Sayyid Syeed
Encyclopedia
Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed is the National Director for the Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances for the Islamic Society of North America
(ISNA). ISNA is a national umbrella organization which has more than 300 affiliates all over the U.S. and Canada.
A naturalized American citizen, Dr. Syeed obtained his Ph.D. in Sociolinguistics from the Indiana University
at Bloomington, Indiana
, in 1984. He was a board member of the Dar al-Hijrah
mosque in Falls Church, Virginia
when it was founded in 1982.
As President of the Muslim Students Association of USA & Canada (1980-83), he pioneered its transformation into the Islamic Society of North America
ISNA
. During 1984-88, he was Secretary General of the International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations
(IIFSO). Syeed has been General Secretary of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), a national professional organization.
Syeed, one of the founders of the quarterly American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (AJISS), served as its Editor-in-Chief (1984-94). During his tenure AJISS grew from a twice a year to a quarterly publication, simultaneously published from Washington, D.C., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Islamabad, Pakistan, and in Turkish from Istanbul, Turkey. Syeed is also a member of the Board of Advisory Editors for the Middle East Affairs Journal, and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR).
Syeed was also chairman of the Editorial Board of Islamic Horizons, the flagship magazine of ISNA
, from 1982-1984 and 1994-2006.
Syeed has been actively involved in fostering understanding among the world's religions, and has participated in interfaith dialogues at different levels in the U.S. and Canada. A frequent speaker at interfaith dialogues, he has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the Worlds Religions. In 2000, he was invited to a dialogue in the Vatican by the late Pope John Paul, and in 2008, he led the American Muslim leadership delegation to meet with Pope Benedict in Washington, DC.
In recognition of his contribution to inter-religious understanding and harmony, Syeed was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by the Graduate Theological Foundation, Donaldson, Indiana
on May 4, 2001. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award for distinguished service in furthering the Islamic tradition in North America and for promoting inter-religious understanding and harmony from the Cathedral Heritage Foundation
, Louisville, Kentucky
on November 18, 2001.
On January 5, 2002, Frank O'Bannon
, the Governor of Indiana
, in his State of the State Address, recognized Syeed's “work to educate Americans about the Muslim faith in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks, along with your life's work to encourage tolerance and racial healing has marked you as a great leader in Indiana.”
Syeed has been invited to speak on Muslim and Islamic issues on the national TV channels, NBC, CBS, CBN, ABC. He was interviewed on PBS on the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, and appeared on the “Today Show” and CNN's “Crossfire
” and on the national televisions of Turkey
, Malaysia, Sudan
, Pakistan
, and Saudi Arabia
on matters related to Islam and Islam in America.
Syeed has pioneered major initiatives to promote understanding between the American Muslim community and American Jewish community. He cosponsored the first National Summit of Imams and Rabbis in 2007. That same year he was also instrumental in inviting the President of the Union for Reform Judaism
(URJ) to address the annual convention of ISNA and coordinating a delegation from ISNA to address the annual convention of URJ. Other initiatives included bringing together 100 Muslim organizations and 100 Jewish organizations to hold annual joint events condemning Islamophobia
and anti-Semitism
. Additionally, many other joint projects to educate the two communities about one another have sprung up from these initiatives.
Dr. Syeed also led an interfaith delegation to Israel
and Palestine
and was part of the first group of Muslim leaders to visit the Holocaust sites in Auschwitz and Dachau
. In addition, Dr. Syeed had the opportunity to address the First World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace
in Brussels in 2005 and the First National Summit of Imams and Rabbis in 2007 in New York
.
Islamic Society of North America
The Islamic Society of North America , based in Plainfield, Indiana, USA, is a Muslim umbrella group. It has been described in the media as the largest Muslim organization in North America.-History:...
(ISNA). ISNA is a national umbrella organization which has more than 300 affiliates all over the U.S. and Canada.
A naturalized American citizen, Dr. Syeed obtained his Ph.D. in Sociolinguistics from the Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
at Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, in 1984. He was a board member of 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 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...
when it was founded in 1982.
As President of the Muslim Students Association of USA & Canada (1980-83), he pioneered its transformation into the Islamic Society of North America
Islamic Society of North America
The Islamic Society of North America , based in Plainfield, Indiana, USA, is a Muslim umbrella group. It has been described in the media as the largest Muslim organization in North America.-History:...
ISNA
ISNA
ISNA can refer to:Abbreviations/acronyms* Iranian Students' News Agency* Intersex Society of North America* Islamic Society of North America* Indigenous Sovereign Nation Assembly, an assembly of indigenous nations in New Zealand and vicinityPlaces...
. During 1984-88, he was Secretary General of the International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations
International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations
The International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations , is an international student and youth federation with a membership rate of about 100 student and youth organizations in more than 60 countries...
(IIFSO). Syeed has been General Secretary of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), a national professional organization.
Syeed, one of the founders of the quarterly American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (AJISS), served as its Editor-in-Chief (1984-94). During his tenure AJISS grew from a twice a year to a quarterly publication, simultaneously published from Washington, D.C., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Islamabad, Pakistan, and in Turkish from Istanbul, Turkey. Syeed is also a member of the Board of Advisory Editors for the Middle East Affairs Journal, and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Council on American-Islamic Relations
Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
(CAIR).
Syeed was also chairman of the Editorial Board of Islamic Horizons, the flagship magazine of ISNA
ISNA
ISNA can refer to:Abbreviations/acronyms* Iranian Students' News Agency* Intersex Society of North America* Islamic Society of North America* Indigenous Sovereign Nation Assembly, an assembly of indigenous nations in New Zealand and vicinityPlaces...
, from 1982-1984 and 1994-2006.
Syeed has been actively involved in fostering understanding among the world's religions, and has participated in interfaith dialogues at different levels in the U.S. and Canada. A frequent speaker at interfaith dialogues, he has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the Worlds Religions. In 2000, he was invited to a dialogue in the Vatican by the late Pope John Paul, and in 2008, he led the American Muslim leadership delegation to meet with Pope Benedict in Washington, DC.
In recognition of his contribution to inter-religious understanding and harmony, Syeed was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by the Graduate Theological Foundation, Donaldson, Indiana
Donaldson, Indiana
Donaldson is an unincorporated town in West Township, Marshall County, Indiana....
on May 4, 2001. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award for distinguished service in furthering the Islamic tradition in North America and for promoting inter-religious understanding and harmony from the Cathedral Heritage Foundation
Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville
The Cathedral of the Assumption is the cathedral mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Joseph Kurtz, D.D., the fourth and current Archbishop of Louisville, is in residence at the Cathedral. The Very Reverend Jeffery...
, Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
on November 18, 2001.
On January 5, 2002, Frank O'Bannon
Frank O'Bannon
Frank Lewis O'Bannon was an American politician who was the 47th Governor of Indiana from 1997 until his death in 2003.-Background:...
, the Governor of Indiana
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
, in his State of the State Address, recognized Syeed's “work to educate Americans about the Muslim faith in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks, along with your life's work to encourage tolerance and racial healing has marked you as a great leader in Indiana.”
Syeed has been invited to speak on Muslim and Islamic issues on the national TV channels, NBC, CBS, CBN, ABC. He was interviewed on PBS on the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, and appeared on the “Today Show” and CNN's “Crossfire
Crossfire
A crossfire is a military term for the siting of weapons so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I....
” and on the national televisions of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Malaysia, Sudan
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...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
on matters related to Islam and Islam in America.
Syeed has pioneered major initiatives to promote understanding between the American Muslim community and American Jewish community. He cosponsored the first National Summit of Imams and Rabbis in 2007. That same year he was also instrumental in inviting the President of the Union for Reform Judaism
Union for Reform Judaism
The Union for Reform Judaism , formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations , is an organization which supports Reform Jewish congregations in North America. The current President is Rabbi Eric H...
(URJ) to address the annual convention of ISNA and coordinating a delegation from ISNA to address the annual convention of URJ. Other initiatives included bringing together 100 Muslim organizations and 100 Jewish organizations to hold annual joint events condemning Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
and anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. Additionally, many other joint projects to educate the two communities about one another have sprung up from these initiatives.
Dr. Syeed also led an interfaith delegation to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and was part of the first group of Muslim leaders to visit the Holocaust sites in Auschwitz and Dachau
Dachau
Dachau is a town in Upper Bavaria, in the southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 km north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants...
. In addition, Dr. Syeed had the opportunity to address the First World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace
World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace
The World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace "brings together Imams and Rabbis who formally seek to initiate rapprochement between Judaism and Islam"....
in Brussels in 2005 and the First National Summit of Imams and Rabbis in 2007 in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.