Zaid Shakir

Shakir was born in 1956 in Berkeley, California as Ricky Daryl Mitchell to a family descended from African, Irish and Native American roots. His formative years were spent in housing projects in New Britain, Connecticut. He converted to Islam in 1977 while serving in the United States Air Force and shortly after changed his name to Zaid Salim Shakir. ==Education==

Shakir obtained a BA in International Relations at American University in Washington, D.C., and later earned his MA in Political Science at Rutgers University. He then left for Syria to pursue his studies in traditional Islamic Sciences. and Sheikh Mustafa Al-Turkmani. In 2001, he was the first American male graduate from Syria's Abu Nour University with a BA in Islamic Sciences. ==Career==

Shakir is one of the signatories of A Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding. He assumed leadership of the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) from 2020 until 2022. Shakir is co-founder and chairman of United For Change, whose stated goal is to leverage the diversity of the Muslim and interfaith community and address divisive obstacles. In 2020, Shakir partnered with Green Faith to develop programming with religious groups centered on sustainable development and climate change. Shakir is one of many signatories to a statement prepared by religious leaders from around the world who presented the UN Secretary General with a declaration in support of the Paris Climate Agreement. Zaytuna College In 2003, as a scholar-in-residence at Berkeley, California based Zaytuna Institute, Shakir began to teach Arabic, Law, and Islamic spirituality. In 2004, he initiated a pilot seminary program at Zaytuna Institute. in the fall of 2010, Shakir and colleagues Hamza Yusuf, and Hatem Bazian reorganized the institute into Zaytuna College, a four-year Muslim liberal arts college, the first of its kind in the United States, dedicated to "educate and prepare morally committed professional, intellectual, and spiritual leaders", who are grounded in the Islamic scholarly tradition. In 2015, he signed the official Memorandum of Understanding between Zaytuna College and Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. In 2016, Zaytuna College became the first accredited Muslim campus in the United States after it received approval from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.{{cite news |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/852075/us-gets-its-first-accredited-muslim-college/|title=US gets its first accredited Muslim college ==Views==

In 2010, Zaid Shakir appeared with nine other influential Muslim scholars in a YouTube video denouncing militant Islam. ==Reception==

The 500 Most Influential Muslims of the world edition 2020 describes Zaid Shakir as "an influential Islamic scholar and a voice of conscience for American Muslims and non-Muslims alike", edited by John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin Zaid Shakir was named in CNN's 2018 list of "25 Influential American Muslims", where he was described as "one of the West's most respected Muslim scholars." in Oakland, CA, 2011 ==Publications==