The Team

Shaykh Atef joined the Rahma Center in 2022 as the Religious Director after serving as the Religious Director of two American Muslim communities for 14 years. He spent his entire education in the Al-Azhar school system, from middle school to Al-Azhar University, where he received his bachelors degree in Islamic Studies. Shaykh Atef was blessed to study both traditionally and academically with some of the most well-known Islamic scholars of Al-Azhar. He holds ijazahs (certifications) in a range of traditional sciences and books. Shaykh Atef has been featured in various news media and has been invited to speak about Islam at institutions throughout the United States and abroad. He is an avid runner and enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife Elena and daughter Waseela.

Dr. Hassan Elwan holds a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the Ohio State University and a Master's degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. He holds numerous patents and has extensively published in the field of microelectronics. He regularly lectures about Islam and spirituality in Southern California and provides professional counseling services to the community that is grounded in both psychology and spirituality.

Mohy has over 30 yrs of Wireless Semiconductor experience in Engineering, Marketing, Business Development and General Management roles. He has been living in Orange County along with his wife and four children for the last 27 years. Mohy served as a board member or founder of multiple local Islamic Organizations like OCIF, ICOI and Sabil. He has been a frequent speaker/Khateeb in many local Islamic Centers over the last 25 yrs. Mohy enjoys spending time with his three grandchildren and reading.

Blessed to have been guided to Islam in her search for the truth, Michelle has dedicated herself to learning and living Islam. She could never repay all the acceptance and guidance she received from the Muslim community but has been attempting to pay it forward by serving in various volunteer/leadership roles. After establishing a support group to help other reverts through their journey, she served as CFO and then President during her several years on the Board of Directors at her local masjid. In her personal time, she enjoys watching Turkish history series, and dreams of homesteading.

Sadaf has been a part of the California Muslim community for almost 25 years. She has always remained an active member in the religious community, be it through mosques, community aid organizations, or individual volunteering. She has been involved in local and large-scale community education projects and on-the-ground civic engagement campaigns through local, state- and national-level elected officials and non-profit organizations. Sadaf has a great love of learning that has always drawn her to diverse communities with the intention of building engagement and bonding. Sadaf enjoys learning languages, ancient history, herbal medicine, and loves anime.

Samer oversees the development side and permitting of the facilities. Prior to that Samer worked for companies in the manufacturing, construction and real estate sectors in several countries. He is an electrical engineer with an MBA. During his free time, he enjoys reading and sometimes translates books from Arabic to English.