2011-2012 Consultative Board Members
Yusuf Muwwakkil, Board Chair
Rahmah A. Abdulaleem School & Community Affairs
Ms. Abdulaleem is the daughter of Imam Muhammad Abdulaleem and Sister Bayyinah Abdulaleem of Philadelphia. She was raised in the Imam W.D. Mohammed community in Philadelphia where she was active in the community. Ms. Abdulaleem graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in Religion and Sociology and a certificate in Markets and Management Studies in 1997.
After college, she attended The University of Michigan Law School where she earned her law degree in 1999. Ms. Abdulaleem became a member of the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam in 2000 when she moved to Atlanta to begin her legal career. Presently, Ms. Abdulaleem is a senior associate at a major law firm located in midtown Atlanta. She concentrates her practice in representing foreign and domestic companies in complex product liability and toxic tort actions. In 2009, Ms. Abdulaleem received the Abdul Jalil Sadaqah Award from the Mohammed Schools of Atlanta for her support of the Mohammed Schools.
Fatima El-Amin, Esq., Personnel
Fatima is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and one of the pioneering students of the Mohammed Schools of Atlanta. In 1993, Ms. El-Amin graduated Valedictorian of W. D. Mohammed High School’s second graduating class and went on to complete her collegiate studies at Harvard University where she graduated cum laude with a dual B.A. degree in Psychology and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. While at Harvard, Ms. El-Amin’s Senior Honors thesis entitled, “The Hijab: Investigating the Relationship between Traditional Islamic Dress and Self-Esteem among African-American Muslim Women,” received Magna Cum Laude distinction.
Ms. El-Amin is also a graduate of Emory University Law School where she was awarded the Dean’s Public Service Award in 2000. Following graduation, Ms. El-Amin served as an Assistant District Attorney in Dekalb County for four years. She subsequently practiced real estate law with a small firm in East Point, Georgia. Currently, Ms. El-Amin is a Senior Child Advocate Attorney in Dekalb County and is responsible for managing a staff of lawyers, investigators, and paralegals in an effort to protect the legal interests of abused and neglected children. Ms. El-Amin is active in several non-profit and volunteer organizations, including the Mohammed Schools I.P.T.S.C.A., of which she is President. Most noteworthy, however, is the fact that Ms. El-Amin is a dedicated mother to her delightful son Sultan who (like his mom) is a proud student of the Mohammed Schools of Atlanta.
Shahidah Sharif, Public Relations & Marketing
Shahidah has an extensive background in Islamic education and community service from a young age working with organizations such as Muslim Youth of North America, Clara Mohammed School of South Florida and Oakland, CA, and the Islamic Society of the University of Miami, and United Youth Leadership Forum of the Bay Area, where she organized and coordinated many events to serve the Muslim and non-Muslim community.
She studied for three years at the Abu Nour University in Damascus through the Mosque Cares Study Abroad Program with a focus on the Arabic language and the Islamic Sciences. She currently serves as secretary on the Board of Sisters United in Human Service, Inc, as the Program Director of the Faith Institute of the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, and is co-founder and COO of Professional Hajj and Umrah Guides, LLC organizing delegations annually with her husband for the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Makkah, Saudi Arabia. She currently resides in the East Atlanta neighborhood with her family.
Lorenzo Beyah, Plants & Facilities
Lorenzo Beyah has been a committed worker of the Muslim community for nearly four decades. In addition to living in Chicago, IL and worshiping for 10 years at the Masjid lead by Imam W.D. Mohammed, he has been a hard worker for the Atlanta Masjid and Mohammed Schools for even more years. His commitment to the Mohammed Schools began when he was a young teen and his mother sent him to attend the then-University of Islam (predecessor to Clara Mohammed Schools). Lorenzo Beyah is the owner of Beyah construction. He is a skilled contractor that has built several homes around the United States. Over the years, he has worked to help with renovation and building projects at and around the Mohammed Schools and the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam. Additionally, he has trained and taught many local contractors. Born to Jimmie Neil Edwards and Lorenzo Oliver Sr.(deceased) in neighboring streets of Pittsburgh located in Atlanta, Georgia, Lorenzo Beyah is the father of eleven children, of which six graduated from the Mohammed Schools. Two of his son-in-laws are also alumni of the Mohammed Schools. He has eleven grandchildren, seven that are currently attending Mohammed Schools. Lorenzo Beyah and wife Pam live in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a hardworking Muslim, father, son, brother, uncle, grandfather and friend.
Yusef Ali, Budget & Finance
Dr. Yahya Bello, Vice Chair & Curriculum
Dr. Yahaya Bello has been an educator for over 40 years. He began his teaching career in 1968 at the University of Islam Number 7 in New York City. During his career, he has worked as a teacher and school administrator in the United States, Africa and the Caribbean. In 2006, he retired from his position as Deputy Superintendent of Schools for the St. Thomas/St. John School District in the U.S. Virgin Islands.