Imam Zaid Shakir - COMING TO ALIM SUMMER!

Imam Zaid Shakir was the second of seven children and was born in Berkeley, California in 1956. His childhood was spent in Atlanta, Georgia until the fourth grade, when his family and he moved to New Britain, Connecticut. Much of his youth was spent in housing projects, which lent Imam Zaid invaluable experience. Following graduation from high school, Imam Zaid pursued his higher education starting at Central Connecticut State University. His academic life was put on hold after only a year due to a tragic death within his immediate family.

In 1976, Imam Zaid enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he continued his education. It was during this time, in 1977, that Imam Zaid accepted Islam. Following finishing his term in the Air Force, Imam Zaid enrolled at the American University in Washington, DC. In 1983, Imam Zaid obtained his BA in International Relations with Honors from American University, and subsequently obtained an MA in Political Science from Rutgers University.

Following this, Imam Zaid took time off to learn Arabic in Cairo, and upon his return to the States took a position as lecturer in Political Science at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven Connecticut. During his time as a lecturer, Imam Zaid also assumed position of Imam at Masjid Al Islam. Imam Zaid left academia in 1994 when he set out for Syria in order to further his studies in Arabic and the Islamic Sciences. In Syria, he completed a formal Islamic Studies Program at the College of Islam Studies and Arabic in conjunction with being traditionally trained in the Islamic Sciences. Though most of his time was spent in Syria, Imam Zaid also studied Islamic Sciences traditionally in Morocco. Upon return to the States in 2001, Imam Zaid reassumed the position of Imam in Masjid Al Islam in New Haven, Connecticut, as well as working as a lecturer on Islam, Politics of the Middle East, and African-American issues.

Imam Zaid is not only an accomplished artist and published poet, but also has contributed extensively to several Islamic publications. He has made various television appearances such as Lou Gosset, Jr.’s “Story of a People, and Bill Moyer’s “Now”. He has also translated a number of works including Adab li Hamala al Qur’an (Etiquettes for the Recitation of the Qur’an) and Al ‘Ulama’ Waratha al Anbiyya’ (The Scholars are the Heirs of the Prophets). Imam Zaid has taught a variety of subjects at the ALIM program previously including Community Development and Contemporary Issues. Imam Zaid now resides in California with his family and is working as a teacher at the Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California.
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