It has been my desire for some time now to work on doing bio pieces of Muslims in our various communities. I decided to start with my own backyard here in Philadelphia and thus started the American Muslim Experience Project: Community Profile. It has allowed me to meet a vast array of very interesting people from all backgrounds. The above image is of Dr. Abdullah Ghandhistani. I will have an audio review and text to follow shortly. Enjoy,
Marc has an extensive background as an educator, having taught such diverse subjects as ESL, Arabic, and Islamic studies in both the Detroit area and now in Philadelphia. In 2008, he receive his certificate [ijāzah] in the rules of delivering the Friday sermon [ahkām al-Khutbah] from Imam Anwar Muhaimin of the Quba Institute. Marc now works as a public speaker and khatib in the greater Philadelphia area and many points East and West.
This is an excellent idea, Marc. I was just speaking with a Muslim colleague about the need for something like this. Peter Sanders has a beautiful exhibit documenting British Muslims (artists, musicians, scholars, doctors, scientists, activists, police officers, etc.), pointing out the Muslim threads in the fabric of British society. I think it would be worthwhile for an American Muslim photographer to do the same and disseminate some positive images of Muslims in the US.
Salaams, Rusha and thanks. I hope to continue this project, with a special focus on our elderly. Like other aspects of modernity, the elderly are often forgotten in this environment, which is youth obsessed. I hope to post the interview soon and follow up with another story.
Alhamdulillah, May Allah reward you for your effort.
Yes, I agree we have not properely dealt with our elderly. My wife is a cna and she has told me many horror stories. So perhaps you can help to draw attention to the issue, inshaAllah.
Also, it is immportant that we preserve the history of the Islamic enivornment in America. Are you familiar with Br. Nashid and Sis. Akanke’s project http://miracleinamerica.net? There might be some opportunities for you to collaborate with them inshaAllah.
One last thing any chance you can get a copy of the history on the International Muslim Brotherhood, that Dr. Ghandhistani wrote, for me?
Shaykh Nasir Ahmad who founded the International Muslim Brotherhood in 1949 in Philadelphia and Shaykh Saeed Akmal was one of the founding members of Muslim Association of Southern California in 1954 were both students of Ustez Muhammad Ez Al Deen (his spelling, though others spell it Ezaldeen),
I’ve been researching Ustez Ez Al Deen for a few years now and would love to read Dr. Ghandhistani’s perspective. inshaAllah
@Abu Usamah,
Wa ‘alaykum salaam. Thanks for the info. The Miracle In America project looks very interesting. I will try to do another follow up interview with Dr. Ghandhistani soon and see if he has some parts of that manuscript available.
As salamu alaikum Br. Marc,
I love your website and what you are doing for Islamic history here in the US. My name is Tahara Akmal, one of the granddaughters of Sheikh Saeed Akmal whom Abu Usamah al-Aswad mentioned. I’m looking forward to learning more about your projects. May Allah reward you generously for your work.