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What Influencial American Muslim Scholars and Teachers Are Saying About the Election

I accumulated some responses to the election and candidacy of Obama by influential mainstream American Muslim scholars and teachers. Click on the paragraph headers to visit the sites.

Imam Zaid Shakir
Imam Zaid has been very outspoken throughout the election with deep analysis of Obama and American politics. This is an article written after the election results. After reading this a brother sent Imam Zaid a message criticizing his optimism on an Obama administration and this is Imam Zaid Shakir’s Response.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi
This is the response from Shaykh Yasir Qadhi of Al-Maghrib institute who is no stranger to well thought out analysis of American Islam.

Shaykh Yaser Birjas
Though Shaykh Yaser Birjas was not born an American, he has since made America his home and has shown great concern for important US social ills.

Imam Anwar al Awlaki
Anwar al Awlaki was a highly active Texan native but has since made his home in Yemen where he still closely follows American politics.

Hamza Yusuf Video at Isna 2008
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is very active in the US as well as internationally though I could not find anything that he has said regarding Obama directly. This is the closest that I could get to some kind of commentary.

Imam Suhaib Webb
This is Imam Suhaib Webb’s take. He is an American Muslim convert who studied Islam at al-Azhar University in Egypt and has recently joined forces with the al-Maghrib Institute as an instructor (Thanks to HK for this one.)

manoffewwords

An Interview with Imam Zaid Shakir. Hillary, Obama and the Clash of Civilizations

Many of his students refer to him as the "new Malcolm X for Muslim Americans." Trying to obtain an interview with the "new Malcolm" requires persistence, patience, and several callbacks. "He had an unexpected speech, can we re-schedule?" "Sorry, he's completely booked for the next week. Can you all call again?" "O.K., he can squeeze in some time at 9 a.m., can you do that?"

Imam Zaid Shakir, an African American convert to Islam and one of the most influential and popular Muslim American religious scholars, commands a rock star following: legions of enthralled and inspired Muslims filling rooms to standing only capacity waiting to hear his words. It represents a fascinating and dynamic phenomenon illuminating the resurgent identity of an educated, spiritual, religious and political Muslim American identity emerging from the post 9-11 era. Shakir, a student of the civil rights era and an educated scholar of political science and traditional Islamic jurisprudence, casually interjects tidbits of political theory, economic reform, critical race theory, Arabic, traditional Islamic philosophy and religious didacticism within his rhetoric.

I was lucky to talk to the highly sought scholar for an honest, informative and in depth discussion on "the Clash of Civilizations," the 2008 presidency, religious extremism, and an emerging Muslim American identity.

http://www.counterpunch.org/wajahat02022008.html