The Unity Academy Initiative

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Having attended a primary Montessori school herself, Saba Haider has been steeped in Montessori philosophy from an early age. Before joining Unity Academy of Chicago in 2021, she worked for 27 years at an accredited Montessori institution, first as an assistant teacher for one year, then as the lead primary teacher for five years, and finally as an elementary teacher for 21 years, with the added responsibility of coordinating the elementary program for six years. She brings profound experience in partnering with parents to guide their children's social, emotional, and educational needs and development.

Saba has conducted parent seminars and workshops detailing Montessori philosophy and its associated topics, such as Cosmic Education and Freedom and Discipline. In addition, Saba has also served on the American Montessori Society's accreditation team.

Despite her years of experience, she believes that learning is an exercise necessary for one’s mind and professional growth regardless of age. For this reason, she strives to expand her Montessori knowledge by attending conferences, staying up to date on the latest research, accumulating continued education credit hours, and being a receptive team member.

She feels most rewarded when a child’s eyes light up after understanding a concept through the use of Montessori materials.

Saba has three children and is a grandmother. She enjoys reading, gardening, home decor, and traveling.

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Growing up in a house full of younger cousins and nieces and nephews, Anjum Chevalwalla has always had a special love for children. While she worked professionally as a content writer,  she spent her free time volunteering with a local non-profit, enabling underprivileged students to improve their English language reading and writing skills.

She was introduced to the Montessori method just before the birth of her daughter and the idea of raising children in an environment full of love, respect, and nurturing opportunities to help them reach their full potential at every stage of development resonated with her deeply.

It brings her great joy to see kids learn new skills, discover the world around them, and grow into the best versions of themselves, at their own pace.

Anjum enjoys reading, photography, nature walks, cycling, and traveling. She has a two year old daughter, who does not approve of her mother having any other interests besides her.

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Heidi Aronson brings with her a great deal of experience in customer service, computing, and task management. While earning her bachelor’s degree, she worked as a cashier for 4 years where she served her customers with efficiency and a smile. Heidi is a positive, humble, and dedicated team member with a passion for Islam and family bonding. She is on a mission to serve the community, advance in her study of Islam, and share the pure joy and love of Allah (swt).

Among her many duties at Unity Academy, she serves as the chairperson of the Sunshine Committee. This role embodies her joyful spirit and love of bringing hearts together.

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As a former member of The International English Honor Society Sigma Tau Delta, Fatima Abbas developed a passion for literature and a commitment to educational excellence. Licensed as a Secondary Level English Educator and Certified as a Learning Behavior Specialist, she remains dedicated to fostering a love for language and learning. Fatima served as a middle and high school English teacher at a local Islamic school, designing engaging curricula and providing in-depth instruction in literature. She also excelled as the school’s spelling bee coordinator, showcasing organizational skills. Beyond the formal classroom setting, Fatima extended her educational impact to Baitul Ilm's Sunday School, where she served as a dedicated teacher. At Unity Academy of Chicago, she is grateful for the opportunity to enrich educational experiences for students and serve as an inspiration for a lifelong love of knowledge.

Fatima is a proud crocheter. She enjoys playing sports and spending quality time in nature with her husband and three children.

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Noor Fakhari spent her early years in education working with children in Chicago public schools to help them reach their full potential. After completing her education degree, she moved to Qom, Iran where she completed her Islamic studies degree in the seminary of Jamiatul Zahra. Throughout this time, she led and facilitated Quran discussions. She has been an active community member as a Sunday school teacher.

Noor is the mother of two boys. She enjoys art, nature, and spending time with family.

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Saba Mohamed has over five years of experience teaching Arabic and Quran at several Sunday Schools in the Chicagoland area. She has worked as a Kindergarten substitute teacher in public schools. In addition to English, Saba is a native speaker of Arabic and Farsi.

Saba is a mother of two boys. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

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Maira Sarwar has over 7 years of experience teaching Quran and Islamic History to primary aged students at Sunday School. She is currently teaching Quranic Tajweed to elementary aged students at Baitul Ilms’s Quran Academy. She also spent 6 years leading the Ladies and Girls’ Programs Committee at Baitul Ilm and has organized several educational events for the community on religious and contemporary subjects with local and guest speakers.

Maira has three children. She loves to write short stories for her students based on relevant Islamic and ethical themes. She appreciates nature, enjoys traveling with her family and likes shopping.

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Zainab Saad has had a love and passion for Montessori philosophy since the birth of her first child. She enjoys seeing children develop their unique personalities and gain valuable skills that will carry over into their future. She is grateful to be part of a beautiful God-centric environment at Unity Academy.

Zainab is the mother of two children. She enjoys healthy cooking and baking, archery, being by the water and spending quality time with family. Her fondest childhood memory was traveling to Lebanon and spending time with maternal grandparents in their banana and lemon fields.

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Sahar Lakhani had been part of the school community as a parent for two years before joining as an intern Elementary teacher. Sahar had homeschooled her children using the Montessori philosophy throughout the primary and lower elementary years. Prior to moving to the Chicagoland area, she was an active community member, Sunday School teacher and administrator in her previous communities and had also taken training to teach the Tarbiyah Islamic curriculum. She is grateful to be a part of the journey with this Islamic community that promotes the love of learning.

Sahar is a mother of two boys who also attend Montessori schools. She likes to spend time with her family making memories, going on nature walks, traveling, reading and doing yoga.

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Romana Arastu started her career at an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. She taught visual arts for seven years, including two years as a team leader. Apart from teaching, she was responsible for visual design in school events and exhibitions. Her greatest joy is in seeing children express themselves with beauty, confidence and creativity.

She subsequently started teaching art privately at a home studio. In her ‘Art R∞m’, she engaged several neighborhood children during the Covid pandemic.

Romana enjoys cooking, baking and entertaining. She has an interest in gardening and travel. She has two children who love to paint and cook with her.

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Kausar Girniwala has about 10 years of experience teaching primary school students. She has been actively involved in the Baitul Ilm community as a Sunday School teacher for Fiqh, Akhlaq and Quran. Currently she is the lead teacher for the Mom & Tots class. She has also been a part of Baitul Ilm’s Muharram workshops, Ramadan camps, Super Sabireen program, V Time and Quran Academy. She has helped organize and assist the “BUILD My Skills” program geared towards the youth. She has a passion for teaching  and nuturing young minds in an Islamic environment.

Kausar is the mother of two children. In her spare time, she enjoys playing board games with her family, crocheting, cardmaking and traveling.

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Hasna Moukalled has over ten years of experience teaching Arabic and Quranic tajweed to primary school students. She believes each student is unique and should be given special attention to build their confidence and character. Hasna has been actively involved in the Baitul Ilm community as a Sunday School teacher where she helped develop the Arabic curriculum.

Hasna is a mother of four children. In her free time, she enjoys reading, nature photography, gardening, and home décor.

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Before joining Unity Academy of Chicago, Shaheen Qaisar taught primary aged children at an accredited institution for 13 years. She helped children of different ages hone their Math and Language skills at a Kumon after-school program. In addition, she gained nine years of international teaching experience from Pakistan Air Force School, Islamabad.

Her greatest joy in teaching comes from helping students learn how to learn, thus creating lifelong learners.

Shaheen enjoys cooking and eating from a variety of cuisines, reading books, tending to her garden and traveling. She can speak several languages: English, Urdu, Farsi, and a little French. She has a daughter and recently became a grandmother.

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Sajjad Zaidi has been an active member of the Baitul Ilm community since 2006 and has 16 years of experience in Engineering, Business, and Project Management. Br. Sajjad has also been serving as vice principal of Baitul Ilm Sunday School for the past several years.

He and his wife have three children, ages 13, 9 and 2. In his spare time, he enjoys playing cricket, table tennis and traveling with his family.

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Sister Mariam Fadel has been an educator for the last 22 years in Saudi Arabia, Namibia, Lebanon, and the United States. Her experience ranges from elementary through middle school. Currently, she is a middle school science and math teacher at Elgin Academy. Mariam organizes many enriching programs for her students in order to broaden their minds in a safe environment. Her community-building initiative continues to be one of her many passions. Another one is cooking gourmet international dinners to share with her friends and family.

Mariam and her husband, Ihab Nasser, have two sons Ali (23) and Adel (19).

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Heena Musabji has been a part of the Baitul Ilm community from the very beginning serving as a volunteer, Sunday school teacher, and board member. Heena has over 15 years of experience as an attorney working in the areas of international human rights, civil rights, immigration and public interest law. She is the co-founder and Director of Development of the Pro Bono Network, a legal aid non-profit that provides civil legal assistance to those in dire need.

Heena is currently on the board of the school District 181 Foundation, and previously served on the board at West Suburban Montessori School. Her children spent over 10 years in the Montessori school environment, and her family is a firm believer in its philosophy. She and her family enjoy cooking, traveling, and spending time outdoors together.

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Minhaj Arastu is a History teacher by training with 28 years of experience in classroom and leadership roles, in the US and in India. In his previous role, Minhaj helped found Focus High School, a group of schools in Hyderabad that aims to provide International Baccalaureate (IB) and Montessori education that is accessible to children of all backgrounds.

Minhaj has served as a member of the IB Educator Network as School Visiting Team Leader and Consultant. In this capacity, he guided schools to meet authorization standards of the International Baccalaureate.

Inspired by the aphorism, ‘wisdom begins in wonder’, Minhaj has focused his teaching career on curiosity and motivation in children. He finds that Maria Montessori’s approach opens up children’s hearts and minds to independent learning.

Minhaj has two children. He enjoys woodwork, running, and reading.

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Jawad Hussain has over 15 years of experience in financial services and analysis with a focus on credit analysis. He has been part of the Baitul Ilm community since its inception, taught at Baitulilm's weekend Islamic school since 2002 and is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Baitul Ilm Academy.

He and his wife have four children and in his spare time enjoys tennis, reading and community building.

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Sister Saba Haider has worked for 27 years at Montessori Academy of North Hoffman as an assistant teacher for 1 year, lead primary teacher for 5 years, elementary directress for 21 years, along with coordinating the elementary program for six years.

She has conducted parent seminars, served on the steering committee for the school's self-study, organized school events, and served on the American Montessori Society's accreditation team. The Montessori Philosophy has been instilled in her as a child attending Montessori early education and has been a part of who she is ever since. She has been a partner with parents in guiding their children's social, emotional, and educational needs and development.

She has three children and soon-to-be grandmother insha Allah. She enjoys reading, gardening, home decor, and traveling.

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Hasnain Jiwani has over 12 years of experience in M&A consulting and corporate finance. He has been part of the Chicagoland Muslim community for the last several years and has taught at various weekend Islamic schools.

He and his wife have two daughters and in his spare time enjoys cricket, hiking and reading.

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Jaffer Syed has over 25 years of experience in engineering, business and operations management, and has worked in various industries. He has been part of the Baitul Ilm community since 2001 and has taught in its Sunday school in its formative years. He also owned and was lead instructor at a Kumon center.

Br Jaffer and his wife, who is a preschool teacher, have three daughters. He enjoys working on volunteer projects together with his family, playing a variety of sports and travelling.

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Abbas Kanji has over 20 years of experience in investment advisory and direct investments with a focus on real estate investments. He has been part of the Baitul ilm community since its inception and has taught in various weekend Islamic schools across the United States for the past 20 years.

He and his wife have two children and in his spare time enjoys skiing, tennis and travelling.

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Hujjatul Islam Maulana Faezi is a senior theologian and patron of the Unity Academy of Chicago.
Maulana Faezi was the President of the Islamic Theological Seminary of North America at Medina, NY from 1988 to 1998 . Many of his students are now renowned scholars.
He moved to the Chicago area in 1998 with a dream to establish a model Islamic community.
He has organized a knowledge-based community by the name of Baitul Ilm, with the aim of building a seminary, school, and many other institutions to serve the multiple needs of our growing community.
Maulana Faezi is best known for his exemplary discipline, and dynamic and visionary leadership. Maulana Faezi enjoys serving his local community and mentoring young scholars around the world.

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Saiyeda Hussain joined Unity Academy of Chicago in 2021. Throughout the last decade, she has taken an active role in the education of her own and the community’s children as a homeschooler and Sunday School teacher. She helped organize and assisted in many Baitul Ilm-sponsored events, such as Muharram workshops, Ramadan camps, Sunday School science fairs, and mother-daughter programs. At Unity Academy, Saiyeda is grateful to be part of a compassionate, belief-centric environment that values a strong work ethic and promotes a joy for learning.

Saiyeda is the mother of four children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, baking, nature, and logic puzzles.

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Zainab Albaghdadi joined Unity Academy of Chicago in 2021 with over fourteen years of teaching experience. She was an active member of an Islamic homeschool group in the Chicago area in which she taught classes in various subjects and grades for over seven years. Zainab also taught Arabic and Islamic studies at a local Islamic school for two years. She is an active member of the Baitul Ilm community and has been a Sunday School teacher for the past 13 years. 

Zainab is a mother of three children. She enjoys gardening, nature walks, and reading.

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Fatema Kanji joined Unity Academy of Chicago in 2021, bringing over six years of experience as a Montessori assistant teacher at various accredited schools. Her journey also includes two years as an assistant teacher at an Islamic Montessori school, where she was able to blend her passion for Montessori education with her commitment to Islamic values. Before transitioning to Montessori education, Fatema played a key role in establishing and running the Mom & Tots class at Baitul Ilm Academy.

Fatema finds immense joy in connecting with each child and cherishes the moments when she witnesses their discoveries, as they grow in confidence and independence. She is deeply passionate about the Montessori philosophy and feels privileged to be part of an environment where she can implement this approach in an Islamic setting.

Outside the classroom, Fatema is a mother to two children—a 19-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter. She enjoys traveling, immersing herself in nature, spending quality time with her family, and engaging in activities like walking, volleyball, and her recent interest, pickleball.

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Having attended a primary Montessori school herself, Saba Haider has been steeped in Montessori philosophy from an early age. Before joining Unity Academy of Chicago in 2021, she worked for 27 years at an accredited Montessori institution, first as an assistant teacher for one year, then as the lead primary teacher for five years, and finally as an elementary teacher for 21 years, with the added responsibility of coordinating the elementary program for six years. She brings profound experience in partnering with parents to guide their children's social, emotional, and educational needs and development.

Saba has conducted parent seminars and workshops detailing Montessori philosophy and its associated topics, such as Cosmic Education and Freedom and Discipline. In addition, Saba has also served on the American Montessori Society's accreditation team. 

Despite her years of experience, she believes that learning is an exercise necessary for one’s mind and professional growth regardless of age. For this reason, she strives to expand her Montessori knowledge by attending conferences, staying up to date on the latest research, accumulating continued education credit hours, and being a receptive team member.

She feels most rewarded when a child’s eyes light up after understanding a concept through the use of Montessori materials.

Saba has three children and is a grandmother. She enjoys reading, gardening, home decor, and traveling.