THE RISALA FOUNDATION
Bringing Houston to Life
Ustadh Usama Canon
Founding Director of Ta’leef Collective and maintains an active role in various facets of outreach and education, concentrating on issues facing Muslim youth, assisting converts, and developing support systems for Muslim ex-offenders.
Visits in August 2010, October 2010, March 2011, August 2011 and February 2012
Past Speakers
Risala Foundation takes special care to understand the unique needs of Houston and brings scholarship that raises the discourse in the Muslim community. Our programs aim to unite, not divide; to inspire, not discourage.
We are proud to have worked with these esteemed teachers in the past:
Ustadh Yahya Rhodus
Full-time instructor at Zaytuna College and pursuing a Masters Degree in Islamic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Conducts seminars with institutes such as the Deen Intensive Foundation and offers on-line instruction through SeekersGuidance and teaches at Ta'leef Collective.
Visits in August 2010 and January 2011
Imam Suhaib Webb
A contemporary American-Muslim educator, activist, and lecturer whose work bridges classical and contemporary Islamic thought, addressing issues of cultural, social and political relevance to Muslims in the West. His website, www.SuhaibWebb.com, was voted the best “Blog of the Year” by the 2009 Brass Crescent awards.
Visits in November 2010 and November 2011
Shaykh Alaeddin ElBakri
Khateeb at Saratoga Masjid in the Bay Area and also teaches for the Ta'leef Collective. Founding board member of IMAN (Inner City Muslim Action Network). Focuses on helping Muslims develop a deep understanding of the self, life and faith.
Visits in February 2011, August 2011 and March 2012
Imam Tahir Anwar
Imam of one of the oldest masjids in the country, the Islamic Center of San Jose. Head of the Islamic Studies Department and a instructor at Granada Islamic School. Serves on the Human Relations Commission for the County of Santa Clara and Zaytuna College's Management Committee. He frequently leads groups to the Hajj.
Last Visit in October 2011
Dr. Muneer Fareed
Scholar and thought-leader of the Muslim community in North America. Member of the Fiqh Council of North America, the premier Islamic legal authority in the United States and Canada. Co-founder, Core Scholar, and member of the Board of Trustees of the American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM).
Last Visit in July 2011
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Last visit in July 2011
Imam Khalid Latif
Executive Director and Chaplain (Imam) for the Islamic Center at New York University (NYU) - first Muslim chaplain at NYU. Nominated chaplain by Mayor Bloomberg for the New York City Police Department. Named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world in 2010 by Georgetown University's Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding. WATCH THE VIDEO
Last visit in December 2011
Haroon Moghul
Executive Director of The Maydan Institute and previously served as Director of Public Relations at the Islamic Center at New York University (NYU). Maintains a popular blog, Avari, which won several Brass Crescent Awards, including wins for Best Muslim Blog, Best Thinker and Best Writing.
Last visit in December 2011
Click HERE for a list of past events.
Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah
Chair and scholar-in-residence of the Nawawi Foundation. Scholar and author. Presently completing a second work entitled Roots of Islam in America: A Survey of Muslim Presence in the New World from Earliest Evidence until 1965 and is also updating his dissertation for publication.
Last Visit in December 2010
Ash-har Quraishi
Emmy Award-winning television journalist, writer, photographer and filmmaker with more than a decade of international, investigative, long-form reporting and production experience. Producer of Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football.
Last visit in December 2011
Basma Babar-Quraishi
Co-founder of Quraishi Productions, LLC, a production company she started with her producing partner and husband, Ash-har Quraishi. Together, they co-produced Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football. Along with producing the film, Babar-Quraishi wrote segments of the film and coordinated production.
Last visit in December 2011
Eli Clifton
National security reporter for ThinkProgress.org. Previously reported on U.S. foreign policy for Inter Press Service, where he served as deputy Washington bureau chief. His work has appeared on PBS/Frontline's Tehran bureau, The South China Morning Post, Right Web, Asia Times, LobeLog.com, and ForeignPolicy.com.
Last visit in November 2011
Shaykh Naeem Abdul Wali
Teacher of the Islamic disciplines who has taught in the United Kingdom, Western Europe, United States, Canada and Australia. Resides in Houston, Texas and is the resident scholar at the Sunna Institute.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
Co-Founder & Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zaytuna College. Has traveled all over the world giving talks on Islam and has established an international reputation for presenting a classical picture of Islam in the West which is dedicated to the revival of traditional study methods and the sciences of Islam.
Visit in May 2012
