Hayward, CA (PressExposure) July 22, 2008 -- American Muslims have experienced a major increase in hate crimes since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This workshop will shed light on the role the media plays in how the non-Muslim public views Muslims and the religion of Islam -- and how issues involving Muslims can be better covered by the media.

This workshop will also address the complexities of the Muslim community in America, the common problems in media coverage of Muslims and how it can be improved.

The UNITY '08 Convention will be the largest gathering of journalists of color. Nearly 10,000 journalists and media executives will meet to discuss timely issues affecting journalism and the media industry.

About Imam Zaid Shakir
Imam Zaid Shakir is amongst the most influential Islamic scholars in the West. As an American Muslim who came of age during the civil rights struggles, he has brought both sensitivity about race and poverty issues and scholarly discipline to his faith-based work.

He is a Washington post “On Faith” panelist Zaid Shakir and a scholar-in-residence and lecturer at Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, Calif. A graduate of Syria's prestigious Abu Noor University, Shakir is a co-founder of Masjid al-Islam, the Tri-State Muslim Education Initiative, and the Connecticut Muslim Coordinating Committee. California-born Shakir accepted Islam in 1977 while serving in the U.S. Air Force. He is a summa cum laude graduate of American University in Washington and earned his master’s degree in political science at Rutgers University, where he led a successful campaign for disinvestment from South Africa and co-founded a local Islamic center, Masjid al-Huda. While Imam of Masjid al-Islam (1988-1994) he spearheaded a community renewal and grassroots anti-drug effort and taught political science and Arabic at Southern Connecticut State University.

For the next seven years he studied Arabic, Islamic law, Quranic studies, and Islamic spirituality in Syria, and briefly in Morocco, with top Muslim scholars. In 2001, Shakir’s translation from Arabic into English of “The Heirs of the Prophe”t was published. In 2003, he joined Zaytuna Institute where he teaches Arabic, Islamic law, history and Islamic spirituality. In 2005, Zaytuna published “Scattered Pictures,” an anthology of Shakir’s essays. In September 2008, NID Publishers will publish Shakir’s translation from Arabic into English including
commentary, “Treatise For The Seekers Of Guidance”.

He is a frequent speaker at local and national events and has emerged as one of the nation’s top Islamic scholars and a voice of conscience for American Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

About NID Publishers

Press Information:

Contact: Monteil@NIDPublishers.com
Phone: (510) 387-2604
Fax: (510) 251-0993

General Email: info@NIDPublishers.com
http://www.nidpublishers.com/

Press Release Source: http://PressExposure.com/PR/NID_Publishers.html