In the Name of Allah
Most Gracious-Most Merciful

Kareemah

About

Karemah was born as a second generation Muslim in Buffalo, New York in 1970. At the age of 7 she went to live with her Catholic grandparents and was separated from her Muslim mother and her Islamic teachings.

Karemah’s favorite getaway was and still is the library. When she was younger she would go to the library, often marveling at the beautiful stories and illustrations in the Children’s Bible. She immediately realized that there was a void of literature for her to read about Islamic beliefs and culture.

Throughout her childhood years, Karemah went through life void of religious community. She knew that she would not be a Catholic like her grandparents. However, she didn’t know enough about Islam to be a practicing Muslim either. Yet she always believed in the existence of Allah, and yearned to obtain closeness with the creator.

After high school, Karemah went on to study Psychology and Early Childhood Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo. This is where she finally met some Muslim students. This presented her the perfect opportunity to begin practicing her religion and to reaffirm her faith. During college years, she was active in the Black Student Union, a Muslim youth group at a local masjid, and she was also working as a teacher’s assistant in the Buffalo Head Start Program.

After college, Karemah made the decision to leave her hometown to join her Muslim family and community in Southern California, where she presently resides. Here she married and focused on Quranic studies and started a family. In 1998 Karemah started her own business, ILMY (Islamic Literature for Muslim Youth). With this business she was one of the very first Muslims in her area to conduct Islamic Book Fairs for the Masajid, Islamic schools and various festivals and events in So. California.

Presently Karemah is studying marketing, sales and web design to improve and refine her business skills. She intends to use these skills to fulfill a long time dream of promoting her own Islamic books along with the artistic works of fellow Muslims.

Hobbies:  Walking, reading, writing, making things in the kitchen (including soap), gardening, marketing, fundraising and networking.

Contact Information

ummbasheer@gmail.com