Author: James

January 8,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

RIDGEWOOD NJ,  Noted Muslim scholar Imam Zaid Shakir will deliver remarks addressing the theme, “Together in Hope,” as The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee of Ridgewood and Glen Rock marks the 35th year of its annual celebration of Dr. King’s life and legacy. Sounds nice but what does Islam have to do with Martin Luther King Day and the struggles of black Americans to gain equality ?

The community is invited to attend this free event, which will take place on Monday, January 16 at the Ridgewood United Methodist Church, 100 Dayton St., in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

We are told ; Imam Zaid Shakir, widely regarded as one of the most influential Muslim scholars in the West, will be the guest speaker during an interfaith worship service beginning at 10 a.m. The morning service will be followed by an outdoor rally at 11:30 a.m. and a community lunch at 12:15 p.m. The program will also feature Ridgewood and Glen Rock student speakers and musical performances by the Indian Hills Chamber Choir and Men of Umoja chorus.

“Imam Zaid Shakir is a highly respected voice on Islam and African-American issues and a leader in the emergence of a uniquely western Islamic tradition,” said committee co-chair Alice Newton. “At a time when civil rights issues dominate the headlines, we welcome his insights and inspiration as we share Dr. King’s hopeful message of finding common ground and working together to create positive change.”

A native of Berkeley, California, Imam Zaid Shakir is co-founder, trustee and a faculty member of Zaytuna College, the first Muslim liberal arts college in the United States. He accepted Islam in 1977 while serving in the United States Air Force, and co-founded and served as Imam of Masjid al-Islam in New Haven, Connecticut from 1988 to 1994. He was also an adjunct professor of Political Science and Arabic at Southern Connecticut State University until his departure for Syria to further his studies in the traditional Islamic sciences. Imam Zaid Shakir returned to the U.S. in 2001 and later moved back to California, where he co-founded Zaytuna College in Berkeley in 2009. He is a writer and a sought-after lecturer on African-American issues and Islam in the American context.

A little research turns up some interesting side notes  ; Shakir, 54, was born Ricky Mitchell. He converted to Islam in 1977 while serving in the U.S. Air Force. A Berkeley native, he graduated from American University and received a master’s in political science from Rutgers University, where he says he was active in South African divestment campaigns.https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/501.pdf

An examination of Shakir’s writings and speeches, however, shows a man prone to conspiracy theories that veer toward extremism. Though his speaking style often is elliptical and rambling, and many of his points are not clearly defined, Shakir expresses doubts about who was responsible for 9/11 and other terrorist attacks. He defends terrorist groups such as Hizballah and hopes for a day in which America is a Muslim country ruled by Islamic law. Shakir also has a long record of portraying the United States as an evil force in world affairs. American society “is sinful and constitutes open rebellion against Allah,” he says.10 Shakir also suggests that Muslims could “take over” the United States if they were better organized.https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/501.pdf

Shakir has questioned whether Muslims bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, and raises questions about the official 9/11 narrative. He emphatically argues that 9/11 has been used as a pretext to target Islam in America.https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/501.pdf

In his writings and speeches, Shakir often depicts the United States as an evil force in world affairs. It is a nation born through genocide that wages wanton slaughter during wartime. “I believe that the U.S. war machine is the single greatest threat to world peace,” he wrote in November 2009. And on numerous occasions, Shakir suggests that there is no moral difference between terrorist attacks targeting civilians and civilian deaths resulting from U.S. military actions such as World War II and the current conflict in Afghanistan. https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/501.pdf

Not the way we would be honoring Doctor Martin Luther King . Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs
The annual Ridgewood/Glen Rock Martin Luther King Jr. celebration began in 1983 in an effort to unite area residents, regardless of faith or ethnic background, in worship and action as they work towards peace and justice for all. More than 20 religious groups, local government and civic organizations participate in and support the event each year. For more information contact Alice Newton at 201-951-9903; email [email protected]; or visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Glen Rock/Ridgewood, N.J. on Facebook.