So, we got home grown terrorists and Black Power Imams… just connect the dots. it’s that easy. But, guess who’s NOT welcomed by the prison system to ‘build-those-bridges”? Chuck Colson and his successful Prison Ministry…not hard to see why…
Imam Salahuddin Muhammad is the spiritual leader of the Masjid Al-Ikhlas, the Newburgh mosque where the four terrorist wannabes met.
Muhammad also has worked as a prison chaplain at Fishkill Correctional Facility since 1985 — where alleged Bronx terrorist James Cromitie was imprisoned in 1991.
Muhammad was recruited to work in the prison system by the controversial Warith Deen Umar, who was booted after he reportedly said Muslims “secretly admire” the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Muhammad converted to Islam when he was in prison, said Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood in Harlem, who has known Muhammad for 20 years.
Muhammad served 12 years for robbery, according to a 2003 report in The Wall Street Journal.
Muhammad, who also serves as a chaplain at Bard College, yesterday dismissed his connection to Umar, who was regarded as one of the most influential Muslim clerics in the vast state prison system. (excerpt from NY Post)
The Chaplaincy at Bard College engages with many different people throughout our community. In all the Chaplaincy does, the aim is to help people develop a clearer understanding of what they believe, of how they relate to their own faiths and to those of other faiths. We call upon the resources of several religious and philosophical traditions in our work, without asking others to adhere to them. Our concern is with how the individual integrates his or her own spirituality within a community of diverse faiths, and with how the community accommodates the fact of diversity. [snip]
The Chaplaincy has on staff five college chaplains: an Episcopal priest, a Catholic priest, an imam, a rabbi, and an Anglican priest. The clergy offer study on a formal and informal basis with members of the college community who are interested in learning more about their own traditions or the faith traditions of others. Each chaplain is available for pastoral care with students, administration, staff, and faculty.[snip]
While the Chaplaincy is deeply committed to the development of individual spiritual identity, we are also concerned to foster a ceremonial tradition that is celebrated and shared through the strata of the college so that at particular times faculty, administration, students, and staff gather together to bear witness to our common life. In addition to our denominational activities, we also coordinate and participate in a series of ecumenical events throughout the school year. These vary according to season and interests. Some examples of past events have been a Festival of Lights in early December, the building and burning of a labyrinth at the spring equinox, and a May Day celebration.
| Salahuddin M. Muhammad Muslim Chaplain Imam Salahuddin M. Muhammad received his B.A. in the social sciences from SUNY New Paltz. He continued his education at New York Theological Seminary and earned a Masters of Professional Studies degree in theology and counseling. A student of Islam since 1964, Imam Muhammad has successfully completed hundreds of hours of Islamic studies and is registered and certified as an Imam by the National Association of Muslim Chaplains. He is the spiritual leader of Masjid Al Jihad Al Akbar (the Islamic Learning Center of Orange County), located in Newburgh, New York. Since 1985, he has been employed as a chaplain by the New York State Department of Corrections. During this period, he has spent a great deal of time on the lecture circuit teaching Islam and has been an adjunct professor for Mercy and Marist Colleges. At home, Salahuddin is a loving and devoted husband and father. He brings this sensitivity to the campus and is particularly interested in bridging the gap between the academic and religious lives of Muslim students. Phone: 845-758-7438 E-mail: muhammad@bard.edu |