Imam Fode Drame (Founder)
Imam Fode Drame is the founder of Zawiyah Foundation International and the visionary behind Qawsain Knowledge House, an independent school certified by the B.C. Ministry of Education and located in the city of Vancouver. He is a prolific author, linguist, Quranic Exegete, teacher, father, and international speaker. He founded Qa`wsain Knowledge House in 2013, an independent school certified by the B.C. Ministry of Education and located in the city of Vancouver, as one of the chief projects of his Zawiyah Foundation, which operates several international branches, including in Ottawa, Ontario. The school was founded as a chief project of his non-profit and registered charity, the Zawiyah Foundation based in Vancouvers. Since its humble beginnings, the Zawiyah Foundation has expanded internationally, to include several independent branches serving local communities, in dedication to his vision for humanity. Just as Zawiyah Foundation has been at the forefront of a number of community initiatives and Islamic literacy, Qawsain Knowledge House is built with the same intentions.
Dr. Omar Edaibat (Founder & Teacher)
Islam, Arabic, Social Studies, (Grades 3-7)
Dr. Omar Edaibat is the director of Qawsain School Ottawa, the first local branch of Qawsain Knowledge House, which is set to launch in Sept. 2025 insha Allah. He received his doctoral degree from McGill’s Institute of Islamic Studies in 2021 and his MA training in Religious Studies from the University of Toronto in 2012. Since then, he has taught at several universities in his field, in addition to his full-time work as a translator of classical Islamic literature.
In the Summer of 2023, he established Zawiyah Foundation Ottawa, the independent Ontario branch of Imam Fode’s Zawiyah Foundation to further the objectives of Imam Fode’s vision in serving the needs of the Ottawa Muslim community. Dr. Edaibat has been a regular khatib in the Ottawa Muslim community and has also been a mentor to various university MSAs across Canada. As a passionate educator, he has taught and mentored youth of different ages, including an Islamic summer camp for children. In his spare time, he enjoys organizing Zawiyah Foundation Ottawa’s various religious and community programming, including a biweekly book club on Islamic spirituality.
Qari Youssouf Mahmoud (Teacher)
Quran Teacher, (All grades)
Qari Youssouf Mahmoud received his early Quranic education, where he memorized the Quran, under the guidance of his teachers Sh. Ramadan Omar and Sh. Ahmed Sahib in Madrasatul Azhar Sherif Mebni Hamhamet. He began teaching Quran and Tajweed in his teens, travelling to Tanzania, and eventually moving to Canada in 1996. Qari Yousssouf has participated in many annual international Quran competitions, placing 1st in Chicago and earning 2nd place in Comoros and Kenya. Qari Youssouf has been teaching Quran privately and in Islamic school settings in Ottawa since he first moved to Canada. He has many students who have become hafizul Quran in Comoros and Canada.
Shakib Ahsan
Social Studies, Language (Grades 3-7)
Nacer Sebti
Mathematics, Science & Technology, Physical Education (Grades 3-7)