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Muslim Speaker/Author Biographies
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Abdullah, Abu
Ally, Shabir
Alshareef , Muhammad
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Basyouni, Waleed
The sheikh is a frequent guest speaker at Universities, Conventions, Radio Talk Shows, Television, Interfaith meetings, and community centers nationally and internationally. He is also a member of the North American Imam Federation (NAIF), Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA)-Fatwa and Research Committee, Director of Texas Dawah Convention, and Advisor to numerous Islamic Societies/Organizations around the US. Shaykh Waleed Basyouni graduated with a Bachelors in Islamic Sciences from Al-Imam Muhammad University, KSA; did his Masters in Islamic Theology, World Religions and Modern Religious Sects from Al-Imam Muhammad University; and is currently working on his PhD Coursework in Theology. He is also an instructor at the American Open University in Alexandria, VA, USA, and serves as, the Imam of Clear Lake Islamic Center, Houston, TX, USA. Shaykh Waleed has Ijaazahs in reciting the Holy Quran and in several books of Hadeeth, awarded by various scholars. He studied under great scholars time such as Shaykh Ibn Baz, Abdul-Razzaq Afify and others. (last updated 10/08)
Birjas, Yaser
Yaser Birjas is originally from the holy land of Palestine and was born in Kuwait. He graduated as class valedictorian with the highest honors from University of Madinah's College of Shariah (Fiqh and Usul) in 1996. He had the honor to interact and learn from a number of highly respected scholars such as Shaikh Ash-Shanqitee and Shaikh Al-Uthaimeen (rahimahu Allah). After graduating from the University of Madinah, Yaser Birjas went on to work as a youth counselor and relief program aide in war-torn Bosnia. Thereafter, he immigrated to the U.S. where he is presently an Imam (spiritual leader and advisor) at The Islamic Center in El Paso, Texas. He is also an instructor at AlMaghrib Institute, an organization that provides trademark double-weekend seminars leading its students towards a bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies. His two most recent courses of instruction with AlMaghrib Institute are The Code Evolved: The Evolution of Fiqh, which focuses on learning the historical development of Islamic law; and the Fiqh of Love: Marriage in Islam which deals primarily with the etiquettes of engagement and marriage as well as the means of developing a deeper, more fulfilling and loving relationship with one's spouse. (last updated 10/08)
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Chowdhury, Tawfique
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Dannoun, Bilal
Davids, Ismail
Dhafir, R
Dremali, Ibrahim
Sheikh Ibrahim Abdelrahman Dremali was born to the late Sheikh Abdelrahman Dremali. He is the eldest of 4 brothers and 6 sisters, all of whom studied Qur’an and Fiqh under the wing of their father. Sheikh Ibrahim graduated from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology, and a Masters degree and PhD in Sharia (Islamic Law) with a specialization in Fiqh (Jurisprudence). After coming to the United States in 1989 he continued his studies in Geology, earning a Masters degree in Geology from Florida Atlantic University and a PhD in Geology from Florida International Univerisity. He served as the Principal of Dar ul-Uloom Institute in Pembroke Pines, Florida for 5 years and as the Imam of the Islamic Center of Belle Glade. In 1998 he co-founded the Islamic Center of Boca Raton in Florida, where he was the Imam for 7 years, and Garden of the Sahaba Academy in 2003 where he taught Qur’an and Karate. He has over 20 years experience as a Geologist and taught college level Geology and Oceanography courses for 7 years. He is currently the Imam of the Islamic Center of Des Moines and the Principal and Qur’an teacher of New Horizons Academy in Iowa. He holds a 3rd degree black belt and teaches Karate to the students at New Horizons Academy. He is also professor at the American Open University and a professor at Drake University. Sheikh Ibrahim is a member of the permanent Fatwa Committee for the Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA) and an advisor for the American Muslim Association of North America (AMANA). (last updated 10/08)
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Edrees, Waleed
Estes, Yusuf
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Fazaqa, Yassir
Yassir Fazaga is an inspiring, multi-lingual speaker sought-after from USA through Canada to the Middle and Far East. He was born in Eritrea in Northeast Africa and moved to the United States at the age of 15; has a Bachelors Degree in Islamic Studies from the Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in Virginia; has completed all coursework for his Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from the California State University of Long Beach; is currently undertaking his Masters in Theology at Loyola Marymount University. He serves as the Religious Leader of the Orange County Islamic Foundation (OCIF) in Mission Viejo, California. He is involved as a therapist at FACES, where he helps families with different challenges in life which include: domestic violence issues, communication problems, marital matters, generational gap, difficult teens, some mental and personality disorders, divorce, grief, and single parenting, among others. Yassir Fazaga has taught the Arabic language and Islamic Sciences for the past 8 years and has taught Islamic courses on Scriptural Exegesis, and Islamic financial contracts for American Open University. Yassir leads the OCIF youth group in many of their educational, spiritual and recreational activities and participates on behalf of the Orange County Islamic Foundation in many outreach and interfaith events. Sheikh Yassir Fazaga has done numerous interviews about Islam on television news stations and radio stations around the globe. He speaks on Islam and related topics for conferences, churches, high schools, colleges and universities. He serves on the Advisory board of the Islamic Studies program at Claremont Graduate School; is listed on "Who is Who among America's Teachers" where the best students choose their best teachers and was recently featured on the Today Show on "spirituality in America". Will be Co-Hosting weekly WISELIVING TV program. Sheikh Yassir Fazaga has this charismatic ability to instantly connect with audiences, through his lucid wit and profound wisdom, his timely humor and the warmth that his presence exudes. (last updated 10/08)
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Gibreel, Muhammad
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(al) Hajj, Hatem
Hasan, Sobaib
Hashim, Qari
Hingoro, Samira
Hosein, Imran
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Ibrahim, Yahya
Idrees, Jafaar
Idrees, Yousuf
Islam, Yusuf
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Khalil, Hassan
Khan, Safi
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(el-) Mekki, Kamal
Mamdouh Mohamed
Dr. Mamdouh N. Mohamed, is a professional instructional designer with a rich and varied experience of 25 years in teaching and training. Born and brought up in Cairo, Dr. Mohammed has a Ph.D. in instructional design and technology from the well-respected School of Education, at George Mason University. He has worked as a teacher in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and the US. He is a author of several books on Islam and on Arabic and has published articles all over the world. (last updated 10/08)
Mohamed, Mamdouh
Muhammad, Abdulkhabeer Muhammad
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Philips, Bilal
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Qadhi, Yasir
Yasir Qadhi was born in Houston, Texas and completed his primary and secondary education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. After completing a diploma in Arabic, he graduated with a B.A. from the College of Hadith and Islamic Sciences. Thereafter, he completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology from the College of Dawah. His published works include Riya'a: The Hidden Shirk, Du'aa: The Weapon of the Believer, and An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'an. Yasir Qadhi is currently pursuing his doctorate, in Religious Studies, at Yale University in New Haven, CT. At AlMaghrib Instiute he teaches the Light of Guidance and the Light Upon Light seminars, which focus on aqeedah. (last updated 10/08)
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Rajab, Isam
Shaikh Isam Rajab graduated from Madina University with a BS in Islamic Studies. He has 2 ijazas for memorizing the entire Quran and has an ijaza from the Prophetic Masjid in Madina in The Inheritance System in Islam. He also has a MA in Islamic Studies and is a PhD candidate at Al-Azhar University in Egypt. He has worked as an Imam for 5 years in Kuwait and 2 years in Albuquerque, NM. He is the Founder of Arees Institute and Foundation and is also currently Imam for Masjid Hamza (Mission Bend) in Houston. (last updated 10/08)
Ridley, Yvonne
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(Abdul) Samad, Abdul Basit
Shubaily, Y
Swaidan, Tariq
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(al-) Timimi, Ali
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Wahhaj, Siraj
Imam Siraj Wahaj, Imam of Masjid 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, currently the Imam of Masjid Al-Taqwa in Brookyn, New York, 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 1989-1993. 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 patrol in Brooklyn, New York in 1988. Imam Siraj Wahhaj is originally from New York. (last updated 10/08)
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Yasin, Khalid
Shaykh Khalid Yaseen is what is known as a da'ee, this basically means a person who speaks publicly about the Islamic faith in order to invigorate the spiritual and moral conscience of listeners, or to educate and inform people about the Islamic faith.
Born in Brooklyn, during the changing 50's amongst a background of civil rights, struggle for freedom and equality has always been well trained to speak out in times of inequality. Never accepting that anything came without hard work and firm resolve, he was able to seek a living, an education and most importantly be guided to the truth in spite of his surroundings.
Separated from his family at an early age and placed in foster homes he experienced 'the full buffet' of Christianity and felt that he needed something more simple and clear to inspire him. As many of the young Afro-American population did, first was introduced to Islam by the Black Nationalists; but made all the wiser for the defection of Hajj Malik Al-Shabaz.
Lecturing all around the world, he was able to train extensively in Qur'an, Islamic legislature and Arabic in Madina and Cairo; although never accepting more recognition then he is due and only ever admitting to be a 'student of a student of knowledge'. The opinion of Khalid Yasin is that knowledge, which is easily acquired is least valued and most in need of explanation - he recommends those who seek knowledge to 'ask those who know'. Shaykh Khalid is, at current setting up and running 'the purpose of life centre' in Shirecliffe, Sheffield; an oasis of learning and community activity in a scenic setting in the heart of Sheffield. Members of the local and wider community are welcome at the centre on the weekend for an introduction, or a cup of tea with a resolve to improve links within the community and to offer a place of training, guidance or reflection. (last updated 10/08)
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Zarabozo, Jamal
Sh. Jamaal Zarabozo is an internationally known writer and speaker who has lectured in North America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He is the author, translator, and co-author of many books, including:
- Commentary on the Forty Hadith of Al-Nawawi (3 Vol. Set)
- How to Approach and Understand the Quran
- A Guide for the New Muslim
- The Fiqh of Marriage in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah
- The Friday Prayer
- Al Fatiha in Depth (CD Set)
Non-Muslim Speaker/Author Biographies
Andreas, Joel
Joel Andreas began following his parents to demonstrations against the Vietnam War while in elementary school in Detroit. He has been a political activist ever since, working to promote racial equality and worker's rights inside the United States and to stop U.S. military intervention abroad. After working as an automobile assembler, a printer, and a civil engineering drafter, he completed his doctoral degree in sociology at the University of California in Los Angeles, studying the aftermath of the 1949 Chinese Revolution. He now teaches at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. ADDICTED To WAR is Joel's third illustrated exposé. He wrote and drew The Incredible Rocky, an unauthorized biography of the Rockefeller family (which sold nearly 100,000 copies) while a student at Berkeley High School in California. He also wrote another comic book, Made with Pure Rocky Mountain Scab Labor.
Bugliosi, Vincent
Vincent Bugliosi received his law degree in 1964. In his career at the L.A. County District Attorney’s office, he successfully prosecuted 105 out of 106 felony jury trials, including 21 murder convictions without a single loss. His most famous trial, the Charles Manson case, became the basis of his classic, Helter Skelter, the biggest selling true-crime book in publishing history. Two of Bugliosi’s other books—And the Sea Will Tell and Outrage—also reached #1 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. No other American true-crime writer has ever had more than one book that achieved this ranking. His latest book, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, has been heralded as “epic” and “a book for the ages.”
Bugliosi has uncommonly attained success in two separate and distinct fields, as an author and a lawyer. His excellence as a trial lawyer is best captured in the judgment of his peers. “Bugliosi is as good a prosecutor as there ever was,” Alan Dershowitz says. F. Lee Bailey calls Bugliosi “the quintessential prosecutor.” “There is only one Vince Bugliosi. He’s the best,” says Robert Tanenbaum, for years the top homicide prosecutor in the Manhattan D.A.’s office. Most telling is the comment by Gerry Spence, who squared off against Bugliosi in a twenty-one-hour televised, scriptless “docu-trial” of Lee Harvey Oswald, in which the original key witnesses to the Kennedy assassination testified and were cross-examined. After the Dallas jury returned a guilty verdict in Bugliosi’s favor, Spence said, “No other lawyer in America could have done what Vince did in this case.”
Bugliosi lives with his wife, Gail, in Los Angeles.
Cooper, Scott
Scott Cooper is a principal and chief financial officer of an international planning and design firm and a member of the local school board. He has been a teacher, basketball coach, scout leader, and Boys and Girls Club volunteer. He lives in Petaluma, California with his wife and three children.
Huebner, Dawn
Dawn Huebner, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in Exeter, New Hampshire, specializing in the treatment of children and their parents. She is the author of "Sometimes I Worry Too Much, But Now I Know How to Stop", and is currently at work on a guide to help children overcome negativity.
Huntsman, Jon
Jon Huntsman is chairman and founder of Huntsman Corporation. He started the firm with his brother Blaine in 1970. By 2000, it had become the world's largest privately held chemical company and America's biggest family owned and operated business, with more than $12 billion in annual revenues before going public in early 2005. He was a special assistant to the president in the Nixon White House, was the first American to own controlling interest of a business in the former Soviet Union, and is the chairman of th Board of Overseers for Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater. Mr. Huntsman also served on the boards of numerous major public corporations and organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Red Cross. The Huntsman businesses fund the foundation that is the primary underwriter for the Huntsman Cancer Institute, a leader in the prevention, early diagnosis, and humane treatment of cancer. He resides with his wife Karen, in Salt Lake City, Utah, where his eldest son, Jon Jr., was elected governor in 2004. All royalties for this book go to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
Moore-Mallinos, Jennifer
Paul, Dr. Ron
Congressman Ron Paul is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. He is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Dr. Paul is the “one exception to the Gang of 535” on Capitol Hill.
Ron Paul was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine, before proudly serving as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s. He and his wife Carol moved to Texas in 1968, where he began his medical practice in Brazoria County. As a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, Dr. Paul has delivered more than 4,000 babies. He and Carol, who reside in Lake Jackson, Texas, are the proud parents of five children and have 18 grandchildren.
While serving in Congress during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. Paul’s limited-government ideals were not popular in Washington. In 1976, he was one of only four Republican congressmen to endorse Ronald Reagan for president.
During that time, Congressman Paul served on the House Banking committee, where he was a strong advocate for sound monetary policy and an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve’s inflationary measures. He was an unwavering advocate of pro-life and pro-family values. Dr. Paul consistently voted to lower or abolish federal taxes, spending and regulation, and used his House seat to actively promote the return of government to its proper constitutional levels. In 1984, he voluntarily relinquished his House seat and returned to his medical practice.
Dr. Paul returned to Congress in 1997 to represent the 14th congressional district of Texas. He presently serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He continues to advocate a dramatic reduction in the size of the federal government and a return to constitutional principles.
Congressman Paul’s consistent voting record prompted one of his congressional colleagues to say, “Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers’ ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are.” Another colleague observed, “There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles. Ron Paul is one of those few.”
Brief Overview of Congressman Paul’s Record:
He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.
Verdick, Elizabeth & Lisovskis, Marjorie
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