Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh
Encyclopedia
Sheikh Mohamad Adam El-Sheikh is a Sudan
ese/American executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America
.
, Sudan, in 1969.
In 1973 he was appointed by the Department of Justice to serve as a judge for the Shari’ah Courts.
While in the Sudan he was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood
.
In 1978, he was granted a scholarship to come to the United States in order to continue his higher education. He received his Masters of Comparative Jurisprudence (MCJ) from Howard University
in 1980, his LLM from the National Law Center at George Washington University
in 1981, and his Ph.D. in Comparative Jurisprudence from Temple University
in 1986. His 1986 Ph.D. dissertation at Temple University was on "The applicability of Islamic penal law
(qisas
and diyah) in the Sudan."
El-Sheikh was instrumental in founding the Muslim American Society
in the US, in 1992, along with some other former members of the Muslim Brotherhood. He said that when they founded the society the founders' goals had changed, in that they no longer needed to operate secretly as they had in other countries when they were members of the Muslim Brotherhood. He said the founders felt "we should cut relations with the [Brotherhood] abroad and regard ourselves as Americans. . . . We don't receive an order from any organization abroad, and [they] have no authority to tell us what to do".
He also helped launch the Dar Al-Hijrah
mosque
in Falls Church, Virginia
, and later was the Imam
of the mosque between August 2003 and May 2005. Commenting in 2004 on the beheadings of American hostages Nick Berg
and Daniel Pearl
, he said:
And in 2004, speaking of Palestinian suicide bombers, he said "if certain Muslims are to be cornered where they cannot defend themselves, except through these kinds of means, and their local religious leaders issued fatwa
s to permit that, then it becomes acceptable as an exceptional rule, but should not be taken as a principle."
He left Dar Al-Hijrah in 2005 to become the executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America
, an association of Islamic legal
scholars. He is also the head of the Islamic Judiciary Council of the Shari’ah Scholars’ Association of North America (SSANA).
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese/American executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America
Fiqh Council of North America
The Fiqh Council of North America is an association of Muslims who interpret Islamic law on the North American continent.Its 18 members issue religious rulings, resolve disputes, and answer questions relating to the Islamic faith...
.
Education
He graduated from the faculty of Shari’ah and Law, Omdurman Islamic UniversityOmdurman Islamic University
Omdurman Islamic University is built on an area of size about 500 acres in Omdurman, Sudan. The school is basically oriented toward Islamic studies, yet, it serves other fields of studies as well such as engineering , agriculture and medicine ....
, Sudan, in 1969.
In 1973 he was appointed by the Department of Justice to serve as a judge for the Shari’ah Courts.
While in the Sudan he was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
.
In 1978, he was granted a scholarship to come to the United States in order to continue his higher education. He received his Masters of Comparative Jurisprudence (MCJ) from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in 1980, his LLM from the National Law Center at George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in 1981, and his Ph.D. in Comparative Jurisprudence from Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in 1986. His 1986 Ph.D. dissertation at Temple University was on "The applicability of Islamic penal law
Penal law
In the most general sense, penal is the body of laws that are enforced by the State in its own name and impose penalties for their violation, as opposed to civil law that seeks to redress private wrongs...
(qisas
Qisas
Qisas is an Islamic term meaning "retaliation," and follows the principle of an eye for an eye, or lex talionis, first set forth by Hammurabi, and subsequently included in the Old Testament and later legal codes...
and diyah) in the Sudan."
Career
For over 18 years, El-Sheikh was the Imam at Masjid Al-Rahmah of the Islamic Society of Baltimore, Maryland.El-Sheikh was instrumental in founding the Muslim American Society
Muslim American Society
The Muslim American Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 that describes itself as an Islamic revival and reform movement....
in the US, in 1992, along with some other former members of the Muslim Brotherhood. He said that when they founded the society the founders' goals had changed, in that they no longer needed to operate secretly as they had in other countries when they were members of the Muslim Brotherhood. He said the founders felt "we should cut relations with the [Brotherhood] abroad and regard ourselves as Americans. . . . We don't receive an order from any organization abroad, and [they] have no authority to tell us what to do".
He also helped launch the Dar Al-Hijrah
Dar al-Hijrah
The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center is a mosque in Northern Virginia. It is located in Culmore, Lake Barcroft area of unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, directly between the Bailey's Crossroads, and Seven Corners, Virginia, US Post Offices.-Background:...
mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
, and later was the Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of the mosque between August 2003 and May 2005. Commenting in 2004 on the beheadings of American hostages Nick Berg
Nick Berg
Nicholas Evan "Nick" Berg was an American businessman who went to Iraq after the US invasion of Iraq. He was abducted and later beheaded according to a video released in May 2004 by Islamist militants...
and Daniel Pearl
Daniel Pearl
Daniel Pearl was an American journalist who was kidnapped and killed by Al-Qaeda.At the time of his kidnapping, Pearl served as the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, and was based in Mumbai, India. He went to Pakistan as part of an investigation into the alleged links between...
, he said:
beheadings are not mentioned in the Koran at all. According to Islamic penal law, killers will be sentenced to death, but the means of execution are not mentioned. ...we don't condone this. They are not following Islam. They are following their own whims.
And in 2004, speaking of Palestinian suicide bombers, he said "if certain Muslims are to be cornered where they cannot defend themselves, except through these kinds of means, and their local religious leaders issued fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
s to permit that, then it becomes acceptable as an exceptional rule, but should not be taken as a principle."
He left Dar Al-Hijrah in 2005 to become the executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America
Fiqh Council of North America
The Fiqh Council of North America is an association of Muslims who interpret Islamic law on the North American continent.Its 18 members issue religious rulings, resolve disputes, and answer questions relating to the Islamic faith...
, an association of Islamic legal
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
scholars. He is also the head of the Islamic Judiciary Council of the Shari’ah Scholars’ Association of North America (SSANA).