Jonathan Brown is the Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He received his BA in History from Georgetown University in 2000 and his doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago in 2006. Dr. Brown has studied and conducted research in countries such as Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, South Africa, India, Indonesia and Iran. His book publications include The Canonization of al-Bukhari and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunni Hadith Canon (Brill, 2007); Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World (Oneworld, 2009; expanded edition 2017); Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2011), which was selected for the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Bridging Cultures Muslim Journeys Bookshelf; Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenges and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet’s Legacy (Oneworld, 2014), which was named one of the top books on religion in 2014 by the Independent; and Slavery and Islam (Oneworld, 2019). He has published articles in the fields of Hadith, Islamic law, Salafism, Sufism, Arabic lexical theory and Pre-Islamic poetry and is the editor in chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Law. Dr. Brown’s current research interests include Islamic legal reform and a translation of Sahih al-Bukhari. He is also the Director of Research at the Yaqeen Institute.

Ustadha Lobna Youssef Mulla is a motivational speaker and community educator. She is best known for her optimistic, positive and engaging style with audiences.  Lobna is the former National Tarbiya Director of the Muslim American Society, where she is still an active member. She has been working as a youth mentor for the past two decades in multiple capacities. Lobna has organized youth camps, led study circles, taught classes in her community, and lectured extensively, nationally and internationally.  Additionally, Lobna serves as an IOK Muslim Chaplain at UCLA.   In addition to being a mentor and orator, Lobna has written for myvirtualmosque.com and the MAS Blog. Lobna is a recent graduate of Chapman University with a Masters of Fine Arts in Screenwriting.  She is the creator of the YouTube channel, Double Shot Mocha Productions, where she strives to promote social awareness through humor. Lobna was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from California State University, Northridge in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting. She worked as an accountant for ten years until she began her career as a mother. Lobna moved to Egypt for three years with her husband, Shaikh Suhail Mulla, and her children and studied Arabic, Qur’anic Recitation and Islamic Sciences under Azhari scholars.  Lobna Mulla currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and four children

Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool is a former Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School for Foreign Service. He worked in the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, advancing an alternative paradigm to the inertia of Orthodoxies in the face of Extremisms. He is the founder of the World for All Foundation that endeavors to create a world of coexistence and that is safe for difference.Ambassador Rasool has recently completed a term of duty as South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States of America, an appointment that was the culmination of a distinguished record of Public Service in South Africa. Previously he served as a Member of Parliament in South Africa’s National Assembly, Special Advisor to the State President and has built up extensive experience in various Departments like Health, Welfare, Finance and Economic Development in the capacity of Provincial Minister.

Imam Siraj Wahhaj is Imam of the Masjid al-Taqwa in Brooklyn, a prolific lecturer, community activist, the leader of the Muslim Alliance in North America, former Vice President of ISNA, and current Vice President of the Islamic Leadership Council of New York. He first became famous for his successful efforts in fighting drugs and crime in his neighbourhood. In 1991, he became the first Muslim to recite the Opening Prayer of the Qur’an (Al-Fatiha) at the US House of Representatives. Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, proclaimed August 15, Siraj Wahhaj Day in honour of his “lifetime of outstanding and meaningful achievement.” Imam Siraj Wahhaj is a renowned speaker nationally and internationally, and a tireless supporter of Islamic causes.

Shaykh Suhaib William Webb is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service of NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He has a degree in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma, and in Islamic law from al-Azhar Universiy in Cairo. He was named as a “Faith Leader to Watch” by The Center for American Progress in 2016, selected by the Muslim Community as one of CNN’s 25 Most Influential Leaders;  as well as one of “Five Hundred of the Most Influential Muslims” by the Royal Islamic Studies Center in 2017.  He is also currently the resident scholar at the Islamic Center of New York University (ICNYU) and has his own online Islamic Institute, SWISS to teach the Islamic sciences.