Radical Middle Way and The City Circle Present

A Conversation with Imam Johari Abdul-Malik

Black-American Muslim Leader & Chair of Government Relations, Muslim Alliance of North America

“I have never been a Muslim… am not a Muslim.” That’s what Barack Obama had to say after the “Muslim Smear” campaign seemed to damage his campaign earlier this year. But what if he was a Muslim? Would that be so wrong? How have American Muslims, particularly Black American Muslims, responded to Obama? With his call for change, Obama has captured the imaginations of people the world over. Is he really the one who can set America on a progressive new path – at home and abroad? With the economy in decline, Iraq in flames and the “war on terror” becoming a “war without end”, the eyes of Muslims the world over are on the results of Election 2008. Imam Johari Abdul-Malik will discuss these issues and more. 

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik is a scholar and Director of Outreach at the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center near Washington , D.C and former Muslim Chaplain at Howard University . He is the Head of the National Association of Muslim Chaplains in Higher Education and chair of government relations for the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), an organisation committed to addressing the social, economic, political and spiritual needs that especially impact African American and indigenous Muslims. MANA has brought together for the first time the most influential Black American Muslim leaders, scholars and activists onto one platform.