Harvard supports the Noor Kids Story!

The Noor Kids story started in December 2010 when Mohammed and I reflected on the challenges we've faced growing up as a Muslim in the United States. If you recall, headlines last December were overflowing with negative messages towards Muslims due to plans to build a mosque in New York City. During the discussion, our older sister, Shireen, proudly announced that insha’Allah we would soon become uncles as she would be delivering a child!

In the excitement, we concluded that while our experience as Muslims growing up in the United States was challenging, it would certainly be more difficult for Muslim children to grow up in the current environment. At that point, we decided that it was our responsibility, as capable and motivated Muslim-Americans, to play a role in brightening the picture of little Muslims in North America!

We quickly started looking into a host of solutions and realized that Noor Kids has the ability to brighten the lives of little children all around North America. Through our characters - Amin, Shireen, Asad, and Amira - we could engage a new generation of little Muslims all around North America with Islamic education, Muslim culture, and Islamic integration.

We put together our ideas and pitched it to the Harvard Business School. Out of the 87 applicants, they selected Noor Kids as an initiative that they would sponsor. In doing so, they provided our team with excitement and motivation as they helped us turn our dream into reality!

We are a team of two brothers (Amin Aaser, 23 and Mohammed Aaser, 26) who aspire to help Muslim-American children build confidence in their faith. The two of us grew up in Minneapolis, MN and understand the challenges we face in practicing our faith. Over the last three years, Mohammed and I have both played an active role in our local Islamic Center, teaching high school students on navigating the Western world.

Mohammed came up with the initial idea for Noor Kids and is currently managing much of the marketing and technology associated with the initiative. He recently graduated with Honors and Distinction from the Harvard Business School with a Master’s in Business Administration. Prior to graduate school, he worked as a Management Consultant with McKinsey and Company. He completed his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, majoring in Marketing, Supply-Chain Management, and Management Information Systems.

Amin is the author for Noor Kids. In addition to creating the activity books, Amin also works on the marketing and strategy for the team. Like Mohammed, Amin also completed his undergraduate studies with High Honors and Distinction from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, majoring in Finance, Marketing, and Supply-Chain Management. He currently works at General Mills as a Financial Analyst.

Petshopbox Studio are our illustrators. Alhumdulillah, we've been able to find a group of talented and motivated Muslim illustrators who are as passionate about Noor Kids as we are. Through their assistance, we are able to bring the concept of Noor Kids to life!