Sidra Mahmood
Muslim Chaplain and MSU Advisor
sm45@williams.edu
Sidra Mahmood, or “Ustādha Sidra,” is the Muslim Chaplain at Williams and the MSU’s advisor. She grew up in Karachi, Pakistan. Sidra chose to adorn the hijab and practice Islam more consciously in college as an international student at Mount Holyoke College, where chaplains from various religious backgrounds supported her through her journey of faith and identity, heartbreak, and homesickness. However, the isolation of life as a young professional led her to a deep soul-searching to study at Qalam Seminary. She graduated with an ijāza or certification as a scholar, ālima, to teach Islam with a documented pedagogical chain of teachers to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Ustādha Sidra completed all four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Chaplaincy at Hartford International University. Sidra was a healthcare chaplain in Phoenix, Arizona, before moving to Williamstown in 2023 with her spouse, two cats, and baby, Maalik. She loves camping and hiking and is fascinated with the relationship between spirituality and a socially just world. Email her or click here to meet her for coffee or a walk, or come to her office for some tea! She enjoys one-on-one conversations and would love to know your story (of life)!
Firas Shennib
MinCo Advisor
fas1@williams
Firas Shennib ’15 is Assistant Director for Intergroup Relations and Inclusive Programming at the Davis Center and is the MSU’s Davis Center or MinCo advisor. While at the College, Firas was an active member of the MSU and taught for seven years at Peace Academy, a private, college-preparatory Islamic school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after graduating from Williams in 2015. Firas felt the isolation as a Muslim student when he first arrived at Williams, however, spaces such as the MSU and the Multicultural Center — which is now known as the Davis Center — enabled Firas to adjust to college life. Firas hopes to use what he learned while at the College to support MSU students in coordination with the Muslim Chaplain through their time here.