Today we’d like to introduce you to Abdah Khalifa.
Hi Abdah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story really begins with a love of teaching that took root early when I was growing up in Toronto. Since we were such a small community, I spent my summers as a teenager teaching at the Islamic Summer School. By the time I finished my degrees at the University of Toronto, I knew education and community would be at the center of whatever I did.
That path took me further than I expected. I taught elementary grades in Abu Dhabi at an international school — including a special needs class — and later in Lahore, Pakistan. Those early years abroad taught me how universal children’s outlooks and needs really are, no matter the country or culture.
When I moved to North Carolina in 1998, I kept building community wherever I landed — starting Sunday schools, women’s programs, a New Muslims group, and a girls’ youth retreat in Reidsville, and co-founding a Girl Scouts troop in Houston. Each role gave me experience and skills that eventually led to the biggest chapter of my career: founding Houston Peace Academy in 2009. As principal I assembled a team, created the branding, mission, vision, and policies, and hired and trained staff, earning dual accreditation through CISNA and AdvancED, the first school in Houston to do so. Along the way, I learned to manage a large budget and a board, and to navigate everything from curriculum to community fundraising. It was also during this time that I discovered my love for event planning.
Growing up in Canada as a Muslim and a visible minority in the 1970s, I often saw Islam misrepresented as something foreign, even threatening. But as I studied the faith more deeply and traveled to more Muslim countries, I discovered something entirely different. Islam is a powerful force for good, rooted in divine wisdom and expressed through beauty, excellence and compassion. That realization eventually led me to build community in a new, creative direction. In 2019, I founded Muslim Artists of North Carolina (MANC) to support local Muslim artists, share traditional Islamic art forms, and foster understanding between communities through the universal language of art. As director, I’ve worked to bring artistic experiences to our community that reflect our values, curating art exhibitions, launching an annual Islamic art festival and student art competition, and starting a series celebrating art and tea culture across the globe.
Throughout my life, I’ve always tried to build spaces where our community can grow, connect, and share the beauty of Islam with our neighbors. That’s still what drives me today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly, there have been quite a few. Most of them came from having very limited budgets and the need to wear far more hats than I ever expected. Since I’m from the dinosaur age, technology was a real learning curve for me. I didn’t come from a tech background, so things that seem simple now, such as managing databases, using new software, even basic digital tools, took time for me to learn.
Building a team from scratch was hard too. Founding something new requires finding people who believe in the vision as much as you do, and figuring out how to lead and support them well.
Running a volunteer organization and mobilizing volunteers was another ongoing challenge. Getting people to commit their time, coordinate schedules, and keep everyone motivated can be a difficult task at times.
And then there was always the reality of limited funds. Nonprofit and community work rarely comes with a big budget, so me and my small team were often forced to do things we never trained to do. I taught myself graphic design and learned to manage social media so we could promote our programs and connect with other creatives.
Looking back, none of it was easy, but each of those struggles pushed me to grow in ways I wouldn’t have otherwise. I learnt new skills and became more resourceful because of it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m currently the Director of Muslim Artists of North Carolina (MANC), a volunteer-run nonprofit I helped grow from the ground up. It started simply — bringing together Muslim artists from our area for an annual art festival — and has since grown into something much bigger. We held our 5th Islamic art festival last November which included an art exhibit, art activities, henna tattoos, Arabic name writing, a makers market featuring Muslim designers, a halal food pavilion, and for the first time a full performing arts program. We also host an annual Student Art Competition in the spring to nurture the next generation of young Muslim artists, and a series called Art Tea Around the Muslim World three times a year that celebrates art, tea and culture from Muslim traditions across the globe.
At its core, MANC exists to nurture a creative generation of Muslim artists grounded in Islamic values — uplifting Muslim culture, inspiring understanding, and fostering unity through the arts. We connect Muslim creatives with opportunities to showcase their work, offering artists a platform for growth, visibility, and collaboration; giving communities access to diverse stories that bridge cultures; and giving community partners a meaningful way to engage in building representation and inclusion.
What I love most is supporting creatives — collaborating with organizations to bring beauty into their events through Islamic art, and sharing that beauty with a wider audience. There’s something deeply fulfilling about watching an emerging artist find their platform, or seeing a community encounter Islamic art and culture in a way that sparks real curiosity and connection.
I’m proudest of the fact that what began as a single art festival has grown into a genuine platform for our community — one that uses art to combat Islamophobia and build cross-cultural understanding, celebrates our diversity and shared humanity across cultures, and gives young and emerging artists a real space to be seen and supported. We’ve also placed our artists’ work on public library art walls, bringing Islamic art into everyday public spaces where it can speak for itself. As we say at MANC: “Do what is beautiful — God loves those who do what is beautiful.” That belief is really at the heart of everything I do.
What’s next?
MANC has been approached by the North Carolina Museum of Art to collaborate on a Muslim cultural festival — a tremendous milestone that reflects the growing recognition of Muslim art and artists. Partnering with an institution of NCMA’s stature is an incredible opportunity to bring Muslim art and culture to an even wider audience, and to deepen the kind of cross-cultural understanding that has always been at the heart of our mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://muslimartists.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdah-khalifa-62849a29/
