The Peaceful Families Project (PFP) is an initiative devoted to ending domestic violence in Muslim families by facilitating awareness workshops for Muslim leaders and communities, providing cultural sensitivity trainings and technical assistance for professionals, conducting research, and developing resources. PFP was founded by Sharifa Alkhateeb (1946-2000) in the year 2000. As a pioneer of Muslim anti-domestic violence advocacy, Sharifa worked tirelessly on behalf of Muslim victims and collaborated with Muslim leaders, communities, and activists across the U.S. as she provided workshops to raise awareness levels.
In an effort to affect change in all areas impacting victims and survivors of domestic violence, our programming includes prevention and intervention in its approach to community education and development, training and technical assistance, and research. We encourage a holistic approach to addressing domestic violence among Muslim families and communities through collaboration with imams, community leaders, community members, social service professionals, activists, educators, legal providers, and youth leaders.
Our Staff and Board of Directors are visionary community leaders who are dedicated to the mission of ending domestic violence through prevention work. Through their talent and expertise, the Peaceful Families Project is able to execute its mission and vision to promote attitudes and beliefs that emphasize justice, freedom from oppression, and family harmony.
In an effort to affect change in all areas impacting victims and survivors of domestic violence, our programming includes prevention and intervention in its approach to community education and development, training and technical assistance, and research. We encourage a holistic approach to addressing domestic violence among Muslim families and communities through collaboration with imams, community leaders, community members, social service professionals, activists, educators, legal providers, and youth leaders.
Our Staff and Board of Directors are visionary community leaders who are dedicated to the mission of ending domestic violence through prevention work. Through their talent and expertise, the Peaceful Families Project is able to execute its mission and vision to promote attitudes and beliefs that emphasize justice, freedom from oppression, and family harmony.
Executive Team
Dr. Denise BerteExecutive Director
ed@peacefulfamilies.org |
Dr. Denise Ziya Berte is a licensed doctoral level clinical psychologist with over 25 years experience in forensic psychology and trauma (including domestic violence) and international issues related to mental health , war and refugees. Dr. Berte graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and from the State University of New York at Albany with a Masters and Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. She is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania, Delaware and the State of Palestine. Dr. Berte was previously the Director of the Liberty Center for Survivors of Torture and the Clinical Director of An Najah Child Institute in Nablus, Palestine as well as a visiting professor for over five years at the Medical faculty at An Najah National University of Palestine. Dr. Berte has worked in Latin America, West Africa, the Middle East and Asia. She speaks Spanish and English fluently and French and Arabic with moderate fluency. Dr. Berte had published over 17 articles in professional journals and three book chapters. Dr. Berte is an international trainer in the areas of Mental Health and Trauma presenting to community and professional audiences on a regular basis. Dr. Berte is currently practicing in the PA, NJ and DE areas. Dr. Berte is a practicing Muslim and strives to enrich and enhance Muslim communities whenever possible.
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Sarah JakaProgram Manager
sjaka@peacefulfamilies.org |
Sarah Jaka has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington. Her past experience has been in the Information Technology field however her most recent experience is in the non-profit environment. Sarah has been involved in non-profit work for over a decade and finds her passion there because of the dynamic nature of the work. She has been a volunteer in a variety of roles such as event coordinator, social committee chairperson, registration committee chairperson at organizations such as ADAMS & ISNA and most recently she was the Marketing Coordinator at FAITH Social Services. Sarah resides with her family in Northern Virginia.
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Hasnaa MokhtarSpecial Program Director
hmokhtar@peacefulfamilies.org |
Hasnaa Mokhtar is a writer, Fulbright alumna, and Ph.D. candidate at Clark University. After graduating in 2015 with a M.A. in International Development and Social Change, Hasnaa developed a passion for transdisciplinary approaches to addressing gender-based violence in Muslim communities. Her research, writings, and activism focus on amplifying the voices of Muslim women and tackling the injustices of gendered violence. Hasnaa is a storyteller at heart. In 2006, she worked as a journalist in Arab News, and later her articles appeared in several publications including Fortune, Yahoo, Bustle, and Muslim Girl. You can read her work at www.hasnaamokhtar.com. Previously, Hasnaa served as the executive director of the Center for Nonviolent Solutions in Worcester, MA. Hasnaa is passionate about life, personal growth, spirituality, and everything in between.
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Tahani ChaudhryResearch & Development
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Tahani Chaudhry is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at George Mason University. She is passionate about serving the mental health needs of the Muslim and South Asian communities. Her research focuses on trauma and resilience, particularly the role of religion in facilitating resilience for Muslim survivors of intimate partner violence. Beyond research, she is passionate about community work with marginalized communities, facilitating access to services, and promoting resilience. Tahani has volunteered with domestic violence organizations serving South Asians and Muslims, creating professional development workshops for residents at a local shelter. Tahani recently moved to Northern Virginia and is looking forward to becoming a part of the Muslim community in the area.
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Board of Directors
Lina HashemPresident
President@peacefulfamilies.org |
Lina Hashem is a native to Northern Virginia and has worked with several organizations over the years to help facilitate and organize opportunities for others to learn and support social and humanitarian causes through organizations such as the Muslim Students Association, Islamic Relief, Foundation for Appropriate and Immediate Temporary Help's (FAITH) ‘Herndon without Hunger’ program, and the ‘United Against Malaria’ campaign. She has worked with the Deen Intensive's Rihla program to organize academic and spiritual trips in the US, Spain, and Turkey where students studied and learned from scholars on various topics including the social sciences of Islam. Lina has over 10 years of experience in the IT industry as an IT consultant and has worked in the DC metro area for business and management consulting firms. Her experience was nationally recognized through the Women of Color STEM award. She served as VP of MSA National and chaired the advisory board which connected her to students across the US and Canada where she organized and promoted student leading programs in activism, leadership, spiritual guidance, and helped organize regional and national conferences. Her passion in connecting people and resources led her to form her own company, Lina Hashem PR. Her first client was Zarqa Nawaz, creator of the Canadian hit sitcom, ‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’. Through Lina Hashem PR, Lina has represented authors, social media personalities, and organized speaking tours and events.
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Saman QuraeshiSecretary
Secretary@peacefulfamilies.org |
Saman Quraeshi is the Program Director at Ikram Foundation. She received her Bachelors at the University of North Florida in Communications, and is currently pursuing her masters in Social Work and Conflict Analysis. Saman is interested in gender based violence and healthy relationships. She has been working in the non-profit sector for over 10 years and feels passionately about the empowerment of Muslim women. She worked for the national civil rights organization, CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations), as the Community Relations Director, and was also the youngest board member for the Jacksonville chapter of The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ).
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Noorin KhanTreasurer
treasurer@peacefulfamilies.org |
Noorin Khan is an Assistant Director of Global Brand Marketing for a large consulting firm carrying out digital strategies across diverse business cultures. A “boomerang” to the DC area after 8yrs, Noorin is enthusiastic to be reunited with her roots in service to her native community and beyond. She brings over 13 years of experience in Business Consulting, Program Management, Marketing and Strategic Planning. Noorin was awarded a service coin by the U.S. Navy Nurse Corp for her role in leading programs and initiatives for military professionals with PTSD. She brought Program and Financial Management guidance to these programs whose success further implemented similar programs for other military branches that continue to thrive today. Outside of work, she serves as a formal mentor for UStrive, a Strive for College program dedicated to alleviating inequity in access to higher education and is a life skills workshop leader for the Junior Achievement Program. Noorin has a passion for bringing people together to share their unique perspectives in exploring solutions for complex community issues. Her articles on misconceptions of Islam and modern-day Muslims in America are published in the “Arts of the Islamic World” by The Smithsonian Freer and Sackler Galleries. Noorin is committed to every effort she takes on, starting with raising her three beautiful children with her loving husband in the community that helped spark her passions.
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Sana AhmedBoard Member
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Sana Ahmed, LCSW is the Director of Therapy and Rehabilitation Services at Stanford Children’s Hospital’s Immune Behavioral Health Clinic. Sana is the primary psychotherapist for all clinic patients at the first established PANS clinic in the country. She received a B.S. in Media, Culture, and Communications from NYU and a Masters' degree in Social Work from Columbia University. She has previously provided therapy to women with disabilities at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, worked with at-risk children in a public middle school in the Bronx, and conducted group therapy for adolescents and adults in a psychiatric hospital's intensive outpatient program (IOP). She has worked with children, young adults, and families over a broad spectrum of issues including domestic abuse, depression, anxiety, OCD, addiction, adjustment to illness, and eating restriction. Sana practices CBT and ERP and pulls techniques from a variety of other therapies. One of the main motivating factors that inspired Sana to become a psychotherapist was to help lift the stigma around help-seeking behaviors for mental health and domestic abuse related issues within the Muslim community.
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Advisory Board
Salma AbugideiriAdvisory Board Member
& Director of Training salma@peacefulfamilies.org |
Salma Elkadi Abugideiri is a founding board member of PFP, currently serving on the Advisory Board and as the primary trainer for PFP programs. She provides workshops and training for community leaders, imams, faith communities, domestic violence service providers and mental health professionals on Healthy Relationship Dynamics, Muslim Mental Health and Domestic Violence Prevention. She has presented at national and international conferences on these topics. Among her numerous publications in the fields of domestic violence and mental health, she authored the facilitator guide for the training program Garments for One Another: Ending Domestic Violence in Muslim Families, and the chapter entitled Domestic Violence in Counseling Muslims: Handbook of Mental Health Issues & Interventions. She has co-authored What Islam Says About Domestic Violence: A Guide for Helping Muslim Families, and Before You Tie the Knot: A Guide for Couples. Salma is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice, specializing in couples counseling and the treatment of trauma. Her passions include the prevention of relationship and mental health issues, and integrating spirituality into prevention and treatment approaches.
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Imam
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Imam Magid is the Executive Imam of All Dulles Area Muslim Society. He is also the Chairman of International Interfaith Peace Corp. and the co-President of Religions for Peace. Imam Magid has a long history of commitment to public service, training religious leaders on the issues of violence against women, leading initiatives to protect religious minorities in Muslim majority countries, and working with other faith leaders to promote peace and tolerance all over the world. Imam Magid also served as the Former President of ISNA
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Mona MalikAdvisory Board Member
mona@peacefulfamilies.org |
Mona Malik served as the President of Peaceful Families Project (PFP) from 2010-2017. As a social worker with over 15 years of experience, she has worked with abused children, recent immigrants, youth and victims of domestic violence. She is a Founding Member of Muslim Mothers Against Violence (MMAV). MMAV educates communities about bullying and teaches nonviolent conflict resolution skills to Muslim teenagers. Ms. Malik serves on the Virginia State Board of Social Services. She serves as a Commissioner for the County Office of Human Rights in Fairfax County, VA. She serves as a Board Member for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Museum in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Ms. Malik serves as a Board member for the Duke Islamic Studies Center. Ms. Malik received her M.A. and B.A. degrees in Social Work from the University of Cincinnati. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and three children.
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Irfana AnwerAdvisory Board Member
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Irfana Anwer was recently the Pakistan Program Associate at Inclusive Security, where she increased the capacity of women leaders to enhance peace and security so that they can take an active part in countering violent extremism in their country. Previously, Irfana was Director of the Language Access program at Ayuda, a legal services organization in Washington, DC. She also represented women in matters of humanitarian-based immigration law. Prior to her position at Ayuda, Irfana was Director of the Family Law Division, at Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, an international human rights organization in Washington, DC. Irfana has worked for over 10 years on issues of interfaith dialogue, violence and gender in Muslim communities.
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Altaf HusainAdvisory Board Member
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Altaf Husain is a native of Cleveland, Ohio , and a double alumnus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland , Ohio , having earned his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and his M.S. in Social Work. He received his Ph.D. in Social Work from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Husain's research interests include the mental health and integration of immigrant and refugee families, and especially Muslim adolescents, in the United States. He serves as Vice President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and an advisory board member of the Peaceful Families Project - dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence. His past service to the community includes serving as a two-term national president of the Muslim Students Association (MSA National), an executive committee member of the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), a board member of the Peaceful Families Project and board member then Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). Dr. Husain and his family live in Northern Virginia.
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Lubabah AbdullahAdvisory Board Member
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Lubabah Abdullah serves as the Executive Director of CAIR-Houston. Prior to joining Cair-Houston, Lubabah was a practicing attorney in St. Louis, Missouri, where she has served many families in the areas of Islamic estate planning, family based immigration and family law for the past 10 years. Before starting her own firm, her journey began with Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, where she counseled women on the interplay between Islamic law and civil law, especially in matters pertaining to family law. Later, she served as the Executive Director of the Muslim Alliance of Indiana (MAI), where she spent most of her time developing and overseeing 4 legal programs including a modest means legal clinic, a refugee legal assistance program, a protection order project and immigration services for victims of domestic violence through one of the only Family Justice Center's in the US. She organized trainings and served as a speaker on domestic violence, immigration law, Islam and Muslims. Today, she also serves on the boards of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and her Islamic school in St. Louis.
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