This is a blog post on Islamic Leadership I co-authored with Omar Usman (AKA Ibn Abee Omar). You can read the full article here.

The various hadith we find pertaining to leadership in Islam are more petrifying than they are encouraging. This fear may sometimes push the right people away. Leadership from an Islamic perspective requires at least four characteristics: 

1. Sincerity

2. Required knowledge for the position

3. The ability to influence and persuade. 

4. A personality that is not easily swayed (fickle). 

If those that have religious grounding and God consciousness keep avoiding positions of leadership in our community, the leadership conundrum will never resolve itself. 

Leadership requires questioning your intentions, being in the service of the people you lead, and continuing to grow your skill set. Abu Bakr (ra) did not feel ready for the position he was walking into, but what a formidable leader he was when he passed away.  

This was an event hosted by Yaqeen Canada remembering the death of the 6 people killed in the Quebec City Mosque attack in 2017. My presentation was an overview of Islamophobia in Canada. I’ve updated my slides since the presentation which you can view here.

You can also view the whole presentation which includes myself and the following:
1- Dr. Salam El-Majzoub talking about the Pscyhological Impact of Islamophobia.
2- Imam Ibrahim Hindy talking about Countering Narratives to Islamophobia.
3- Mustafa Farooq talking about Quebec secularism and Bill C-21.

The video can be viewed here.

The amazing journalist Nadim Roberts did a cover story on me for the Walrus Magazine called: “Peace be Upon You” you can read it here.