Investment Professionals

Bashar Qasem

CEO & President, Azzad Asset Management

Bashar Qasem is the founder and CEO of Azzad Asset Management, established in 1997. Mr. Qasem is one of the leaders and foremost experts on Islamic financing and socially responsible investing in the United States. Coverage of him and the Azzad Funds have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reuters, Chicago Tribune, CBS News, Voice of America and many others. Mr. Qasem holds the designation of the Certified Shari’ah Auditor & Adviser (C.S.A.A) from the Accounting & Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) in Bahrain and holds investment advisery license series 65. Mr. Qasem has served as the Funds’ chairman since their inception, and his institutional knowledge of the Funds is an important part of Board discussions.

Mr. Qasem is a shareholder and investor in many of Azzad’s investment portfolios including the Azzad Mutual Funds. He enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with his family.

Manal Fouz

Chief Compliance Officer

Manal Fouz serves as the Chief Compliance Officer. She has her bachelor’s degree in communications specialized in journalism from George Mason University, 1996. She has served as Operations Manager for Azzad since 2003 and Chief Compliance Officer since 2007. She has attended and completed numerous compliance training seminars and conferences hosted by the SEC, Investment Company Institute (ICI) and others. Ms. Fouz is a member of the NSCP (National Society of Compliance Professionals).

Ms. Fouz is a shareholder and investor in many of Azzad’s investment portfolios including the Azzad Mutual Funds. She enjoys running for charitable causes, traveling around the world and spending time with her family.

Jamal Elbarmil

Vice President & Portfolio Manager, Azzad Asset Management

Jamal Elbarmil has served as the Vice President of Azzad Asset Management since 2000 and as Portfolio Manager for the Azzad Funds since 2008. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Azzad Funds’ portfolios aided by a team of equity analysts. He holds a master's Degree in information systems from the American University in Washington, DC and he is a PhD candidate at George Mason University in Virginia.

Mr. Elbarmil is a shareholder and investor in many of Azzad’s investment portfolios including the Azzad Mutual Funds.

Fatima Iqbal

Financial Planner, CFP®

Fatima Iqbal is an Investment Adviser and Financial Planner with Azzad Asset Management. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in applied economics and management and holds a master’s degree in finance from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification from the College for Financial Planning.

Ms. Iqbal is a shareholder and investor in many of Azzad’s investment portfolios. She has always felt there should be a way to help people earn competitive returns while still being conscious of how their investment decisions affect society. As an individual investor who cares about return and how her money is being used, she knows firsthand how difficult it is to find genuine solutions. At Azzad, she’s helping to pioneer effective ways to help clients reach their financial goals without compromising socially conscious values. She enjoys traveling, trying new recipes, playing with her son and spending time with family and friends.

Omar El-Sayed

Investment Adviser Representative

Omar El-Sayed is an Investment Adviser with Azzad Asset Management. He specializes in helping clients with their retirement and college planning needs. He is currently pursuing his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification from Georgetown University. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance from George Mason University.

Mr. El-Sayed is an active participant in several sport leagues, including soccer, basketball, tricking and bodybuilding. He has also dedicated many hours to being a member of the Meejana Debkeh Troupe which performs, nationwide, at many cultural events.

Ayman Khalil

Investment Adviser Representative

Ayman Khalil is an Investment Adviser with Azzad Asset Management. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science & economics from Linkoping University, Sweden & The State University of New York, Albany, NY. He holds a master's degree from Purdue University. Prior to joining Azzad, he was a Registered Investment Adviser for First Investors.

Ayman enjoys helping clients plan for their goals and following up with them at every stage in their lives.

Ahsan Raheem, CFA, FRM

Equity Analyst

Ahsan Raheem joined Azzad in June 2008 as an Equity Analyst where he conducts extensive equity research, performs asset allocation, financial risk analysis and performance evaluations. Prior to joining Azzad, he worked as a Senior Consultant at Ernst & Young where he documented business plans, designed private placement memorandums, developed financial models and performed valuations. He holds a master's degree in finance from Johns Hopkins University and BS with honors in Economics from Lahore University of Management Sciences. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation (CFA) and is a member of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).

The unpredictable nature of the global markets excites Mr. Raheem. He enjoys the challenge of designing a portfolio that allows clients to take advantage of growth opportunities in up markets while simultaneously balancing downside risk. Mr. Raheem also enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with his family.

Haris Anwaar

Equity Analyst

Haris Anwaar works as an Equity Analyst at Azzad. He joined Azzad in March of 2010. Prior to joining Azzad, he worked as an Analyst for Brown Gibbons Lang & Company and Deutsche Bank. He holds a master's degree in finance from University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and BS with honors in economics from Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is a candidate for the Chartered Financial Analyst designation (CFA).

Yamena Qutub

Financial Operations Associate

Yamena Qutub has been with the company since January of 2008. She holds a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree in education with a focus in multicultural/multilingual education from George Mason University. She has completed online coursework with the Investment Company Institute on various financial areas and is currently studying to obtain her Series 65 certification.

Aside from her exceptional customer service skills, and her strong efforts in making sure the daily operations of Azzad progress smoothly, Ms. Qutub firmly believes in creating a client-centered relationship based on trust and respect. Her favorite quote supporting this mantra is by Maya Angelou, who once said “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” When she’s not working, Ms. Qutub enjoys playing soccer, going for long runs and spending quality time with her son.