Islamic Society of Baltimore’s first female resident scholar makes clear religion is not holding her back

BALTIMORE — Huda Hasan can trace the confidence she has both in herself and in her Islamic faith to time she spent in a classroom with Maryam Azam.

Azam taught Hasan Islamic and Quran studies at the Al-Rahmah School in Windsor Mill, Maryland. Hasan, 21, and her friends found themselves looking forward to Azam’s class every day, drawn by what Hasan called her “practical, friendly approach.”

“A lot of youth struggle with religion, especially in this day and age. So the way she taught us, we were able to grow in love in our religion,” Hasan said. “And she always told us that no matter where we go, people should know that we’re young American Muslim females in society by looking at our character and the way we treat other people.”

Azam’s ability to connect with her students is just one of the reasons she was recently named the Islamic Society of Baltimore’s first female resident scholar.

A handful of families established the Islamic Society of Baltimore in 1969, according to the organization’s website. The society bought an 8-acre lot, in Windsor Mill close to Baltimore City, in 1982 to build its Sunni mosque, Masjid Al-Rahmah. The Islamic Society of Baltimore now offers several services and facilities, including the Ah-Rahmah School where Azam teaches middle school during the day and high school students in an after-school program.

Lead Resident Scholar Yaseen Shaikh said a resident scholar is another name for an imam who lives and serves within the community.

Responsibilities include planning and speaking at community events, addressing issues facing the Muslim community and providing religious guidance, Azam said.

Azam wants people to understand that while she’s certainly breaking stereotypes, roles like hers have always been open to women in Islam.

“Our religious legacy is basically: Women have been in this position for years, or like in leadership positions for years,” Azam said. “People, a lot of times they stereotype Islam with women don’t work or women don’t serve as leaders of the community and women are oppressed.”

Azam added that while she’s the first female scholar at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, women in her position are “actually more common than we know,” it just may not be as prominent in certain cultures.

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