Ustadha Samah Atef is a graduate of Al-Azhar University. From a young age, she memorized the whole Quran and enjoyed studying fiqh, ‘aqidah, sirah, hadith, and tafsir. Since 2017, she has dedicated herself to teaching Arabic and Islamic studies to non-Arabs. She loves to share her passion for the Arabic language and heritage and works hard to provide students a safe and encouraging learning environment. In 2020, she was awarded a Fulbright grant and taught Arabic Language and Culture to the faculty and staff at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, USA, as a professional development program. While there, she worked to correct some misconceptions about Muslims. Towards this aim, she organized and presented cultural events and round-table series where she presented controversial topics such as women in Islam, Jihad, and terrorism. In addition, she was an active member of the Muslim community there and taught children at the Islamic school at Al-Iman Mosque in Iowa City. She now resides in Egypt and plans to pursue a master’s degree in language teaching and pedagogy.
