Radical or moderate: America’s first Islamic college stirring controversy, Islam and the West, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and the West

Radical or moderate: America’s first Islamic college stirring controversy

Islamist U?

By: Ryan Mauro

FrontPageMagazine.com | Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Zaytuna College – America’s first four-year, accredited Islamic college – is set to open in California, and the proposed school is already stirring controversy because of the two men leading the project: Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir.

While presenting themselves as “moderates” who have condemned terrorism, both men have a history of anti-American and pro-Islamist statements. One has railed against the “false gods” of democracy and the Bill of Rights. The other has called for the United States to be governed by Islamic law and defended Hamas. As Zaytuna readies to open its doors, it is worth examining the worldviews of the two scholars who could influence the minds of a new generation of Muslim students.

Both men have lengthy resumes in Islamic studies. Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, a convert to Islam, has studied in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco and elsewhere. Imam Zaid Shakir converted to Islam while serving in the U.S. Air Force, getting his religious education in places like Egypt, Syria andMorocco.

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