Director, Religion/Arabic Department Head, Religion/Advanced Arabic Teacher
Br. Sofiane Hafiani, B.S.
Director, Religion/Arabic Department Head, Religion/Advanced Arabic Teacher
Br. Sofiane is the school Director; his primary task is to shape the school’s mission and vision. He holds a degree in Exact Sciences (Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry), and also graduated from the University of Southern NH in Computer Information Systems. His graduate studies were in education with a focus on Islamic schools and Islamic Sciences.
Br. Sofiane has been teaching for over two decades, and took special interest in Muslim youth. He has experience as a religious director, teacher and Imam in different Islamic centers and educational institutions in the New England area. He still serves as an advisor for Islamic schools and institutions in the Boston area. This will be his eleventh year at ANA.
Br. Sofiane can be reached at
Br. Hamzah Henshaw, A.B., M.A.T
Dean of Students; Humanities Department Head; High School English Literature & Language Arts Teacher
Br. Hamzah joined ANA in the summer of 2013. Born and raised in Greater Boston, Hamzah accepted Islam in 1994 while attending a suburban boarding school. He is a 2001 graduate of Harvard College, where he studied Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and served as the editor of the Let’s Go ItalyLet’s Go Middle East travel guides. In 2005, he completed the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) program at the American University in Cairo. In 2010, he received his Master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont.
After starting his career in the field of Islamic Banking in New York and Cape Town, South Africa, Hamzah transitioned to education in the spring of 2003. He has taught at the Islamic Academy of New England in Sharon, Wesgreen International School in Sharjah, UAE, and the American Language Center in Rabat. From 2006-2013, Hamzah worked at Fay School in Southborough, the country’s oldest junior boarding school. At Fay, Hamzah served as the Director of the International Summer School, taught ESL, English, and History to grades 6-9, coached tennis, and served as a dorm parent. This year will be his second year at Al-Noor Academy
Br. Hamzah can be reached at
Sr. FatmaAbdelwahab, B.L.L., Administrative Sciences Certification;
Director’s Assistant
Sr. Fatma Mohamed Abdelwahab is a graduate of the Law School at Ain-Shamess University in Cairo, Egypt. She also has a diploma in Medical and Legal Secretarial Sciences from the Medical and Legal Secretarial Sciences School in RI. She has been with the Islamic Academy for 17 years, including seven years in Al-Noor Academy as well. Sr. Fatma first worked as the school secretary and Social Studies teacher. Now she works as both school’s Registrar and as the Director’s Assistant.
She can be reached at
Br. Richard A. Booth, B.A.
Senior Administration Assistant
A certified English teacher in his fourth year at Al-Noor, Mr. Booth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Rhode Island, and did graduate study at Framingham State College for his teaching degree. Before transitioning to education, he spent 25 years in newspaper and magazine journalism, where he acquired strong writing and editing skills, as well as photography. He advises our award-winning newspaper, “The Lighthouse,” and this year moves from a teaching role into the administration, where he will perform writing, editing, photography, public relations, marketing and outreach to the community at large. He can be reached at
Sr. Siham Yagoubi, B.S., M.S.
Lead Teacher, Mathematics Teacher
Sr. Siham is the head of the Mathematics and Science Department, and is a member of the ANA Executive Committee. This will be her eleventh year at ANA, teaching math for grades 6 through 10. She also worked as a facilitator for online classes at Boston University. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Boston University, specializing in software engineering. She also completed a graduate certificate program in Bioinformatics at the University of Illinois.
She can be reached at
Sr. Nida Fareed,B.S., M.S.
Science Teacher
Sr. Nida holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electronics Engineering from NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi. Pakistan, and completed her Masters (ME) in Electronics with a major in Micro System Design.
Sr. Nida taught engineering courses from 2005 until 2009 to college sophomores and juniors, and was responsible for conducting freshman Basic Electronic Labs in nine different engineering disciplines.
She can be reached at
Sr. Debra Cherkaoui, B.A., M.Ed.
Middle School English Literature & Language Arts and Spanish Teacher
Sr. Debra earned her Bachelor’ degree in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and holds a Master’s degree in Education, with a concentration in bilingualism from Northeastern University in Boston. She has worked in Massachusetts public school districts for twenty years as a teacher of English, Spanish and French. In addition to teaching in Massachusetts, she taught English in the Caribbean and completed two years of her undergraduate degree at the Universidad Interamericana in San German, Puerto Rico. She holds two Massachusetts teacher certifications, including English Language Learners (grades 5-12) as well as Spanish as a Foreign Language (grades 5-12).
Sr. Debra has had a lifelong interest in international travel and language learning. She is a strong believer in the numerous benefits of bilingualism and foreign language learning, including improved cognitive skills and increased intercultural awareness leading to a heightened appreciation for our common humanity.
Br. Mouad Bouazizi, B.A.
Intermediate Quran, Intermediate Arabic
Br. Mouad is a graduate of the University of Hassan II, Morocco with a Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies. Additionally, he had spent about ten years of classical learning of ‘Ilm Al- Qira’aat from famous scholars in the country.
Currently, he has been involved in Boston Languages Institute. Prior to that, and for the last eight years, he was teaching in different schools in the Boston area. His main focus is Qur’an memorization and recitation perfection. This will be his fourth year at Al-Noor Academy.
He can be reached at
Sheikh AbdelmeneimMukassabi, M.S.
Computer Teacher
Sheikh Abdelmeneim teaches computer science at Al-Noor Academy, utilizing skills he acquired when completing his Master’s degree in Telecommunications at Northeastern University. While he holds an undergraduate degree from his native Libya in electrical and electronic engineering, he is also an expert in Arabic and Holy Qur’an, holding numerous licensures in Quranic recitation and exegesis from the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in Libya. The Arabic and religious training he received in Libya is, in the view of many learned others, equivalent or superior to a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies at a university like Al-Azhar. Sheikh Abdelmeneim also employs his twin expertise in computer science and Arabic/Quran to develop cutting edge software for teaching Arabic and Quranic recitation at Al-Noor Academy.
He is widely known not only in Eastern Massachusetts but throughout the United States, for his Quranic knowledge, tajweed (the ability to precisely recite, and teach recitation of, Islam’s Divine text) and tafseer (the ability to explain the meanings of the Quran). He is also a scholar in Islamic law.
Dr. Ahmed Bouabdellah, Ph.D.
Social Sciences
Br. Ahmed graduated from University of Laval, Canada (Ph.D. in Geography). He has more than 20 years of experience in the field of education. He taught geography, anthropology, research methods and planning courses as a full-time and part-time faculty at different U.S. colleges and universities.
Br. Ahmed is also fluent in Arabic and French. He is a lecturer of Arabic and French at the Community College of Rhode Island and teaches anthropology courses at Rhode Island College. This is his second year at Al-Noor Academy.
Br. Ahmed can be reached at
Dr. CuneytEroglu, Phd, Assistant Professor at NEU
College Preparatory
Professor CuneytEroglu was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. After getting his undergraduate degree in Turkey, he got a master’s degree in operations research from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in logistics from the Ohio State University. Currently, he is teaching supply chain management at Northeastern University. His major role at ANA is to inform and motivate the students of al-Noor Academy about higher education opportunities.
He can be reached at
RedaAhlouche, BS, SCS, CMT, NC. National Endurance & Sports TrainersAcademy.
Boys’ Physical Education/Health Teacher
Br. Reda maintains that exercise is a major investment in the quality of life, and that creating a plan conducive to lifestyle is practical for everyone. He has experience working with people from all ages and fitness levels, as well as many well-known professional athletes such as the New England Patriots and PGA golfers. Reda has played a major role in getting pro athletes reaching their peak performance and to excel in a tough environment.
As a nutritional coach to professional athletes, he designed well balanced eating plans to maximize power output and hit the next level. He has a passion to motivate and inspire others to achieve their goals and guide them along in the process. He also believes that anyone can achieve their fitness goals with the proper motivation and education. Reda is committed to helping people reach and exceed their fitness goals while still having fun.
He can be reached at
HalaHerbali
Girls’ Physical Education/Health Teacher
HalaHerbali is our fitness instructor for the middle and high school girls here at Al-Noor Academy. She is an Al-Noor Academy alumna, and was valedictorian of her graduating class. She particularly knows how to exactly connect with the students due to her personal academic experience here at the Academy.
Hala became interested in fitness and became active in the professional field while she was still a student at ANA. Now, she is currently a student at the University of Massachusetts Boston, double-majoring in Bio-medicine and Nutrition and triple-minoring in Psychology, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
Hala is passionate about what she does and she plans to do all that she can, now and all the way into the future insha’Allah, to give back to our community and continue helping our youth blossom into the best they can be. This will be her second year training our aspiring academic athletes.
She can be reached at
Hajj Wafaa, Master Calligrapher
Art Teacher
Hajj Wafaa is a master in both Islamic arts and Arabic calligraphy. He started his first session of teaching Arabic calligraphy in Boston area in 2008, and teaches it to this day. He entered a world competition in traditional Arabic calligraphy in Turkey in 1995 and 2005.
A 2008 graduate of the Gibbs School at Boston College, he holds a degree in Computer Science, Visual Communication Graphics, and Web Design. Currently, he is a freelance World Wide Web site designer, and creates such work as logos, brochures, signs and pamphlets. He has done workshops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as many U.S. locations.
Brother Hajj is well-skilled in a broad array of design software, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and DreamWeaver.
He can be reached at