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Our Story

Growing up silently suffering the repercussions of abuse of all forms, I saw the stigma and taboo topics being hushed and shoved under the rug being the norm. As if the person experiencing the pain and going through the struggle, did not matter.  Who do I turn to? Who can help me? No one. Is that what the community was for? Just people who we knew who turned a blind eye? I fell through the crack.

THERE WAS NO SUPPORT

I once again found myself in a situation that begged a deeper look into what support could be found.  I wasn’t surprised that there was no support but this time, I decided that I would not fall again.  Soon I realized that I wasn’t the only one going through the challenges that life set forth.  As a divorced, single mother of 4, I quickly realized that there were many in my shoes, some better off and some in more troubling circumstances.  As I shared my experience, many came forth and the gaps in the community that I knew as a child resurfaced my memory.  We made some changes, but were they enough?

Thus came the vision of Wasilah Connections.  The vision of this organization is to make sure that our communities no longer have a gap in the system where individuals who are going through a difficult time in their lives are neglected.  Wasilah Connections aims to be a social service organization that will create and support individuals by providing holistic support to the challenges people face.

I leave you all with the following poem that I wrote that resonates deeply of where I momentarily came from to where my vision will take us, God Willing.

“The night ended on a day that was dreaded
Did the sun signify a new day or a continuation of the day before
A new day means a new moment, but she fretted
Because the turmoil that she was in continued from afore

The air became difficult to breathe
The moment was at a standstill
Can she imagine a life where she is freed?
Or travel through time and see the new life she will build?

Now the day is ending on a night full of memory 
What was once a turmoil is now filled with passion
A vision that only she who broke free can see
A strength that only she knows how it will be.
Only God knows how it will be Fashioned…”

Sanaa Subhani, ASW

Founder and Executive Director of Wasilah Connections.

Mission

Our mission is to provide a holistic support for individuals facing mental, emotional, financial and personal challenges by, building, facilitating, and connecting individuals to resources to strategically provide short and long term solutions to overcome their challenges. 

Vision

Our vision is to create a movement to cultivate a collective community mindset of helping our most vulnerable populations within our community achieve success and wellness in all levels of their lives. 

Sanaa Subhani

Founder and Executive Director

Mudassar Haq

Co-Founder & Program Director

Maryam Ahmed

Director of Operations

Jabir Tarin

Mental Health And Religious Director

Khidr Subhani

Board Member

Email:

admin@wasilahconnect.org

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Sanaa Subhani

Sanaa holds a Masters in Social Work, and a Bachelors in Human Development.  She has served in the mental health field since 2007 holding multiple roles from Residential counselor for emotionally disturbed girls, Activity Coordinator for Developmentally Disabled Adults, Recovery Counselor for a Substance Abuse recovery home, ABA Therapist, Medical Social Worker, to currently a Clinical Case Manager and a Crisis Specialist. 

Her internships consists of working with the low income, homeless population in a single resident occupancy (SRO) home and as a Clinical Therapist for a school with behavioral and emotionally challenged population.  Her volunteer work consists of being a minority affairs officer on her Community College Student body of government, and as a Northern California Events Coordinator for MSA WEST.

Sanaa continues to work with the community on an ongoing basis helping all those in need.  She has initiated support groups and is consistently networking with like minded individuals to create resources and programs that cater to the needs of the community. 

Mudassar Haq

Mudassar Haq graduated with a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and became registered by the Board of Behavioral Sciences as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. He has gained a lot of valuable experience during his time in school and as a graduate trainee in order to help those in need. He has counseled young children, teens, and young adults. He strives to work collaboratively with all those involved in the a person’s life in order to increase the chance of positive outcomes.
Currently, he is a Youth Group Coordinator at the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles. Mudassar works with a group of like minded individuals, who act both as teachers and mentor, to create programs, activities, and other learning experiences in order to enrich Islamic learning. In addition, he is a therapist for the Center for Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology providing mental health services in both private and the Islamic school setting.

Maryam Ahmed

Maryam is a clinical program manager with a Master’s of Science degree in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). She currently supervises a team of 5-10 behavior therapists under the supervision of a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). She is also currently pursuing her own certification as a BCBA.

Before she became a clinical program manager, Maryam was a behavior therapist herself and provided 1-on-1 ABA therapy that helped empower her clients and allowed them to lead a more expressive and more independent lifestyle. Her responsibilities as a preschool teacher included the education and well-being of typical and ASD children aged 4 weeks – 5 years old.

Her diverse set of skills includes working within the marketing team as the design lead to collaborate on various internal and larger scale projects with several startups and small businesses. She is passionate about working with the Muslim community and has worked with Muslim women and children from 2010-2012 at the local mosque. Maryam’s own personal experience with divorce has inspired her to become a pillar of support for other divorced people in the community. 

Jabir Tarin

Jabir Tarin is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. In his work at the Khalil Center, Jabir has experience providing individual, pre-marital, and marital counseling to Muslim individuals and couples. He also serves as a therapist providing weekly counseling consultations and “Ummah Talks” to UC Berkeley students through the Muslim Mental Health Initiative program. Jabir’s professional interests include the integration of Islamic spirituality with mental health care. Concurrently, Jabir is enrolled as a final-year student of Islamic Theology, completing his ‘Aalim studies. In his free time, he facilitates workshops on Islamically-integrated mental health, pre-marital preparation, and other topics related to spirituality and well being.

Khizer Subhani

Khizer Subhani is a california native. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 2015 with his Bachelors in Nursing. Throughout his schooling, he was very active in the muslim community and served as the President of the Muslim Student Association. His work in the community lead him to develop a close connection to many scholars, thus he has been studying Islam part time for the last 10 years. He is happily married and currently works as a Psychiatric Nurse Manager. He continues to play a active role in the Muslim community in supporting different non-profit organizations and facilitating classes, programs, and events.

Junaid Aasi

Junaid Aasi holds a Bachelors of Science in Computer Information Systems from Cal State LA. He also holds an Master’s of Science from Boston University with Concentrations in Security and Health Informatics. Junaid holds an MBA from the University of Redlands where he has been serving as a Core Faculty Member for several years. Additionally he holds the Higher Diploma/Bachelors of Arts in Islamic Studies from the International Open University (IOU) and is currently working on his Masters of Arts in Islamic Studies degree. Furthermore, he serves as a California State Representative and Student Committee Chairperson for IOU. Br. Junaid has been blessed to work with many Masajid, Islamic Centers and various Islamic Organizations in the capacity of an Imam, Khateeb, Speaker, Emcee, Event Organizer, Counselor and Youth Group Director over a period of two decades. Professionally, Br. Junaid works in the field of Information Technology and Information Security with expertise In Network and Systems Engineering. Junaid has worked as a consultant and covered many industries including Non-profits. Junaid is experienced in the areas of Audits, Risk Assessments and complains.

Saud Inam

Saud Inam is a community strategist and Management Consultant at EEI Strategic Consulting. With over a decade of experience serving the Muslim American community at both a national and grassroots level, he gained a strong understanding of the challenges facing the Muslim American community at a national and grassroots level. Using his experience and understanding of community challenges he has advised and been a part of several national-level Muslim American non-profit organizations and advised organizational and community leadership on best practices, strategy, and sustainability.