Our Team

Mustafaa Carroll

Writer & Producer

Is a lifelong social justice activist, community servant, lecturer, and prolific writer who began his civil rights journey at 14 years old.

Carroll became the NAACP Youth Council President in his hometown of Gary, Indiana shortly before his 16th birthday. He is the current executive director of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-TX, DFW).

Carroll has served on several boards including the Shura of the North Texas Islamic Council (NTIC), Masjid Al-Islam, Dallas, the Dallas ACLU Board; the Islamic Medieval Studies (IMSG), the Make-A-Wish Foundation board of North Texas, the National bone Marrow’s Committee entitled African Americans Uniting for Life (AAUL), and the advisory committee of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

He was a founding member and Chair of Humanitarian Day-DFW Event for 5 years. He currently serves as the Convenor for the North Texas Chapter of the Muslim Alliance for Black Lives (MABL-North Texas) Carroll serves on the Houston, Texas chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the board of “United Colors Education Center (UCEC) that “empowers children to take ownership of what they learn by focusing on how new knowledge solves a problem or adds value” Carroll was the recipient of the Houston Peace and Justice Center’s “2013 Peace-maker of the Year Award”; the 2017 CAIR National Leadership Award; the AnNisa Hope Center 2018 Civil and Human Rights Leader Award; the 2019 CAIR National Leadership and Service the recipient of the 2022 Lifetime Community Service Award” from the North Texas Islamic Council (NTIC), and the Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-DFW) and the “2024 Defend the Defenders Leadership & Service Award” by the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA).

Riad Ali

Author & Documentarian

was born in Al-Khadr, Palestine, eight miles away from Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, and three miles away from the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Al-Khadr was a small village then but visited by tourists from all over the world. The village is known for the ancient Solomon’s Pools, previously the main source of water for Jerusalem, as well as a historic castle from the time of the Crusaders.During his early childhood years, Ali helped with his father’s construction business. In 1982, he moved to the United States in pursuit of his education. His academic career consists of the following accomplishments:

1986: BS in Electrical Engineering, Ohio University
1988: MA in Mathematics, Ohio University
1994: MA in Computer Science, Kent State University

Before completing his MA, Riad passed his PhD qualifying exam in computer science
but had to discontinue his studies for personal reasons. Since Riad’s arrival to the States, he has been involved with Islamic organizations like MSA, ISNA, and MAS. He held leadership positions at the local and national level. As a student, Riad coordinated and was one of those who translated “ماذا يعني انتمائي للاسلام” (To Be a Muslim), by Fathi Yakan.

Riad has also been involved in the establishment of several Islamic centers. He worked with Dr. Ihsan Bagby on different projects that helped to prepare him for this project.“Thanks goes out to Riad Ali – of the website Muslim Guide – who was invaluable in the mosque count,” in “The American Mosque 2011.” – January 2012 report by Dr. Bagby.

In his professional life, Ali worked as a support engineer with Ericsson between the years 2000 to 2016.

Documenting the evolution of Muslim presence, highlighting their contributions, as well as showing the true composition of the Muslim Comunity in this country has been Ali’s passion for the past several years and he is currently more determined than ever to carry it to fruition, insha Allah (God willing).

Omran Zbeida

Project Manager

Is a Strategic Initiatives professional who served on the board of directors for the Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT) acting as the Outreach and Refugee’s Director responsible for coordinating refugee settlement programs including housing assistance, job training, and English language training. He managed activities for the refugees Musalah including providing prayer leaders, and coordinating Iftar programs.

Zbeida also coordinated zakat distribution programs providing financial assistance for those in need. He is a registered volunteer and teacher who has managed da’wah programs in county, state and federal prisons. That included providing training workshops for volunteers as well as da’wah related programs with prison administration.

Zbeida has also represented IANT in all interfaith programs including conducting presentations at local churches and synagogues. Zbeida is a regular Khateeb and motivational speaker.

Walid Khaldi

Producer & Director

Mostafa is a Lebanese/Syrian, born-and-raised Texan, who had a passion for filmmaking from an early age. Despite the many challenges and difficulties to get accreditation, he learned the craft on his own, gaining support from his family and peers. He’s been working in the film and motion industry for over ten years, working with a variety of clients from non-profits to large corporations.

Cinema King Productions is a multimedia production house that specializes in high-value video production and editing. We have been serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area for over 10 years and are just getting started. Our team members have experience working with a wide range of clients, including large tech companies like Samsung Electronics America and Intuit. We also have experience with multi-million-dollar businesses and nonprofits, such as Revital U International and Bayyinah Institute.

Ya’Kub Ira

Photojournalist

Ya’kub began his photography journey in 2004. Much of his work has been covering activism efforts and initiatives though out the years under the style of street photography in composing both digital and video filmagraphies. He has recently taken the journey on cultivating his cinematography skills and has started a YouTube series entitled “The Untold Stories” which captures stories untold be individuals like U.S. Special Forces 3rd Group Palestine Advocate Alan Shebaro, Nida AbuBaker, and El Hajj Mauri Salaakhan to name a few.

He has been heavily involved in the Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) initiatives for Palsetine and Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. He has positioned himself on the frontline within the community to ensure he captures the stories that need to be told. Several of his recent works involved the; Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA, United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) for Palestinians in the Near East, and Presidential Candidate Dr. Cornell West. Ya’Kub is a native of the Phillipines, and he is very excited to be part of this project.