About Us

Imam Refai is our Imam at ICCP. He served in Connecticut as Imam of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford for the past 8 years, in addition to performing
duties as the Deputy Chaplain of the Connecticut State Legislature. He has wide exposure to Islamic law and sharia education, and has followed
courses at and been associated with the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Al-Balqaa’ University in Amman, and studied under various scholars in
Fez and Damascus.

He will oversee the Sunday School and guide  Interfaith, Youth, Young Professionals, Seniors’ and Sisters’ programs, as well as several other initiatives he is passionate about, insha’Allah.

Dr. Tarek Elgawhary is our scholar-in-residence. He studied Islam and comparative religions at both Princeton University and al-Azhar Seminary. He covers all matters relating to Islamic jurisprudence and leads Jumu’ah prayers, alternatively. He leads our weekly Halaqa series on Islamic Spirituality and covers a wide range of themes including the Sirah. Dr. Tarek conducts an open forum relating to questions from the community and is closely associated with our Interfaith outreach. He is the creator of the Making Sense of Islam platform, where he discusses issues related to Islam and mindfulness.

Qari Anas Benzari, Head of Qur’an Recitation. He is a Hafiz of the Quran, having memorized the Quran; is an expert in Tajwid (rules of recitation), and Tarteel (manner of recitation). He has won several awards in Quran Recitation in Morocco and in international competitions. He conducts classes in our Sunday School and guides other teachers and their assitants. He is the Imam for our regular daily prayers and conducts Tarawih prayers in Ramadan.