About W

---

Summary in Arabic:

وسام شرف الدين مفكر وناشط تربوي واجتماعي ومؤلف ورجل أعمال ومهندس عربي أمريكي. وهو حاصل على درجة الماجستير في هندسة البرمجيات من جامعة ميشيغان ديربورن ، وهو خبير الأتمتة في دابليو للتصميم والتنمية والتطوير. وهو أيضًا مسؤول المشاركة الأسرية والاجتماعية في المنطقة التعليمية الخاصة التابعة لمؤسسة حمادة. وهو شاعر باللغة الإنجليزية منشور له ثلاثة أعمال: الأراجيح المعاكسة ، وأوراق التسلق ، وآلام، بالإضافة إلى عمل فانتازماغوريا يسمّى سِفر باريس. كما أنه مؤلف كتاب الدولة العربية المنتظرة… مشروع الكونفدرالية المنتظر للعالم العربي، و كتاب إرشاديات وهو اثنتا عشرة نظرية في تجديد الفكر الإسلامي لحركة إرشاد. وسام هو أيضًا رائد أعمال تجارية ومشاريع كثيرة وشارك في تأسيس العديد من المنظمات غير الربحية كإرشاد، ومسلمش، والمركز العربي الأميركي للثقافة والفنون، والندوة للفكر الحر، ومنتدى الحوار الإسلامي، واتحاد الإعلام العربي الأميركي، والصالون الثقافي في ليفونيا . بالإضافة إلى خلفيته الأكاديمية ، لديه خلفية واسعة في الدراسات الإسلامية والنشاط الإسلامي ، والتاريخ العربي وقضايا الهوية العربية.ـ

---

Long Bio – General:

Wissam Charafeddine is originally from the city of Tyr in Lebanon. He is born in 1976 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and today lives in the City of Dearborn, Michigan, in the United States of America and hold the United States Citizenship.

Wissam has an Associate Degrees in Liberal Studies and Fine Arts from Henry Ford Collge, Minor in English Literature, and Bachelors Degrees in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering from Wayne State University, and a Masters Degree in Software Engineering from University of Michigan – Dearborn. He also has extensive Islamic Seminary studies, coding, business development, and Arab and Islamic History.

Wissam has worked as a Testing Engineer at SIEMENS Automotive before moving on found his own cellphone accessories distribution company, First Wireless X. The venture expanded to a conglomerate of brands under W Distributions. Wissam was a member of Leadership and Team Development, were he was mentored by financially successful gurus on self-development and financial freedom. In 2015, W Distributions was sold, and Wissam started W Institute and W Design and Development. As a hyper entrepreneur, Wissam is continuously founding new ventures and businesses, and have invested in real-estate, App Development, education, and founded recently W Network as an online direct selling platform for groceries and home supplies.

Wissam also has extensive involvement in activism and non-profit sector. He  was the founder of Halakat Imam AlBaqir, an Islamic Studies Institute in Dearborn where he taught, among other teachers, various topics in Islamic studies. He was a co-founder of the Muslim Scouts of Michigan, Islamic Monitor Action Network, Islamic Unity Magazine, and was a member of various organizations, among which were the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic House of Wisdom, and Amnesty International. Mr. Charafeddine co-founded IRSHAD (the Institute for Religious Studies, Humanities, and Dialogue) in 2005. IRSHAD is an organization that seeks free coexistence between human beings and the aspiration for building a better life centered around the well being of humanity. IRSHAD is a reform movement that calls for freedom of belief and expression, and a less literal interpretation of Quran. 

In 2012, Wissam helped found Muslimish, an organization that strives to create a safe, supporting, and open-minded environment for the exchange of thoughts and ideas among current and former Muslims; to foster a pluralistic society that respects the rights of all individuals to live according to their conscience; and to abolish blasphemy and apostasy laws across the globe.

In 2015, Wissam founded the Dearborn Blog, and Dearborn Open Mic, which evolved to help found the Arab American Center for Culture and Arts (AACCA) in 2017. In 2018, Wissam help found AlNadwa Freethinking Society, and is board member of the American Educational Foundation.

Wissam founded the WesleyandWilly.com and the Podcast called Wesley and Willy in 2018, Forum for Islamic Dialogue in 2019, and Arab Humanists in 2020.

Wissam has published three collections of English Poetry under the titles: The Opposite Swings, Climbing Leaves, and Pains. He also is the author of the Arab State, published in 2021. Wissam also is has prepared, produced, and presented the Arab Identity Podcast series in 2020 in English and Arabic, which continues to run today.

He is also the author and publisher of the W Planner, now in its 4th edition as of 2020, a self-development and personal manager one year paper planner.

Wissam is an expert on Islamic Studies, the Great Arab Revolt, and modern Islamic and Arabic Cultural matters. He is also an Optimization, Social Media Marketing, self-development and Business Development expert.

He is a father of three, enjoys sailing, reading, writing, meditation, water coloring, and travel.

For more information or for contact information: wissamc.com.

---

Long Bio (Muslimish):

Wissam Charafeddine, was born in United Arab Emirates from Lebanese parents. He attended the Islamic Hanbaly Educational Institute and graduated with a diploma in Islamic Shariah. After the first gulf war, His family immigrated to the U.S. and he became an American Citizen in 2004. He completed Associate Degrees in Fine Arts and Liberal Studies from Henry Ford Community College, a Bachelor’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Wayne State, and a Masters in Software Engineering from University of Michigan Dearborn. During his academic studies, Wissam continued to study and give lectures on Islamic Shariah through distant-study programs with Hawzah of Ahlulbait in Qum, Iran, and with local scholars. Mr. Charafeddine was the founder of Halakat Imam AlBaqir, an Islamic Studies Institute in Dearborn where he taught, among other teachers, various topics in Islamic studies. He was a co-founder of the Muslim Scouts of Michigan, Islamic Monitor Action Network, Islamic Unity Magazine, and was a member of various organizations, among which were the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic House of Wisdom, and Amnesty International. Mr. Charafeddine co-founded IRSHAD (the Institute for Religious Studies, Humanities, and Dialogue) in 2005. IRSHAD is an organization that seeks free coexistence between human beings and the aspiration for building a better life centered around the well being of humanity. IRSHAD functions in its Islamic branch as a reform movement that calls for freedom of belief and expression, and a less literal interpretation of Quran. In 2008-2009, Mr. Charafeddine, while researching to write an article about Islam and Evolution, found new understanding of science, and adapted a new understanding of life based on it. The article was never finished, but a new intellectual journey started. Mr. Charafeddine co-founded Muslimish in 2012, which is an organization that seeks to create an environment for support and dialogue among  questioning Muslims, and fight for the freedom of expression and against blasphemy laws around the globe. Wissam Charafeddine is also the founder of Dearborn Blog, and cofounder Arab American Center for Culture and Arts in 2018, and Forum for Islamic Dialogue in 2020. Mr. Charafeddine works in the field of Educational administration, and he is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of W Design and Development and W Institute.  He is the author of The Opposite Swings, Climbing Leaves, and the W Planner.  In his free time, he enjoys Sailing, Poetry, reading, music and traveling with his 2 daughters and son.

---

Short Bio (HES/Education):

Wissam Charafeddine is a Family Engagement and Community Liaison for Hamadeh Educational Services serving HES Academies and CEO of W Design and Development. He is an Optimization Expert, educator, writer, entrepreneur, engineer, non-profit executive, born in UAE, and lived in Lebanon, Canada, and the US, has a Masters in Software Engineering, with other degrees in Fine Art, Liberal Studies, English Literature, and Islamic Studies. Wissam is a published poet, author of The Opposite Swings, Climbing Leaves, and also published 4 editions of the W Planner, a self development personal planner. He is the founder of Dearborn Blog, and W Institute, and cofounder of the Institute for Religious Studies, Humanities, and Dialogue (IRSHAD), Muslimish, Arab American Center for Culture and Arts, Freethinking Society, and most recently the Forum for Islamic Dialogue.

---