Board of Advisors

Imam Zaid Shakir:

Iman Zaid is amongst  the most  respected and influential Muslim scholars in the west. Born in Berkeley, California, the second of seven children he accepted Islam in 1977 while serving in United States Air Force. He then obtained a BA with honors in International Relations at American University in Washington D.C. and later earned his MA in Political Science at Rutgers University, where he emerged as an active leader in campus activities, helping to revive the Muslim Student  Association, co-leading a successful South African divestment campaign, and co-founding a local Islamic center, Masjid al-Huda. After a year in Cairo, Egypt studying Arabic, he settled in New Haven, Connecticut and continued his tireless community activism, co-founding Masjid al-Islam, the Tri-State Muslim Education Initiative, and the Connecticut Muslims Coordinating Committee. As Imam of Masjid al-Islam from 1988  to 1994 he speared-headed a community renewal and grassroots anti-drug effort in the local neighborhood, and taught as 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. For seven years in Syria and briefly in Morocco he immersed himself in an intense study of Arabic, Islamic law, Quranic Studies,  and Islamic spirituality with some of the top Muslim scholars of our age. In 2001, he graduated from Syria's prestigious Abu Noor University and returned to Connecticut to continue his work with the Muslim community in America. Teaching regularly as the Imam of Masjid al-Islam, writing numerous articles for various magazines, journals and newspapers, and lecturing frequently at many of America's largest Muslim Conferences and conventions, he soon emerged as one of the most popular and sought after American Muslim leaders. Among several works that he has translated from Arabic into English, his translation of "The Heirs of the Prophets" was published by Starlatch Press in 2001. In 2003, he moved to Hayward, California with his family to serve as a scholar-in-residence and lecturer at Zaytuna Institute where he now teaches regular courses on Arabic, Islamic Law, History and Islamic Spirituality. He has since lectured at many of the Bay Area's top universities, including Stanford and U.C Berkeley, and is a frequent speaker at local Muslim events. He is widely regarded as an articulate voice on Islam and African-American issues and as a visionary leader in the emergence of an Islamic community and traditional and that is indigenous to America.

John Bowen, PhD:

I teach at Washington University in St.Louis, where I am the Dunbar - Van Cleve Professor in Arts & Sciences and Professor of Anthropology. I teach courses to undergraduates and graduates in social theory, religion and ritual, and legal and religious pluralism. For years I have directed the University's Program in Social Thought & Analysis; this year I change  hats and together with many f my Washington University colleagues begin directing a new project, the International Initiative in Pluralism,  Politics, and Religion. Through the "PP&R" initiative, we hope to create an international network for teaching our students and for carrying out collaborative research. I would like an advanced undergraduate or graduate student to be able to spend a semester working with colleague in France or India on a thesis or dissertation, and to have our faculty and faculty from several key international institution begin collaborating on research, with visits in both directions. We have developed ties with several institutions in Europe and Asia. In my research, with visits in both directions. We have developed ties with several institutions in Europe and Asia. In my research, I study problems of pluralism, law, and religion, and in particular contemporary efforts to rethink Islamic norms and law in Asia, Europe and North America. My most recent book on Indonesia is Islam, Law and Equality in Indonesia: An Anthropology of Public Reasoning (Cambridge, 2003). After the recent tsunami disaster in Asia, I have begun working with Indonesian colleagues on an orphanage project for the province of aceh, where I carried out most of my fieldwork. You can read a recent Post- Dispatch story I did on Aceh at our university web site (http://www.wustl.edu/). My current work on Islam, social norms, and jurisprudence in France is reflected in two recent articles, "Does French Islam Have Borders?" (American Anthropologist, March 2004) and "Muslim and Citizens" (Boston Review, March 2004). I write and teach on religion and society more generally, and the  3rd edition of my textbook, Religions in practice (Allyn & Bacon) just appeared. These and other articles are available on my website (hhtp://artsci.wustl.edu/jbowen/). I am completing work on two new books. One will be called why the Drench Don't like Headscarves, and should appear from Princeton in 2006. In it, I try to explain the recent law in France against students wearing religious signs in public schools. The second is Islam across cultures, and it should arrive from Cambridge i 2006; it will explore Islamic practices across contemporary societies. My other current project concern the efforts of Muslim public intellectuals to fashion a form of Islam best suited to France.

Aamir A.Rehman, MBA :

Aamir A. Rehman is an expert in global corporate strategy and author of Dubai & Co.Global Strategies for Doing Business in the Gulf States (McGraw-Hill, 2007). He was formerly Global Head of Strategy for HSBC Amanah, a business unit of the world’s third largest bank serving over 300,000 customers in major markets worldwide. As an advisor to Fortune 500 and other leading businesses, Aamir has helped develop strategies for multinationals across the globe, including the United States, Europe, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the broader Middle East. Aamir and a team of colleagues are currently establishing a principal investment firm focused on the emerging markets of the Gulf, the MENA region, and Asia. Previously a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, he holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School, a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College. A native of Staten Island, New York, Aamir lives in New York City. His ongoing management commentary can be found at http://www.rehmaninstitute.com and can he be reached at aamir.rehman@rehmaninstitute.com.

Dr. Ahmed Bangura:

Ahmed Bangura is the chairman of the Ihsan Foundation for west Africa, a Muslim charity that funds educational, health and relief project in west Africa. He is also an associate professor of Modern languages at the University of San Francisco.