Scattered Pictures: Reflections of an American Muslim

Scattered Pictures: Reflections of An American Muslim seeks to engage readers in meaningful dialogue, communal reflection, and social and spiritual change. The book is an anthology of essays, which discuss difficult and oftentimes controversial topics. In these turbulent times, these are issues that, if left unaddressed, could continue to spiral downwards into serious political, social, and religious discord. This shining new book will appeal to all readers interested in critical solutions for a harmonious understanding across divides in humanity. With long-standing dedication to the human community, the author has helped to shape a better understanding of the conflicts we face. He has forged campaigns for human rights and social justice, and his devotion stands in helping to build and reinforce intellectual and spiritual roots, so that we as a global community may begin to adopt solution-oriented strategies.

Imam Zaid Shakir was born in Berkeley, California, and accepted Islam in 1977 while serving in the United States Air Force. He graduated summa cum laude and earned a B.A. in International Relations at the American University in Washington D.C. and an M.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University. While overseas in Egypt, Syria, and Morocco, he studied Arabic and traditional Islamic sciences including Islamic law, Qur'an, and Islamic spirituality. He co-founded Masjid Al-Islam in Connecticut and taught Political Science at Southern Connecticut State University. He has written numerous articles for various magazines, journals, newspapers, and translated several books from Arabic into English including Heirs of the Prophets. Imam Zaid Shakir currently teaches full-time at the Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California, as a scholar-in-residence.