and supported several Islamic organizations — including Muslim Americans of North America and the Institute of Muslim Mental Health — through national conferences, representing ISSA-USA at the National Association of Social Workers, and other seminar presentations. She pursued special interests in marital counseling, pre-marital advisement, spirituality in social work practice, diversity, cultural attunement, mental health, and competence in African-centered and Islamic perspectives. She was a founding member of the League of Muslim Women, Inc., and served on the Board of Directors of ISSA-USA.
Dr. Maryam Funches
Dr. Funches, Ed.D., built a life defined by faith and community service. Born in rural Mississippi, she embraced Islam at age 22 while studying social work at Howard University, a decision that would shape the rest of her personal and professional life, and went on to become a pioneering social worker and community leader, devoting her career to serving underserved Muslim women and families in the Washington, D.C.–Baltimore area. She was one of the founders of Islamic Social Services Association (ISSA) back in 1999, and she was widely respected for her tireless advocacy on behalf of vulnerable women and children.
Dr. Funches passed away in 2007 (may Allah have mercy on her), but her legacy endures through her four children and nearly two dozen grandchildren, who carry forward her spirit of service to their communities.