Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
Chairman, Islamic Supreme Council of America
Area of Expertise
Islamic Spirituality
BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Shaykh Muhammed Hisham Kabbani is one of the world most renowned scholars of Islamic history and the spiritual science of Sufism. As deputy leader of the Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order, Shaykh Kabbani also serves as guide and teacher to approximately 5 million Muslims throughout the world including Southeast Asia and the United States. His broad network of colleagues, government leaders, and students provides an excellent resource for WORDE to develop its programs.
A prominent scholar of mainstream, traditional Islam, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani has spent his life spreading the teachings of peace, tolerance, respect and love that are the message of Islam throughout the world. Here in the United States for the last eleven years, Shaykh Kabbani has continued to disseminate the light and peace of Islam's spiritual dimension to people of every background, ethnicity, race, and belief.
Shaykh Kabbani works to rehabiliate young adults who were previously either drawn to violent religious movements or a life of crime and drugs. Shaykh Kabbani mobilizes local community leaders to invest in community centers that estblish programs including intensive deradicalization & theological courses, workshops on classical Islam and spirituality, as well as motivational sacred movement sessions that use uplifting song and instruments to induce a state of well being. It is through the powerful combination of religious retraining and music that young men and women are brought back to the mainstream of society and pursue positive life choices.
Major Achievements
Accomplishments in North America
Founded 23 Islamic study and meeting centers in the U.S. and Canada.
Founded an Islamic retreat and healing center in Michigan.
Founded the Islamic Supreme Council of America, an educational organization dedicated to the dissemination of informative material on Islam and the presentation of an authentic, scholarly Islamic viewpoint on world affairs.
Established the American branch of the Haqqani Educational Foundation, dedicated to promoting the fundamental teachings of Islamic belief, including tolerance, respect and peace.
Served as advisor and speaker, Northern California Interfaith Conference, San Francisco.
Established As-Sunna Foundation of America for developing, publishing and organizing conferences to provide classical Islamic education.
Chairman of American Muslim Assistance relief organization, working to help the indigent, orphans and refugees in America and throughout the world.
Founder of the Muslim Magazine, top-rated English-language Islamic newsmagazine with a truly moderate approach.
Founder of Kamilat, international Muslim women’s organization.
Co-Founder of Alliance for Islamic Culture and Arts.
Founder of top-rated websites: sunnah.org, unityone.org, islamicsupremecouncil.org, naqshbandi.org, naqshbandi.net.
Accomplishments in Europe, the Far East and the Middle East
Works closely with the government and people of Uzbekistan to restore traditional Islamic practices and prevent the increase of religious radicals in the region.
Co-founder of the Haqqani Worldwide Educational Foundation center for teaching Islamic Divine Law and spirituality in London, England, which houses over 800 students each year and more than 2,000 students per year who attend seminars, workshops and retreats for learning about the essentials of Islam.
Speaker and advisor, Inter-Religious Organization, Singapore.
Working at the highest political levels to support relief efforts in Bosnia, Kosova, Afghanistan, Iraq, his native Lebanon and Somalia.
Supporting peace initiatives in the Middle East, Bosnia, Kashmir, Afghanistan and Kosova.
Working to free political prisoners and prisoners of conscience the world-over.
Working with international organizations to establish the International Day of the Orphan as a globally-observed day for highlighting the plight of orphans, foster children and child victims of abuse.
Chairman of the highly successful International Islamic Unity Conference, whose second conference took place in Washington, DC from August 7-9, 1998.
Co-developer and former General Manager of the Islamic Jeddah Medical Center in Saudi Arabia.
Was invited by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to attend the opening of his first healing clinic in October 1998.
Met with Devi Gowda, former PM of India, and C.M. Ibrahim, at that time Aviation Minister of India, when they were all guests at the 7th annual conference of the IMRC in San Jose, 1997.
Publications
Books:
Illuminations, (2007)
Universe Rising, (2007)
A spiritual commentary on the chapter of sincerity, (2006)
Sufi self science of realization, (2005)
Keys to the Divine Kingdom, (2005)
Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, (2004)
The Naqshbandi Sufi Way Guidebook, (2004)
The Approach of Armageddon? an Islamic perspective, (2003)
Encyclopedia of Muhammad's Women Companions, (1998)
Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine and Beliefs, (1998)
Angels Unveiled, (1996)
Pearls & Coral (vols 1 and 2), (2005,2006)
The Naqshbandi Sufi Way (1995);
Remembrance of God Liturgy of the Sufi Naqshbandi Masters (1994)
Articles:
Terrorist Threat in America: Extremist Wave Threatens to Engulf Muslim Americans
Bin Laden's Nuclear Weapons
Usama Bin Laden: A Legend Gone Wrong
Radicalism: Its Wahhabi Roots and Current Representation
Jihad: A Misunderstood Concept from Islam
Media Exposure
The Today Show (NBC) with Katie Couric - 9/17/01
"This was an not only an attack on America or the West, this was an attack on Islam, the Quran and on every Muslim inside and outside the United States."
WDIV Detroit (NBC) News at 5 - 9/17/01
"Islam doesn't teach terrorism, nor allow you to kill anyone. Islam tells you to toss a flower on your enemy in order to bring him to your side, not to fight with him."
WXYZ Detroit (ABC) Special Panel on Profiling and Hate Crimes - 9/17/01
Answering a question about radical religious movements:
"They came against Uzbekistan because [government officials] were stopping those extremists from
coming into their country, as in Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Algeria. If the Muslim scholars are not condemning these [radical] teachings and ideology, they will face a lot of problems in the future."
September 2001 - In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, Shaykh Kabbani has conducted interviews with NBC's Today Show, Fox News Live, CNN Headline News, USNews and World Report, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, the LA Times and many others.
Summer 2001 - South East Asian media - Shaykh Kabbani's efforts to promote traditional Islam in South East Asia were featured in several newspapers throughout Malaysia and Indonesia.
September 2000 - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - "Fighting Fundamentalism with Sufism." Paul Goble reports on how the Uzbek government is adopting an Islamic approach to tackling the problem of militant "Islamist" infiltration of the nation.
April 2000 - The Washington Times - report on how radical Muslims and extremist elements
overshadow peace-loving, tolerant Muslims of the world.
May 2000 - Newsweek - featured 2-page spread of Shaykh Hisham as the sole consult on Islamic
perspective of miracles and healing as viewed by Muslims, Jews and Christians
May 1999 - San Jose Mercury News - Religion & Ethics cover story on political differences and
their implications within US Muslim community
March 1999 - Los Angeles Times - cover story on the struggle to establish traditionally moderate
Islamic leadership in the US
February 1999 - BBC - interviewed for a London-based news program on extremist movements in the Western world
August 1998 - National Press Club - Keynote Speaker at a Morning Newsmaker on Islamic Extremism, Member of the Newsmakers Committee, through The Muslim Magazine
August 1998 -Discovery Channel - Interviewed in depth and served as a source on the mystical aspect of Islam for a one-hour documentary on Islam.
August 1998 - Odyssey Channel - Interviewed as a main source for a half-hour special aired worldwide on the bombing of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.
Videos
Shaykh Hisham Kabbani Fights Wahabism - Fox News Report
FACE to FACE with Aamir Ghauri, UK television interview with Shaykh Hisham Kabbani. Topics include the current state of the muslim world and the integration and compatability of Islam in the west.
Interfaith Event - March 18 2007, LA California USA.
Shaykh Hisham Kabbani Speaks to an audiance of over 5oo attendents at the Senshin Buddhist Temple. There were christians, Jews, Buddist and Muslims in the audiance.
