Imam Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid is the religious and spiritual leader (Imam) of The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc. Incorporated in April, 1967 and located in Harlem, New York City, the mosque is the lineal descendant of the Muslim Mosque Inc. founded by the late El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), in 1964. Imam ‘Abdur-Rashid is also the former Amir (President) of the Majlis Ash-Shura (Islamic Leadership Council) of Metropolitan New York. Nationally, he serves as the Deputy Amir (Vice President) of The Muslim Alliance in North America. The imam is student of the late African American Muslim pioneer Ash-Shaykhul-‘Allaama Al-Hajj K. Ahmad Tawfiq, of Azhar University and The Sadiyyah School of Semetic langauges (both in Cairo, Egypt). Born into a Baptist family, be became Lutheran at 8 years old, was a teen-aged Sunday School teacher at 17, and accepted Islam at the age of 20. Imam Talib serves on or has advised several interfaith bodies located in New York City, past and present. They include Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, A Partnership of Faith in New York City, The Temple of Understanding, The Interfaith Center of New York, The N.Y.C. Dept. of Education Chancellor’s Interfaith Advisory Committee, and the Bertram Beck Institute on Religion and Poverty. He has given sermons and lectures in Mosques, Churches and Synagogues throughout the U.S.A. Further, he was a presenter at the Parliament of World Religions in both Chicago (1993) and Capetown, South Africa (1999). One of the original Muslim participants in the Harlem Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, Imam Talib has served as a counselor to and advocate for Muslims living with AIDS and their families, and a faith-based HIV/AIDS educator, since 1990. He is the co-founder of the African-African American Muslim Commission on HIV/AIDS , and the only American Muslim member of the Advisory Committee of the International Muslim Leaders Consultation on HIV/AIDS. Imam Talib participated in training faith leaders in the U.S. and Africa, in Islamic pastoral perspectives on HIV/AIDS, sponsored by The Balm in Gilead, Inc. The Balm is a U.S. based African-American AIDS organization. Further, Imam Talib is a member of the National Black Leadership Commission on HIV/AIDS. The Imam participated in several interfaith services and activities throughout New York City , in the wake of the tragic events of September 11, 2001 . They included those held at The Riverside Church, Marble Collegiate Church, and NYC Local Union 32BJ. He also organized an October, 2001 prayer service near Ground Zero, for Muslims killed in the destruction of the Twin Towers. In the media he was a panelist on PBS’ “ America Responds: New York Voices”, with Bill Moyers. His voice appears on the CD Restoring Faith: America’s Religious Leaders Answer Terror with Hope , edited by Forrest Church, from the book by the same name. Imam Talib was the key American Muslim speaker at the International Conference on Religious Pluralism in Democratic Societies, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2002. In 2009, he received the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ “Steward of Justice” Award. That same year the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, identified him as one of “The 500 Most Influential Muslims” in the world in the area of “Development”. He was subsequently invited to and participated in the U.S./Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, in February 2010. The Imam’s work continues to be the object of several featured articles in the New York Times and other global media, where he is frequently quoted. This is also true of several books on Islam and Muslims in America, including American Islam by Richard Wormser, Working on God, by Winifred Gallagher, Journey Into America by Akbar Ahmed, and My Neighbors Faith: Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation by Jennifer Howe Peace, amongst others. A spiritual advisor to the hip-hop generation, Imam Talib appeared in the award-winning documentary, “The New Muslim Cool”. The imam is author of A Muslim Manifesto on Darfur, and Healing Indigenous Muslim Families in America. His essay entitled “African and African American Muslims in Early New York” was published by the NY Urban League in January, 2008 in their publication, The State of Black New York: 2007. It was further published in Columbia University’s “Souls”, a 2010 anthology of writings by the late scholar of African American history, professor Manning Marable. His critique of Dr. Marable’s book Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention appears in Malcolm X: Real Not Reinvented along with essays by renown scholars, activists, and writers. In May, 2012 he presented a paper entitled “Souls on Fire: Christian and Muslim Insurrectionists in 19th Century America” at the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race held at Birkbeck, University of London. From late 2011 until the present, his voice has been a major one raised in critical opposition to the particular policies and programs initiated by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, known as Stop and Frisk, and suspicionless Surveillance of the Muslim Community. Nonetheless, his work and contributions as a New Yorker continue to be honored and recogized by city and state elected officials . He is also the recipient of many such awards and recognitions from officials around the country, and organizations as diverse as The Boy Scouts of America, and The Jaycees. In April of this year he received the Bridge Building Award for Leadership in Community Relations presented by the All Stars Project , for his long and consistent record of interfaith work in New York City. In May he received the Micah Justice Award presented by The Micah Institute at New York Theological Seminary. In June he received the Citizen of the City award of The Police Reform Organizing Project. Imam Talib‘s next two books entitled Social Justice Writings of an African American Muslim, and The Qur’an, The Sunnah, and The Non-Violent Jihad against HIV/AIDS, are targeted for release in 2016.

The Imam has received City Council proclamations and recognitions in both New York City and Cleveland, Ohio. In May, 2009, he was awarded the pre The Imam has received City Council proclamations and recognitions in both New York City and Cleveland, Ohio. In May, 2009, he was awarded the premier presentation of The Steward of Justice award presented by the N.Y. chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) . In November of that year, the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, published the first edition of its book “The 500 Most Influential Muslims” in the world. Imam Talib was listed amongst them in the section entitled “Development”. As a result, he was invited to and participated in the U.S./Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, in February, 2010. mier presentation of The Steward of Justice award presented by the N.Y. chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) . In November of that year, the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, published the first edition of its book “The 500 Most Influential Muslims” in the world. Imam Talib was listed amongst them in the section entitled “Development”. As a result, he was invited to and participated in the U.S./Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, in February, 2010.

He is the father of a daughter, Hawwa, a son, Adam , with one son, Ismail, deceased from heart disease. He is the grandfather of six children.