NEW HAVEN>> Join Register Community Engagement Editor Shahid Abdul-Karim and The Nation’s Mosque leader, Imam Talib Shareef for a community conversation on “The Struggles of Being Muslim in America: Culture, Religion and Identity,” from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 31, at the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology, or ConnCAT, 4 Science Park.
Abdul-Karim will moderate the conversation.
ConnCAT Director of Programs Genevive Walker said the conversation is timely.
“It is a fundamental necessity for us to engage in conversations that enlighten us about the impact of our lack of knowing,” said Walker.
“This conversation with Imam Talib Shareef, focusing on the struggles of Muslim identity in America, allows us to contend with the privilege many of us are unaccustomed to claiming: the privilege of being the conventional dominant group in some sphere,” she said. “We are honored to create and provide a platform for dialogue that promote courageous conversations that are rich with opportunities for learning and action, while being relevant to the struggles of the people in our community.”
The Oct. 31 conversation is open to the public and Shareef will take questions after the discussion.
Shareef is a retired chief master sergeant of the U.S. Air Force and president of Masjid Muhammad (The Nation’s Mosque) in Washington, D.C.
Shareef has a master’s in business administration from American Intercontinental University and a diploma from the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University. He is a graduate of 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.
For more information about the conversation contact Walker at 203-823-9823. Reach Abdul-Karim at 203-680-9343.