Teaching Artist, Wajiha Khalil 

Teaching Artist Wajiha Khalil, founder of Sacred Art Academy, has been immersed in the arts from a young age. 

She studied at NYU’s Gallatin School. During her time at NYU, she embraced Islam through the school’s MSA, which transformed her purpose and direction in life. After graduating, Wajiha set out on a journey to Syria to anchor herself in Islamic knowledge firsthand. She spent four years studying in Syria and Jordan, gaining sacred knowledge from scholars of Ahl Sunnah wa Jama’ah, both privately and at institutions like the University of Damascus and Mahad Al-Fath Al-Islami. She received ijazah in the recitation of the Quran according to Hafs an Asim from Shaykh Abdul Hasan al-Kurdi of Syria.

Upon returning to New York and starting a family, Wajiha began teaching in NYC in 2009. While homeschooling her young children, she became a natural art leader in youth co-ops, discovering a synergy between her Islamic studies and artistic skills. She continued teaching locally until 2020, when she expanded Sacred Art Academy’s reach online to a global audience.  Her classes reached hundreds of students, many who still keep in touch today.

An artist and poet at heart, Wajiha writes and performs poetry in praise of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at gatherings in her area. 

Wajiha currently serves as the Program Director at the Islamic Learning Center of NYC. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, three wonderful sons, and two adorable cats.