Our Mission
To empower and unite our community through compassionate support, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual aid.
Our Story
The concept of using a cost-sharing model for funeral expenses was conceived in late November 2023, when a group of friends gathered at a Masjid in Everett, WA to discuss the idea. It quickly gained traction among their families and friends, leading to the formation of MFSWA. The organization was officially registered with the State of Washington in February 2024.
Advisors
Imam Fazal Hasan
Sheikh Fazal Hasan serves as an imam at the Islamic Center of Bellevue. He is known for his dedication to community engagement, spiritual leadership, and Islamic education. With years of experience in guiding congregants through religious, social, and personal matters, Sheikh Fazal plays a vital role in nurturing faith and unity within the community.
Mohammad Shafique
Mohammad Shafique Shaikh is the senior member of the Muslim community in the greater Seattle area. He does not need any introduction in the Puget Sound area. He is married with 3 kids. Brother Shafique has been a key person in the community who has been providing and serving the Muslim community for its needs of funeral services since 2003. Brother Shafique was a key source of information and processes involved for funerals in the Puget Sound. We are very happy to have him as our advisor.
Farid Sulayman
Born in Vietnam grew up in Seattle. Graduated from the Islamic university of Al-Medinah.
Khizer Sheriff
Khizer Sheriff, a senior executive with 30+ years in the technology industry, is a Director at Snowflake Inc. Passionate about community service, he co-founded MCRC with his wife, Nickhath Sheriff, and serves on the boards of Essentials First and the Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council. Together, they work to fulfill MCRC’s vision of uniting the Muslim community to serve humanity. As part of MCRC’s efforts under the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS), Khizer has played a key role in organizing Islamic funeral services and conducting community awareness sessions on funeral protocols.
Hassan Hatem
Hassan Hatem has resided in the greater Seattle area since 2002. He attended the University of Washington where he was active on campus and continues to support community initiatives. He is a licensed CPA and resides in Redmond, Washington.
Board of Directors
Tasleem Ahmed
Tasleem has been a local resident of the Puget Sound area with his family since 2006. He is a Mechanical engineer and an active Muslim in his community. Muslim funeral cost sharing idea was echoed in a gathering of friends in Everett, WA in 2023. Tasleem reached out to his local friends and started working on the idea. The prominent of them are Zeeshan Sayyed, Ahmed Idrees, Abid Hafeez, brother Shafique, Hafiz Munir Siddiqui, and Hafiz Aamir to name a few. Tasleem worked with other North American organizations and developed the bylaws and other required information associated with the documentation of the burial process and legal requirements in the Puget Sound area.
Elbagir Abdulmagid
Elbagir is a passionate advocate for development and physical fitness in the community. You'll often find him on the soccer field, playing or enjoying time with his kids. Works as a Cloud Engineer with a data engineering background, Elbagir also dedicates time to martial arts, finding balance between his professional life and his commitment to family and healthy living.
Iqbal Abbasi
Iqbal Abbasi came to Bellingham, Washington in 1970 and has been a resident of western Washington since then. He is currently working at Boeing as a supply base manager, and has been living with his family in Everett, Washington since 2004. In 2023, a few friends got together and discussed the rising issues of Muslim burial costs, and how it could be handled. Based off of that discussion, Brother Tasleem and other friends got involved and started an organization known as MFSWA to support the burial services of our Puget Sound Muslim community.
Zeeshan Sayyed
Zeeshan is an active member of the Seattle/Redmond community, where he has been involved in various educational, social, and Islamic events since 2012. Passionate about helping others, Zeeshan regularly volunteers to support local initiatives and foster community growth. You can often find him in the Masjid, socializing with different community members and building meaningful connections. In addition to his community work, Zeeshan is a software engineer at Microsoft. Outside of work, he enjoys outdoor activities and taking on hands-on projects around the house. He and his wife are blessed with four children, whom they homeschool.