|
Hamza Yusuf
Hamza Yusuf was born
in Washington State and raised in Northern California. In 1977,
he became Muslim and subsequently traveled to the Muslim world
and studied for ten years in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi
Arabia and Africa. He received teaching licenses in various Islamic
subjects from several well-known scholars in various countries.
After ten years of studies abroad, he returned to the U.S. and
took degrees in Religious Studies and Health Care. He has traveled
all over the world giving talks on Islam. He also founded Zaytuna
Institute which has established an international reputation for
presenting a classical picture of Islam in the West and which
is dedicated to the revival of traditional study methods and
the sciences of Islam. Shaykh Hamza is the first American lecturer
to teach in Morocco's prestigious and oldest University, the
Karaouine in Fes, Morocco. In addition, he has translated into
modern English several classical Arabic traditional texts and
poems. (Quoted from the Zaytuna Institute website)
Siraj Wahhaj
Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Imam
of Masjid at-Taqwa in New York, is well known among Muslims in
North America as a dynamic speaker and tireless supporter of
Islamic causes. Imam Siraj Wahhaj accepted Islam in 1969. He
received Imam training at Ummul Qura University of Makkah in
1978 and has gone on to become a national and international speaker
on Islam. Imam Wahhaj has been Vice President of ISNA U.S. since
1997 and has served on Majlis Ash-Shura since 1987. He is a past
member of ISNA's Planning Committee and has served as a member
of the Board of Advisors for NAIT from 1989 to 1993. He is also
a member of the Board of Advisors for the American Muslim Council.
Imam Wahhaj has appeared on several national television talk
shows and interviews especially about his anti-drug campaigns.
He received high praises from the media and NYPD for initiating
anti-drug patrols in Brooklyn, New York in 1988. Imam Siraj Wahhaj
is originally from New York. (Quoted from www.ImamSirajWahhaj.com)
Abdullah Hakim Quick
Abdullah Hakim Quick was born in the United States of America
and accepted Islam in Canada in 1970. He pursued his study of
Islam at the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia where
he graduated and received an Ijaza from the College of Da'wah
and Islamic Sciences in 1979. He later completed a Masters Degree
and a Doctorate in African History at the University of Toronto
in Canada. His thesis was an analysis of the early life of Sheikh
'Uthman Dan Fodio, a great West African Scholar, Mujaahid and
social activist. Shaykh Abdullah has served as Imam, teacher
and counselor in the USA, Canada and the West Indies. For three
years he contributed to the religious page of Canada's leading
newspaper. He has traveled to over 51 countries on lecture, research
and educational tours. Presently he is a senior lecturer on the
history of Islam in Africa at The International Peace University
South Africa in Cape Town and a member of the Muslim Judicial
Council, Cape Town, South Africa. Shaykh Abdullah is also the
Director of the Discover Islam Centre (Cape Town) and Ameer of
the Dawah Coordinating Forum of South Africa. Today's world is
in need of innovative rethinking based on original, authentic
sources. Dr Abdullah Hakim provides an example of this new, progressive
thinking. (Quoted from www.Hakimquick.com)
Mokhtar Maghraoui
Mokhtar Maghraoui received
his Islamic education in Algeria before coming to the U.S. and
received his PhD in electrical engineering from Syracuse University.
He has served as an imam in the state of New York and is a Central
Shura Member of the Islamic Circle of North America and a member
of the Scholars Council of North America. He is a former member
of the Fiqh Council of North America and is an active participant
of interfaith trialogue with Jewish and Christian communities
in the capital district of New York State.
Muneer Fareed
Muneer Fareed is the
Secretary General of ISNA, the Islamic Society of North America.
Dr. Fareed was an associate professor of Islamic studies in the
Department of Near Eastern and Asian Studies at Wayne State University
in Detroit, Michigan. His fields of interest include Qur'anic
studies, Islamic legal reform and Islam in the modern world.
To his credit, he has several journal articles, a monograph entitled
"Legal Reform in the Muslim World", and translations
of classics of the Islamic world, including the Síra Nabawiyya
of Ibn Kathir, The Muqaddima of Ibn Saláh, and 'l-Itqán
fi 'Ulúm 'l-Qur'an of Suyúti. He received a diploma
in Arabic Language and Literature from King Abdul Aziz University
in Mecca, and the Ijáza in Classical Islamic Studies from
Dár al-`Ulúm, Deoband, and a doctorate in Islamic
Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Since the
1980s he has served the American Muslim community in various
capacities, including imam and scholar-in-residence for the Muslim
community in metropolitan Detroit. (Quoted from www.isna.net)
Hakim Archuletta
Hakim Archuletta has
worked within the healing arts profession for over 30 years.
His interest in medicine and natural health and the study of
God's Creation began as a child. His first formal studies were
in the Fine Arts which he studied in the 60's in Berkeley where
his expertise ranged from graphic arts to theater, cinema and
ethnomusicology. He studied homeopathy and apprenticed with Dr.
John Damonte in London in the early 70's. He continued these
studies in Berkeley apprenticing with homeopathic doctors and
working with the first Homeopathic Study group there. He continued
his studies in the Middle East, England and North Africa in the
mid 70's. In 1978, Hakim went to Pakistan at the invitation of
Hakim Mohammad Said of the Hamdard Foundation and studied there
with various Hakims (traditional Islamic doctors) supported by
grants from the Bawani Trust. His main teacher was Hakim Taqiuddin
Ahmad at the Nizami Dawakhana, where he also learned Pharmacy
in the Unani tradition. There he earned the title of "Hakim".
Returning to the Americas in 1980, he began teaching students
privately and established a Family practice clinic in Santa Barbara,
California. He has conducted and taught study groups for homeopathy
in Santa Barbara, California, Taos, Abiquiu, and Los Alamos,
New Mexico for professional and lay persons. He began extensive
work as counselor, consultant and Hakim/Homeopath in Abiquiu,
New Mexico and by traveling nationally for over ten years. This
also included workshops on communication and community consensus
building including special focus on youth. He has worked with
young people for many years and taught science on a high school
level for six years in a very "hands on" method and
worked on curriculum that is age appropriate and spiritually
based in science for young people. More recently he began to
focus on trauma and was trained in the methods of Dr. Peter Levine
and others. Today he lectures and teaches classes and workshops
nationally. He has conducted workshops and lectured at University
of California Berkeley, Harvard, Wellesley, Stanford, UCLA, University
of Houston and many others. He addressed and led the New Mexico
State Congress in opening prayers after 9/11, writes, reads and
organizes poetry readings. He has students and patients across
the world. This bio was quoted from www.HakimArchuletta.com
Ako Abdul-Samad
Author, photographer, and counselor, Ako Abdul-Samad has impacted
the lives of thousands of individuals and families for over three
decades. As the CEO/Founder of Creative Visions Human Development
Center in Des Moines, Iowa Ako has established this non-profit
organization and serves as the senior executive officer. Ako
has also established and directed business functions which include
Employment Assistance and Support Services, Healthcare Management,
Community Development and Advocacy, and consultancy on Culture
& Diversity Education. Ako has recently published his first
book, "A Deeper Truth, Revelations of the Soul", a
collection of poems depicting personal experiences and events
within his own life's journey and journey's of those he has encountered.
In 2004, Ako was awarded the National Caring Award, the Caring
Institute seeks to identify, honor and reinforce the activities
of particularly caring Americans; those who enable the human
race by transcending themselves in service to others by dedicating
the better parts of their lives to helping those in need. They
have created solutions where others have despaired of finding
answers. The power of Ako's example inspires a new standard of
social responsibility. (Quoted from: www.CitizensForAko.com)
Rasha al-Disuqi
Dr. Rasha al-Disuqi is
a west coast based author, researcher and lecturer. She has lectured
extensively in the U.S. and Canada, and has attended the United
Nations Conference on Women and the Family in Beijing, China.
Her pursuit for knowledge ranged from Cairo University to Cincinnati
to the United Kingdom where she earned a PhD in Islamic Studies
from the University of Wales. Dr. al-Disuqi has taught English
and Islam at the university level for more than 15 years. She
has lectured on "Islam in America" at California Polytechnic
State University and has published many articles in international
and local journals. She is the author of the best-selling book
"The Resurgent Voice of Muslim Women".
John Esposito
John L. Esposito is University Professor, Professor of Religion
and International Affairs, Professor of Islamic Studies and Founding
Director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian
Understanding at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown
University. Esposito specializes in Islam, political Islam from
North Africa to Southeast Asia, and Religion and International
Affairs. His more than thirty books include "Unholy War:
Terror in the Name of Islam", "The Islamic Threat:
Myth or Reality?", "Islam and Politics, Political Islam:
Radicalism, Revolution or Reform?", "Islam and Democracy"
(with J. Voll). A former president of the Middle East Studies
Association of North America and the American Council for the
Study of Islamic Societies, he is currently a member of the World
Economic Forum's Council of 100 Leaders, the High Level Group
of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations and President of the Executive
Scientific Committee for La Maison de la Mediterranee's 2005-2010
project, "The Mediterranean, Europe and Islam: Actors in
Dialogue." Esposito is a recipient of the American Academy
of Religion's 2005 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding
of Religion and of Pakistan's Quaid-i-Azzam Award for Outstanding
Contributions in Islamic Studies. He has served as a consultant
to the U.S. Department of State and to governments, corporations,
universities and the media. In 2003 he received the School of
Foreign Service, Georgetown University Award for Outstanding
Teaching. Esposito is widely interviewed or quoted in the media,
including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington
Post, CNN and network news stations, NPR, BBC, and in media throughout
Europe, Asia and the Middle East. (Quoted from the Georgetown
University website).
Munir El-Kassem
Munir El-Kassem was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1955 and was educated
at Al-Maqasid Islamic Institute. He was the top student to be
admitted in the Premedicine program at the American University
of Beirut. Following his migration to Canada, he continued his
studies at the University of Western Ontario earning a Masters
Degree in Medical Genetics thereafter joining the University
of Toronto to graduate as a dental surgeon in 1986. After spending
15 years in general practice, he joined the University of Western
Ontario as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Medicine
and Dentistry. Since his
arrival in Canada in 1976, Dr. El-Kassem has been very actively
involved in Islamic da'wah. He has visited a large number of
Muslim communities across Canada and the United States. He has
also participated in interfaith dialogue and appeared on numerous
radio and TV programs. He is also the author of many Islamic
books and a regular contributor to the London Free Press, writing
on a variety of issues from an Islamic perspective. Munir El-Kassem is currently a visiting
Imam at a number of Islamic Centres across Ontario, Canada. He
is also the Muslim Chaplain at the University of Western Ontario.
He is married and blessed with five daughters and one son.
(Quoted from www.IslamicCentre.ca)
Mohamed Magid
Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali came to the United States in 1987 and
is currently the Imam and Executive Director of the All Dulles
Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center in Sterling, Virginia. He
was born in Sudan, the son of a leading Islamic Scholar, who
was an Azhar graduate and the Mufti of Sudan. Imam Magid studied
at the hand of his father and other notable scholars, gaining
ijaza in several disciplines, including Ghazali's Ihya-Uloom-al-Deen.
His duties, as the Imam and Executive Director of the ADAMS Center,
include giving Jummah khutbahs and teaching classes in many aspects
of the Islamic Sciences. Imam Magid is in great demand for khutbahs
and lectures throughout the world. He is a passionate advocate
for, and a practitioner of, reaching out to our neighbors and
all citizens. Imam Magid is also well known as an effective communicator
to our youth and for work with other organizations and interfaith
dialogue. Imam Magid is also well known for his family counseling
expertise. (Quoted from www.isna.com)
Sulayman Nyang
Dr. Sulayman Nyang is a Professor of African Studies at Howard
University in Washington, D.C. He also serves as co-director
of Muslims in the American Public Square, a research project
funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Nyang has served on
the boards of the African Studies Association, the American Council
for the Study of Islamic Societies and the Association of Muslim
Social Scientists. From 1975 to 1978 he served as Deputy Ambassador
and Head of Chancery of the Gambia Embassy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Professor Nyang has written extensively on Islamic, African and
Middle Eastern affairs His best known works are Islam, Christianity
and African Identity (1984), A Line in the Sand: Saudi Arabia's
Role in the Gulf War (1995), co-authored with Evan Heindricks,
Religious Plurality in Africa, co-edited with Jacob Olupona,
and Islam in the United States of America (1999). Professor Nyang
has been a regular Faculty member of the Dar al Islam Teachers
Institutes for many years. (Quoted from www.daralislam.org)
Zaid Shakir
Imam Zaid Shakir, born in Berkeley, California, served as lecturer
in political science at Southern Connecticut State University
and Imam of Masjid al-Islam in New Haven, Connecticut. Since
1994, Imam Zaid has been rigorously pursuing traditional Islamic
knowledge, studying the sacred sciences in Syria and Morocco.
Imam Zaid now serves as full-time teacher and resident scholar
at Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California. (Quoted from www.Zaytuna.org)
Lisa Zaynab Killinger
Dr. Lisa Zaynab Killinger, is the Department Chair of Diagnosis
and Radiology at Palmer College of Chiropractic, and is the current
Secretary of the Muslim Community of the Quad Cities, her local
mosque. A community activist, Dr. Killinger is on the boards
of the local World Affairs Council, the Quad Cities Anti-Hate
Coalition and Progressive Action for the Common Good. She lectures
extensively on comparative religions, women's issues, and world
peace, often serving as a liaison between the Muslim community
and other community-based organizations. While Dr. Killinger
has conducted numerous seminars and workshops for her professional
and faith communities, her most important contribution is serving
as the mother of four children.
Abdal Hakim Murad
Abdal Hakim Murad graduated from Cambridge University with a
double-first in Arabic in 1983. He then lived in Cairo for three
years, studying Islam under traditional teachers at Al-Azhar,
one of the oldest universities in the world. He went on to reside
for three years in Jeddah, where he administered a commercial
translation office and maintained close contact with Habib Ahmad
Mashhur al-Haddad and other scholars from Hadramaut, Yemen.
In 1989, Abdal Hakim returned to
England and spent two years at the University of London learning
Turkish and Farsi. Since 1992 he has been a doctoral student
at Oxford University, specializing in the religious life of the
early Ottoman Empire. He is currently Secretary of the Muslim
Academic Trust (London) and Director of the Sunna Project at
the Centre of Middle Eastern Studies at Cambridge University,
which issues the first-ever scholarly Arabic editions of the
major Hadith collections. Abdal
Hakim is the translator of a number of works, including two volumes
from Imam al-Ghazali's Ihya Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the Religions
Sciences). He gives lectures and leads study groups from time
to time and taught the works of Imam al-Ghazali at the Winter
1995 Deen Intensive Program in New Haven, CT. He appears frequently
on BBC Radio and writes occasionally for a number of publications,
including The Independent, Q-News International (Britain's premier
Muslim Magazine) and Seasons (the semi-academic journal of Zaytuna
Institute). (Quoted from
www.masud.co.uk)
Alpha-Him Jobe
The late Imam Alpha-Him Jobe was widely known across Muslim communities
in North America for his taqwa, humility, knowledge and wisdom.
Born in Gambia, he was educated at Ummul Qura University in Mecca,
Saudi Arabia. He passed away in a car accident on May 30, 1997.
Actively aiding Muslim communities and Islamic organizations
across the continent, his works will continue to inspire generations
of Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, God-willing. May Allah grant
him Paradise.
Ahmad Sakr
Dr. Ahmad Sakr received his academic education at the American
University in Beirut and the University of Illinois where he
got his Ph.D. While in Lebanon, he got his Islamic education
through tutoring from the late Grand Mufti of Lebanon as well
as from a large number of Muslim scholars from neighboring countries.
While studying in America, he was
a founding member and president of the Muslim Students' Association
of the U.S. and Canada and also a founding member of the World
Council of Mosques, whose headquarters is in Makkah. He was also
the first director and representative of the Muslim World League
to the United Nations. Currently,
he is president of the Foundation for Islamic Knowledge, director
of the Islamic Education center in California, a member of Operation
Safe Community and of the Walnut Interfaith Council, and a board
member of the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America.
Additionally, he is a well known
writer who has written a series of books and booklets on Islam,
food, health, behavior, terrorism, fundamentalism, Khutab and
orations. He has written over 56 books and booklets, not including
the innumerable articles he has authored and published.
Dr. Sakr's approach is to build
a bridge of understanding through commonalities with Muslims
and non-Muslims. He once visited the Vatican in Italy where he
participated in a dialogue with bishops, cardinals and the Pope.
(Quoted from one of Ahmad Sakr's
books)
Jeffrey Lang
Dr. Jeffrey Lang is Professor of Mathematics at the University
of Kansas. He is an American convert to Islam and former atheist.
He is the author of two best selling works: "Struggling
to Surrender" and "Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam
in America". His most recent book is entitled "Losing
My Religion: A Call For Help".
Jamal Badawi
Jamal Badawi, PhD is a professor of management and religious
studies at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He
is a well-known author, activist and speaker on Islam who appears
often on TV and radio programs. He serves on the board of CAIR-Canada
and is also a member of the Fiqh Council of North America and
the European Council for Fatwa and Research, headed by Yusuf
al-Qaradawi.
Amal Ali
Sister Amal has conducted her graduate studies at the University
of Chicago on the acculturative coping strategies employed by
Muslim American youth as they attempt to reconcile conceptual
differences in their hyphenated identity. A long-time youth activist
herself, she served as Head Counselor at the Muslim Youth Center
in Bridgeview, Illinois for four years and organized youth programs
for IMAN (Inner-city Muslim Action Network) of which she was
a co-founder. Her experience in youth development ranges from
years of MYNA camp, MCC camp, MSA and more. She currently serves
as a full-time Youth Organizer for CIOGC, the Council of Islamic
Organizations of Greater Chicago.
Habeeb Quadri
Habeeb Quadri is the principal of the MCC Full Time School in
Morton Grove, IL. He has a Bachelor in Teaching of History and
a Masters in School Administration. In addition to his teaching
and administrative experience in public and private schools,
Habeeb has delivered dozens of lectures throughout the United
States, Canada and abroad on Islam, society, and social problems
confronting Muslim youth and the community at large. Additionally,
Habeeb maintains an active interest in education consulting.
He has started his own educational consulting company called
High Quality Educational Consulting in which he has partnered
with IQRA International Educational Foundation as a consultant.
He has conducted workshops for weekend and full-time Islamic
schools, public schools and universities around the world, delivering
insightful presentations on such topics as classroom management,
motivational techniques for students and faculty, curriculum
development, Muslim sensitivity training and overall educational
administration. He has co-authored a book entitled "War
Within Our Hearts: The Struggles of the Muslim Youth". (Quoted
from www.isna.com)
Janaan Hashim
Janaan Hashim is a native of Washington D.C. who was born to
an Iraqi father and American mother. Her involvement in Muslim
youth activities stems from her teenage years in the early 1980s.
Sister Janaan served as a high school journalism teacher and
also used her experience as a student leader in college, where
she was elected president of her student body, to help organize
and advise several student-led organizations. Janaan is a partner
at Amal Law Group, the nation's first law firm founded by Muslim
women, where she practices criminal defense and civil rights
law. She is also an adjunct professor at McCormick Theological
Seminary where she teaches a masters level course titled Religious
Pluralism and the Ministry. Janaan is also the Tuesday night
host of WCEV's Radio Islam program, spokesperson for the Council
of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, and serves as its
media relations co-chair. (Quoted from www.isna.com)
|