Islamic seminary in US to bridge religion-culture gulf
Jun 28, 2006
The Straits Times
EVERY seat in the auditorium at the University of Houston was
taken. The two American-Muslims onstage spoke in Arabic, with
flawless accents.
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, 48, and Imam Zaid Shakir, 50, are converts to
Islam and had spent years in the Middle East and West Africa.
The two men are creating the first Islamic seminary in the United
States where they hope to train a new generation of imams and
scholars who can reconcile Islam and American culture. The
California seminary, called the Zaytuna Institute, is in its
fledgling stages.
Sheikh Yusuf believes that if more Muslims were schooled in Islam's
diverse intellectual streams and had a holistic understanding of
it, they would not be so susceptible to the message that suicide
bombers are martyrs.
Though the two do not denounce any particular school of thought,
their students say they are challenging the sometimes intolerant
influence of sects such as Wahhabism and Salafism.
Sheikh Yusuf and Imam Shakir teach that Islam is open to a
diversity of interpretations and to beware of 'fanatics' who pluck
Islamic scripture out of context and say: We are going to tell you
what God says on every issue.
'That's not Islam,' Sheikh Yusuf says. 'That is psychopathy.'
Hundreds of Muslims come to Zaytuna for classes on Prophet
Muhammad, the Quran and the Arabic language. There is also a female
scholar who teaches only women. -- NEW YORK TIMES