Our Affiliates

Chaplain
Nora is a daughter, wife and mother to an active three-year-old son, Yusuf and newborn baby, Leena. She is currently the Muslim and interfaith chaplain at Dominican University in Chicago. Nora received an MA in Religious and Islamic Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary (2024), a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from the University of Chicago (2017), and holds a BA from the University of Florida (2013) in Arabic, Religion and Political Science. She is the founder of www.mymuslimchaplain.com, which offers chaplain consultation services. She has previously served as the Muslim chaplain at Vassar and Bard Colleges. Nora has experience in hospital and prison chaplaincy in Chicago, IL and Tampa, FL. Nora is fluent in Arabic and is a beginner speaker of Turkish. She loves traveling and observing the beauty of God's earth and all of creation, human and non-human.

Chaplain
Ailya Vajid is a Muslim Chaplain, working as Associate Chaplain for Muslim and Interfaith Life at Carleton College.

LAMFT, Counselor
Faarah provides educational talks and programming with Alanur. She completed her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Antioch University Seattle and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Washington (UW). She has research experience with the Social Psychology department of UW as well as Non-profit administration experience with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Seattle. Faarah currently provides couples and family counseling at Alanur and Nourish Therapy and Wellness in Skippack, PA. Read more about Faarah’s services at www.healingwithfaarah.com.

Our Board of Directors

Founder, Chaplain
Chaplain Patty is the founder of Alanur as well as former Chaplain and Director for Muslim Life at the University of Pennsylvania. She has come into chaplaincy with a background of working with Muslim, interfaith, academic and peace-building institutions, including: the International Interfaith Peace Corps, Islamic Society of North America, Islamic Relief, Pillars of Peace, and American University, among others. Patricia received her BA in International Relations from the Ohio State University, MA in Islamic Studies from the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences, A Graduate Fellowship in Non-Profit Management and Governance from Indiana University, additional graduate studies at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Hartford Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy program and is a certified mediator. She currently serves on the board of the Muslim Endorsement Council.

Founding Board Member, Naturalist
Sevim is a founding board member of Alanur and Executive Director of Green Muslims. Growing up in Alabama surrounded by woods and creeks, Sevim discovered at an early age that her most direct connection with God came through nature. To this day, she still finds peace in natural surroundings and holds a deep concern regarding humankind’s responsibility as vicegerent of the earth. She is involved with multiple local climate action groups and dedicated to helping educate youth about the importance of environmental awareness for spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. She holds a B.S. from Georgetown and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and has many years of nonprofit experience in Washington, DC, and the San Francisco Bay Area. She is also a naturalist interpreter and a yoga instructor.

Program Coordinator
Melissa is a program coordinator with Alanur. She is pursuing a Master of Social Service at Bryn Mawr College, with the goal of becoming a LCSW. Melissa graduated in 2024 with a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she worked on several study teams, including a clinical trial exploring a collaborative care model for suboxone treatment in primary care settings. She has studied mental health care infrastructure internationally, interning with the Global Livingston Institute in Uganda. Melissa is currently a research assistant with Dr. Cindy Sousa, studying family resilience during war in Ukraine.