Abdul Malik Mujahid is an American Muslim imam and also a producer, author, and non-profit entrepreneur. He was born in Pakistan in 1951. Mujahid has been selected eight times as one of the "World's 500 Most Influential Muslims".
He is the founding president of Sound Vision which was established in 1988 in Chicago. It is a non-profit organization which develops Islam-related content for the international news media to develop inter-faith peace and understanding. He is also the executive producer of Chicago's radio talk-show program Radio Islam. Abdul Malik Mujahid, a local Chicago Muslim leader and founder of Soundvision and Radio Islam, was recognized here at an annual event in 2016 for his achievements by the Chicago Muslim community organization, The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.
International interfaith movement
Mujahid has been active with the interfaith movement since the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions was revived. He has addressed the Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, Barcelona, Spain and Melbourne, Australia. In November 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions elected him as chairman. Abdul Malik Mujahid chaired the international 2015 Parliament in Salt Lake City which was attended by 11,000 people from 50 religions and 80 countries.
He has served on the Independent Task Force on Civil Liberties and National Security by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York from 2006-2009. He also served on the independent task force of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs on the civic and political integration of Muslim Americans. This task force's report, Strengthening America: The Civic and Political Integration of Muslim Americans, was issued on June 26, 2007 calling for Muslims and non-Muslims to work together to create full and equal opportunities for Muslim Americans to participate in American civic and political life.
Campaign Against Terror, War and Hate
Imam Mujahid has consistently challenged the extremists' perspectives through critiques rooted in Islamic sources. Condemning terrorist attacks on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, he wrote, "one cannot avenge the prophet who banned revenges." Speaking on Fox News', the O'Reilly Factor, he again condemned the terrorists but also questioned why Muslims who had saved the lives of Jewish Parisians and a Muslim policeman who was slain in the Paris attack were not being celebrated by the media.
Imam Malik Mujahid on a regular basis provides thinking and talking points to Imams and community leaders on various issues including on how to deal with issues related to news of terror attack and sample press release/statements of condemnation. While condemning terrorism, Imam Mujahid also asserted that American Muslims are more peaceful than other Americans communities. However, he wants the Muslim community to do more than just condemn terrorism. In frustration, he coined a phrase "condemning terrorism has become the 6th pillar of Islam." Lamenting on the gap between Muslim condemnation and a common perception of those who feel Muslims don't condemn terrorism, Imam Mujahid launched several initiatives including an anti-ISIS campaign.
Developing Resources to Deter Muslim Youth from Extremism
Under Imam Mujahid's guidance Sound Vision has produced multiple resources to strengthen Muslim communities' outreach and engagement of Muslim youth. Some of these resources are directly aimed at preventing extremism and educating youth and parents about how to deal with issues related to discussing extremism and terrorism.
He is the founding president of Sound Vision which was established in 1988 in Chicago. It is a non-profit organization which develops Islam-related content for the international news media to develop inter-faith peace and understanding. He is also the executive producer of Chicago's radio talk-show program Radio Islam. Abdul Malik Mujahid, a local Chicago Muslim leader and founder of Soundvision and Radio Islam, was recognized here at an annual event in 2016 for his achievements by the Chicago Muslim community organization, The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.
International interfaith movement
Mujahid has been active with the interfaith movement since the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions was revived. He has addressed the Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, Barcelona, Spain and Melbourne, Australia. In November 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions elected him as chairman. Abdul Malik Mujahid chaired the international 2015 Parliament in Salt Lake City which was attended by 11,000 people from 50 religions and 80 countries.
He has served on the Independent Task Force on Civil Liberties and National Security by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York from 2006-2009. He also served on the independent task force of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs on the civic and political integration of Muslim Americans. This task force's report, Strengthening America: The Civic and Political Integration of Muslim Americans, was issued on June 26, 2007 calling for Muslims and non-Muslims to work together to create full and equal opportunities for Muslim Americans to participate in American civic and political life.
Campaign Against Terror, War and Hate
Imam Mujahid has consistently challenged the extremists' perspectives through critiques rooted in Islamic sources. Condemning terrorist attacks on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, he wrote, "one cannot avenge the prophet who banned revenges." Speaking on Fox News', the O'Reilly Factor, he again condemned the terrorists but also questioned why Muslims who had saved the lives of Jewish Parisians and a Muslim policeman who was slain in the Paris attack were not being celebrated by the media.
Imam Malik Mujahid on a regular basis provides thinking and talking points to Imams and community leaders on various issues including on how to deal with issues related to news of terror attack and sample press release/statements of condemnation. While condemning terrorism, Imam Mujahid also asserted that American Muslims are more peaceful than other Americans communities. However, he wants the Muslim community to do more than just condemn terrorism. In frustration, he coined a phrase "condemning terrorism has become the 6th pillar of Islam." Lamenting on the gap between Muslim condemnation and a common perception of those who feel Muslims don't condemn terrorism, Imam Mujahid launched several initiatives including an anti-ISIS campaign.
Developing Resources to Deter Muslim Youth from Extremism
Under Imam Mujahid's guidance Sound Vision has produced multiple resources to strengthen Muslim communities' outreach and engagement of Muslim youth. Some of these resources are directly aimed at preventing extremism and educating youth and parents about how to deal with issues related to discussing extremism and terrorism.