New Islamic Directions
Essays and longer reflections by Imam Zaid Shakir.
Imam Zaid Shakir · March 25, 2016
The recent atrocious, barbaric, condemnable, despicable attacks in Brussels should move every Muslim to swift, unqualified condemnation. Why? Because as Muslims we are taught that murder is wrong. We are taught that suicide is wrong. We are taught…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · December 12, 2015
I wrote this essay almost five months ago, but did not post it until now because every time I was ready to post it I would encounter a virulent “Salafi” attack on a colleague or myself that would lead me to believe that posting this essay would be…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · November 17, 2015
One of the gravest consequences of the recent wave of terrorist atrocities attributed to the so-called Islamic State – the downing of a Russian airliner over the Sinai, the bombing of a marketplace in Beirut, and now the shootings and bombings that…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 10, 2015
The corporation has been defined by Gerald and Kathleen Hill as "A legal entity formed with state approval to act as an artificial person to carry on business, which may sue or be sued, and whose liabilities or debts are limited to its assets, so…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · May 4, 2015
When we talk about Islamic education and our children, the discussion usually revolves around strictly academic issues related to technical aspects of curriculum development, testing standards and methodologies, balancing between secular and…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · November 30, 2014
The recent killing of Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio, casts more light on many of the issues relevant in the case of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. I mention this because those who argue that if African American males just act normal and mind…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · November 1, 2014
My recent post on Halloween has created quite a stir. That being the case, I would like to clarify a few issues. First of all, the intended audience of that original post was Muslims, some of whom had asked me to write something on the issue. It was…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · July 13, 2013
In his, Dictionary of Political Thought, the noted political philosopher, Roger Scruton, defines a coup d’etat as follows: [A coup d’etat is] a change in government by force resulting in a change of constitution, and brought about by those who…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · March 19, 2012
In what's become major news and a source of national outrage, thanks to months of reporting by the Associated Press, the New York Police Department has spent years investigating American Muslims throughout the Northeast. Of particular concern is an…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · March 5, 2012
March 8, 2012 has been designated as International Women’s Day. The day has been set aside to celebrate the social, economic and political accomplishments of women. March is a most appropriate month for such a celebration. In the Northern…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · February 15, 2012
Black History Month should be of interest to every Muslim, especially in America. It is estimated that upwards to 20% of the Africans enslaved in the Americas were Muslim. [1] In some areas, such as the coast of the Carolinas, Georgia, and parts of…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · January 17, 2012
This essay is based on a lecture given by Imam Zaid at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference, December 2011. Hopefully, it will provide some food for thought as we begin the arduous process of rethinking many of the fundamental ideas and…
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