#004: The All-American Journey of the People's Imam w/ Imam Zaid Shakir - a podcast by Baraka Blue

Imam Zaid shares his journey and offers his thoughts on the current anti-Muslim political climate in America.

One of Americas most prominent Imam's shares his journey growing up in a segregated south; a youth of political activism and spiritual seeking; serving in the armed forces where he converted to Islam; attaining degrees in Political Science & International Relations; serving an inner city congregation in the middle of the crack epidemic; traveling overseas for nearly a decade to study with some of the world's most prominent Muslim scholars and spiritual masters in Syria & Morocco; then returning after 9/11 to co-found one of America's most prominent Muslim institutions, Zaytuna College.

Zaid Shakir is co-founder and senior faculty member of Zaytuna College and also serves on its Board of Trustees. In 1983, while at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ., he co-founded the New Brunswick Islamic Center formerly Masjid al-Huda. In 1987, he settled in New Haven, CT., and continued his community activism co-founding Masjid Al-Islam. Zaid Shakir moved to Hayward, California to serve as a scholar-in-residence and lecturer at Zaytuna Institute in 2003. He co-founded the Lighthouse Mosque, Oakland, CA. in 2007. He co-founded Zaytuna College in 2009, where he now teaches Islamic law and history. Zaid Shakir is one of the signatories of A Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding. Known to the world as Imam Zaid, he has authored numerous articles on a wide range of topics, becoming a voice of conscience for American Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Recently, he was ranked as “one of the western world’s most influential Scholars The 500 Most Influential Muslims, edited by John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin, (2009).

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