Aneesah Dawan was born to Muslim parents but accepted Al-Islam for herself at the age of 13. She is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas and graduate of the Historic Little Rock Central High School. Aneesah’s post-secondary education has been focused in the areas of Philosophy & Religious Studies at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Criminal Justice at the University of Houston-Downtown.


In addition to her undergraduate work Aneesah studied Arabic and Islamic Studies at Abu Nour University in Damascus, Syria, obtaining a 2-year Arabic language certification. Aneesah’s earlier Islamic and Arabic education came from various Imams and teachers in the United States under the leadership of Imam W. D. Mohammed, which included great Arabic scholars such as Imam Darnell Karim of Chicago, Illinois. Her most influential studies in Arabic and the science of tajweed came under the tutelage of Imam Qasim Ahmed while residing in Houston, Texas.

Professionally, Aneesah has worked in the field of business and finance as a project manager at a historically black college and university, managing a grant budget of over a million dollars. More recently, Aneesah has focused her attention to increasing home ownership among underserved populations as a mortgage loan officer, providing homeownership and financial education for individuals with low to moderate income. Aneesah’s goal in mortgage lending is to begin a non-profit organization focused on re-claiming impoverished neighborhoods by making its residents homeowners instead of renters.

Aneesah serves in leadership capacities locally and nationally as Director of Government Shuraa at the Islamic Center for Human Excellence in Little Rock, Arkansas, host on American Muslim 360, Assistant Director of Public Affairs with the Community Wide Shuraa Conference, board member and youth facilitator for Kamp Khalil, Inc., lecturer for the Islamic Learning Institute, member of the Progressive Leadership Legacy Association, and lecturer for Study Al-Islam National Broadcast. Aneesah has utilized her knowledge of Quran, the life of Muhammed the Prophet (saw), and the tafsir of Imam W. D. Mohammed to provide leadership training courses in Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. Aneesah has lectured at various Islamic and Interfaith conferences representing women in Al-Islam and focusing on areas such as tajweed and tafsir. Her purpose is to provide a clear and sound understanding of Quran and the life of Prophet Muhammed (saw) while stressing the importance of the feminine voice to the benefit of mankind.