OUR TEAM
Our Team
Tarek El-Messidi
Founder, Executive Director
Tarek El-Messidi is a Muslim American social entrepreneur and activist. In 2012,
Georgetown University listed him as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims worldwide. Between 1998 and 2006, he pursued Islamic studies at programs in the United States, Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan. In 2010, a few years after earning an MBA and beginning work as a manager at Procter & Gamble in Ohio, Tarek founded CelebrateMercy: a non-profit that teaches about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through educational programs and social campaigns that "respond evil with good." In 2017, CelebrateMercy mobilized Muslims to raise $162,000 to repair vandalized Jewish cemeteries, and in 2018, they raised over $200,000 for victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. In the last several years through CelebrateMercy, Tarek has led over ten similar campaigns for the victims of various tragedies. He currently lives in New Jersey.
Hasnaa Agouzoul
Operations Manager
A native of Casablanca, Morocco, Hasnaa Agouzoul received her Master’s in Industrial Engineering in France, after which she was hired by Procter & Gamble in R&D and IT in Frankfurt, Germany. She then relocated with P&G to Paris, where she went on to work for Hewlett Packard, and where she also launched an import/export company focused on importing handmade furniture from Morocco to the US. This new endeavor relocated her to Cincinnati, Ohio where she received her Master’s in Quantitative Analysis, and was hired by the Marketing Research firm Nielsen as a Senior Analyst. In 2012, Hasnaa left the corporate world to fully dedicate her time to CelebrateMercy. Her objective is to live a life with purpose, and to increase the love for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ across the globe.
Afifah Khawaja
Marketing Manager
Afifah hails from Toronto, Canada, where a chance encounter in her hometown introduced her to CelebrateMercy. After completing her educational pursuits in Legal Studies, Communications, and Policy, she went on to research for an Istanbul-based policy development firm and returned to Toronto to work within the Government in the areas of policy, human resources, and training and development. Throughout this time, Afifah stayed connected to CelebrateMercy as a volunteer and eventually joined the organization as a dedicated team member. Her motivation in work and life is illuminating hearts with the Prophet’s light and doing so with elegance and beauty deserving of him ﷺ. Afifah is a committed wife, busy mom of two, and avid tea connoisseur.
Subhan vahora
IT Manager
Subhan (aka CelebrateMercy Chaiwala) graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. After traveling back to India to reconnect with his roots and give back to his community, he chose to dedicate his time to CelebrateMercy and spread the love of the beloved ﷺ through words and actions. Subhan enjoys outdoor adventures, martial arts, and spiced chai over a good book.