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Imam Talib M. Shareef, The Nation’s Mosque, Masjid Muhammad, Inc
Talib M. Shareef is President and Imam of the historic, Nation’s Mosque, Masjid Muhammad, in Washington, D.C., dating back to the mid-1930s. Imam Shareef, is a retired U.S. Air Force member with 30+ years of service; he has an MBA from American Intercontinental University, a Diploma from the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, and the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Arabic and Middle East studies. He is a student of the late Imam W.D. Mohammed, Muslim-American Spokesman for Humanity.
Imam Shareef served as Imam in five U.S. cities and seven military locations around the world. Under the high patronage of His Majesty Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco, Imam Shareef received the Kingdom’s highest Royal Medal and honor for his outstanding interfaith leadership. He participated in the signing of the Abuja Peace Declaration organized by the International Global Peace Foundation and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria. He was the first Imam with military service to open a session of the U.S. Congress with prayer. He led an interfaith delegation to Italy meeting with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Co-organized, spoke and led the historic first Islamic congregational prayer at the Washington National Cathedral. Invited and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to speak in several cities and meet with various local, national and international leaders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with emphasis on Human Rights, Islam in the U.S., Interfaith and combating terrorism. He offered the opening prayer on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King’s March on Washington; key speaker at former President George H.W. Bush’s Points of Light Conference’s Faith Summit; Spoke at the South African Embassy celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life; led historic delegation to and addressed over 500,000 in South Africa; Hosted Press Conference/Panel for Presidential Candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders at the Nation’s Mosque to address religious bigotry. Spoke at Sojourner Douglass College memorial honoring human rights activist, Coretta Scott King. He addressed the ills of Human Trafficking on Capitol Hill. One of the leading voices speaking out against terrorism and addressing countering violent extremism (CVE). Facilitated the CVE Forum at the Global Peace Convention in Manila, Philippines. He established the first Islamic Dietary Nutrition site for elderly members of all faiths in D.C. Councilmember for the National Summit on Non-Violence; member of the D.C. Mayor’s Interfaith Council and is President of the Interfaith Conference based in the nation’s capital.
Imam Shareef was honored to sit with and be recognized for his service by President Barack Obama at the White House Iftar; served as keynote speaker for the Pentagon and Homeland Security Iftars, co-initiated effort that led to the U.S. Military commissioning its first Islamic Chaplain; Islamic Representative on the National Coalition for Veteran Caregivers, Imam and Vice Commander of the National Muslim American Veterans Association (MAVA), Advisor to Global Peace Foundation USA; Served as U.S. Imam Speaker at the World Alliance of Religions for Peace in Seoul Korea, the Global Peace Conventions in South America and N. Ireland; and traveled with a special delegation to the Middle East for orientation on the Israeli-Palestinian Situation. He was selected Denver’s Spectrum Newspaper’s “Who’s Who” among African American Leaders, selected the Muslim Journal’s Imam of the Year Award, and his Mosque received the Golden Minaret’s Masjid of the Year Award, 2016. Recipient of the NAACP Roy Wilkins Leadership Award. Imam Shareef and wife, Tahirah, have three children, eight grandchildren, are custodial parents of three others and have fostered several children. Continue Reading
