Shaykh Yasir Qadhi, a popular Muslim speaker, author and instructor for the AlMaghrib Institute, will be joining MPAC in Los Angeles on Saturday, Dec. 17 its annual convention addressing "Spring Forward: America's Role in a Changing World."

An Islamic theologian and scholar, Qadhi is a prolific author on Islam and is most well-known for his works "Du'a: The Weapon of the Believer," "An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qu'raan" and "Riyaa: Hidden Shirk."

Qadhi, who speaks often on Islamic groups transitioning to democracies, is a leading thinker on issues relating to reform while preserving the authentic traditions of Islam. He currently is an instructor at the AlMaghrib Institute where he lectures on Islamic theology, as well as Prophet Muhammad's life and tajweed (recitation of the Quran). He also is an expert on the impact of shariah on future democracies, the relationship of shariah and the civil state.

Qadhi, who was born in Houston, went to high school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he graduated as valedictorian of his class. He continued his education with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Houston and a bachelor's and master's degree in Arabic from the University of Madinah's College of Hadith and Islamic Studies. After 10 years in Saudia Arabia, Qadhi returned to the U.S. and is teaching in the Religious Studies Department of Rhodes College in Memphis. He also is currently completing his doctorate in Islamic studies at Yale University.

Qadhi's vast experience with movements and Muslims in transition will be a great asset to the Convention discussion, as Muslims worldwide are on the precipice of great change. 

Learn more about Yasir Qadhi:

Watch: "History of Islam in America: Whither and Where" about the Muslim American community's need to understand the time and place we currently live

-- Miriam Baha
(miriam@mpac.org)
Communications Intern