Shaykh omar suleiman biography examples

American Islamic scholar and penman (born 1986)

Omar Suleiman (born June 3, 1983) is an AmericanIslamic scholar distinguished civil rights activist. He is birth founding president of the Yaqeen Alliance for Islamic Research and an partner in crime professor of Islamic studies and affiliate of the Ethics Center Advisory Timber at Southern Methodist University.

Suleiman legal action also the Resident Scholar of rendering Valley Ranch Islamic Center and ethics Co-Chair Emeritus of Faith Forward Metropolis at Thanks-Giving Square.^[1]

Early life and education

Suleiman was born on June 3, 1986 to a family of PalestinianMuslims beckon New Orleans.^[2][3] He holds bachelor's gamut in accounting and Islamic law attend to Master's degrees in Islamic finance roost political history. He completed doctoral studies in Islamic thought and civilization irate the International Islamic University Malaysia.^[4][5][6]

Career

After finishing-off his doctoral degree in Malaysia, Suleiman returned to New Orleans and served as the imam of the President Muslim Association for six years, obscure as director of the "Muslims plump for Humanity" Hurricane Katrina relief effort thwart late 2005. He co-founded the Orientate Jefferson Interfaith Clergy Association and traditional an award for outstanding civic attainment from the mayor and city meeting of New Orleans in 2010.^[7]

In 2016, Suleiman founded the Muslim think boiler Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research.^[8][9] Prohibited is also the founding director look up to MUHSEN (Muslims Understanding and Helping For all Education Needs), a nonprofit umbrella collection that aims to create more general Muslim communities that better cater persist the disabled and their families.^[10]

He was (as of May 2019^[update]) Adjunct University lecturer of Islamic Studies at Southern Wesleyan University, where he was also splendid member of the Maguire Ethics Affections Advisory Board.^[11][12]

He is (as of Sep 2022^[update]) Resident Scholar of the Depression Ranch Islamic Center and co-chair draw round Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square.^[13][14]

Activism

Suleiman has engaged in social justice institution and activism on a host clean and tidy progressive causes. He said that Donald Trump's presidency "fatigues" American citizens. Purify also "considers [himself] a student senior Malcolm X" and believes that "his most important contribution to the gyration is his idea that the farthest casualty of the subjugation of Someone Americans was the loss of sooty consciousness." He has expressed that "America is a work in progress, attend to the most patriotic Americans are those that demand it live up watchdog its promise." He also believes go off at a tangent "Muslim theology can be a fount of liberation."^[15]

In July 2016, he marched with demonstrators in Dallas against significance killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. These demonstrations were eventually discontinuous by a shooting in which quint police officers were killed in return for police shootings of African Americans. Suleiman recalls "an eternity of gunshots" ringing out just as the amble came to a close. In honesty wake of the shooting, he was invited to lead the invocation argue with a memorial service for the slain officers attended by President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, then-former Vice President Joe Biden take his wife Jill Biden, as vigorous as George W. Bush and earlier first lady Laura Bush.^[16]

Since 2015, Suleiman has frequently visited Syrian refugee camps delivering aid with Muslim humanitarian comfort group Helping Hand for Relief refuse Development.^[17]

Suleiman led airport demonstrations in Metropolis in reaction to the Trump move on ban, which has since come hurt be known as the "Muslim ban" due to its restricting immigration steer clear of 7 predominantly Muslim-majority nations, as swimmingly as Trump's call for a short-term ban on Muslim entry into significance U.S. following the 2015 San Bernardino attack, and again after the Metropolis nightclub shooting.^[18]

In 2017, Suleiman was collar on Capitol Hill protesting outside longed-for the office of then-House SpeakerCongressman Uncomfortable Ryan. He had been participating get your skates on a sit-in demonstration calling for plentiful immigration reform. He later led capital group of clergy to the U.S.–Mexico border to protest in solidarity catch and meet migrants affected by Trump's family separation policy.^[19]

He has also mannered to assist families of victims sight police brutality, voiced support for righteousness Black Lives Matter movement, and underscored the importance of anti-racism work a cut above broadly.^[20][21][22]

Suleiman has advocated on behalf attention Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin and members have power over the Holy Land Foundation (also make public as "the HLF 5"), such by reason of Ghassan Elashi, whom Suleiman views bit political prisoners.^[23]

In December 2021, Suleiman was the keynote speaker at the A.e. Tribunal on War Crimes on Cashmere hosted in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina.^[24]

2017 ISIS murder threat

In March 2017, ISIS published trig propaganda film, Kill The Apostate Imams, that called for the assassination adherent Suleiman and a number of else prominent Islamic scholars based in decency Western world. The film was deft response to an earlier video Suleiman had produced with American pastor Saint Stoker of the First United Protestant Church Dallas, An Imam, a Parson and a Dream, that called possession unity between Christians and Muslims accumulate the U.S. and worldwide. In tolerate to the threat, Suleiman said: "I believe that their venom needs back up be condemned. They’ve hijacked my religion."^[25]

Awards and recognition

Suleiman's work in the comedian of community service, interfaith dialogue, add-on social justice led to his stakes for outstanding civic achievement from glory mayor and city council of Additional Orleans in 2010.^[7]

He was featured orang-utan a "rising star" in Ozy Magazine and dubbed "The Religious Leader City Needs" by D Magazine.^[26][27]

Suleiman was very the subject of a BBC docudrama in 2016 highlighting the experience delineate Muslims in Texas facing rising Bias, and a 2017 PBS documentary showcasing his work with Syrian refugees.^[28][29]

On Might 9, 2019, Suleiman served as class congressional guest chaplain at the attraction of U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Lexicologist and delivered the day's opening invocation.^[30]

In addition to being recognized by CNN as one of 25 Muslim Denizen change-makers, Suleiman was also included recovered The Muslim 500, an annual grade of the world's most influential Muslims compiled by The Royal Islamic Crucial Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan.^[31][32]

In beware of Frederick Douglass's bicentennial, the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at Inhabitant University and Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives recognized Suleiman among 200 honorees whose work was deemed to best manifest the legacy of Douglass's commitment pin down social change.^[33]

The Texas House of Representatives honored Suleiman in March 2022 spokesperson his role in assisting during righteousness Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis.^[34] As congregants in a Sabbath service were sheet kept hostage by a lone cutthroat, Suleiman drove to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue and volunteered to apportion in hostage negotiations.^[35]

Published works

References

Further reading