About

Our Story

Love Beyond Love is a 501c3 non-profit organization developed in response to the ongoing struggle of premarital sex and relationships faced by Muslim youth all over the country. Lack of support from parents, peers, and modern society, adds insult to injury as youth have nowhere to turn and begin to feel hopeless.

Love Beyond Love aims to challenge and inspire youth to love beyond the unhealthy love portrayed by the media and begin to yearn for and experience true love for Allah (God), themselves, and future spouse. Love Beyond Love believes youth have the power to hold themselves to a higher standard when given the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to meet today's trails.

P R E S I D E N T & F O U N D E R

Dr. Shaakira Abdullah

Dr. Shaakira Abdullah is the epitome of a go-getter! Born and raised Muslim in America, Dr. Shaakira was personally faced with relationship challenges commonly faced by other Muslim teens today. Her ambition and courage propelled her to become a Family Nurse Practitioner with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, from Rutgers University.
Due to her own experiences and trials, she is strongly passionate about implementing her empowering sex education program adapted uniquely for Muslim youth with Quran and Sunnah (Islamic beliefs and values). Dr. Shaakira Abdullah’s strategies have been proven effective through valid research for our Muslim American youth. She will earn a PhD in Sex Education from Widener University in 2024.

Teaching Philosophy

My educational philosophy is rooted within a pragmatic approach, meaning to help students apply what they learned about sexuality into their everyday lives. I believe that education must be practical and logically aligned to the diverse needs of an individual and their community. I often use active learning strategies such as role plays, towards the end of workshops to help students further solidify their knowledge and skills learned throughout the intervention. It provides students with an opportunity to put into practice what they learned to best prepare for real life situations in the future.

Educators are called upon to be cognizant of learner’s individualities, varying potentials, and diverse backgrounds. I challenge myself to teach beyond the classroom and keep my students engaged in the lesson by bringing in stories from my personal experiences, using realistic case studies to highlight imperative aspects of a topic, and incorporating games to maintain the fun of learning. Students will have successful positive learning experiences that motivate them to practice what they learned with skill, confidence, and compassion. My goal is for students to walk away from Love Beyond Love workshops feeling empowered and prepared to overcome today’s challenges within sexuality and relationships.

CHIEF EMPOWERING OFFICER

Abdullah Abdullah

Abdullah Abdullah is a motivational wordsmith! His down to earth logical mindset and diverse world experiences, enable him to relate to and positively impact all audiences. Born and raised as a black Muslim man in Philadephia, USA, Abdullah has been through most of the challenges our youth are currently facing. His genuine desire to help Muslim youth navigate through this Godless society makes him the perfect male ambassador to Love Beyond Love.