Yusuf Estes is an American Muslim preacher and teacher who converted to
IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in 1991. He was the National
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
ChaplainTraditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
for the United States Bureau of Prisons through the 1990s. He became the Muslim Delegate to the
United Nations World Peace Conference for Religious LeadersThe Millennium Summit was a meeting among many world leaders lasting three days from 6 September to 8 September 2000 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Its purpose was to discuss the role of the United Nations at the turn of the 21st century. At this meeting, world leaders...
held at the U.N. in September 2000. Active in
Islamic missionary workDawah, Islamic missionary work, means to "invite" to Islam, which is estimated to be the second largest religion after Christianity. After the death of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, from the 7th century onwards, Islam spread rapidly from the Arabian Peninsula to the rest of the world, initially...
in the United States, he is often featured as guest presenter and keynote speaker at various Islamic events as well as frequently appearing on various Islamic satellite TV channels. Estes takes a dim view of today's public school system
public educationState schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
in the United States for any children, and highly recommends schools where they might receive a religious education combined with more advanced scholastic education.
Personal life
Yusuf Estes was born in
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and was raised in
HoustonHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
,
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in a
Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
Protestant family.
From 1962 to 1990, his career was in the music industry, entertainment, marketing, teaching music and music minister, he owned several musical instrument companies including the Estes Piano and Organ Company. He produced and directed live entertainment programs in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from the mid 1960s until his last endeavor for
cable TVCable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
in
FloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, entitled 'Estes Music Jamboree'.
Yusuf Estes became a Muslim in the early 1990s after meeting an Egyptian named Muhammad. Following his conversion, Estes entered the field of Dawah, or evangelizing the Islamic faith.
Estes denies the theory of Darwinian evolution and instead professes
creationismCreationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
as described by Islamic scriptures.
Islamic Activities
After embracing Islam, Estes pursued
Arabic languageArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Quranic studies in
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
,
MoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
From 2004, Estes regularly appeared on the
Islam ChannelIslam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel funded by advertising and donations. It was reported in 2008 that UK government research found that 97.3% of Muslims watched the channel...
, as well as
Peace TVPeace TV is a Sunni Islamic satellite television network broadcasting globally 24/7 from Dubai, UAE. Peace TV programs are all in the English language and telecast free-to-air...
and on Huda TV which are
24/724/7 is an abbreviation which stands for "24 hours a day, 7 days a week", usually referring to a business or service available at all times without interruption...
Islamic channels broadcasting in many countries around the globe, via satellite and via the website
WatchIslam.com TV Channels.
He has also set up websites directed toward English speaking Muslim youth which include
www.TubeIslam.com, a Muslim video sharing site, and www.ChatIslam.com, a Muslim Chatroom, and for young children www.WorldPreschool.com, Preschool Learning.
He also produced a television series aimed toward English speaking children of Muslim parents entitled, "Qasas Ul Anbiya" - Stories of the Prophets.
Further reading
- Blade, David Yonke Toledo. (July 14, 2001) Journal Gazette
The Journal Gazette is the morning newspaper in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It publishes seven days a week, and with several outlying bureaus, contends for circulation and advertising in a 15-county area. The Journal Gazette is independent, but it was aligned with the Democratic party until 1973.One of...
Proselytizing preacher finds faith in Islam: Sheik Yusuf Estes. Page 1.
- Tilove, Jonathan. (October 23, 2001) The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
To be a white U.S. Muslim: Converts embrace the oddity. Section: News; Page 10.
- Pinsky, Mark I. (January 6, 2003) Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
Muslims' radio message: we are regular people. Section: Life & Times; Page C1.
- The Hamilton Spectator
The Hamilton Spectator, founded in 1846, is a newspaper published every day but Sunday in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The paper has a daily circulation of 105,000 and a daily readership of nearly 260,000.-History:...
(February 14, 2003) A Christian attends a mosque; A visitor finds a warm welcome and wonders if he'd be as liberal.
- Columbia State (SC). (April 7, 2003) Chaplain to speak at USC about Islam. Section: Metro/Region; Page B5.
- UWIRE (March 1, 2004) U. New Mexico speaker asks religions to unite.
- UWIRE (April 18, 2005) Muslim speaker educates U. Northern Colorado students about faith.
- US State News. (April 12, 2006) National Muslim chaplain Yusuf Estes to speak at senior center on April 14.
- The Modesto Bee (April 22, 2006) Converted preacher to speak about 'pure Islam.' Section: Lifestyles; Page G1.
- Nomani , Asra Q. (October 22, 2006) Washington Post Wife-Beating, Chapter and Verse.
- Wen, Sarah. (January 23, 2007 ) University Wire UCLA Muslim student group to promote Islam, religious unity.
External links