Sheikh Naeem Abdul Wali
Sheikh Naeem Abdul Wali- great insights into the enlightening world of Islam
US born and studied in Saudi Arabia and Turkey
Born in Tennessee, USA, raised in Indiana nominally as a Southern Baptist, embraced Islam in 1982 during his freshman year at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. After completing his Bachelor of Science in the field of Entomology, he worked as a researcher in the Department of Entomology of Purdue University. In 1991 he resigned
from his position at Purdue and set off to Medina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to pursue studies in Arabic language and Islamic disciplines. After completing eighteen months of study at the Islamic University of Medina he moved to Istanbul, Turkey to pursue Islamic studies in a traditional ‘madrasa’ environment. He studied under various teachers
until 2002 when he received, ijaza, or traditional certification in various discipline: Arabic language, Islamic jurisprudence in the methodology of the great jurist Abu Hanifa, Islamic theology and other ancillary disciplines.
In 2002 he moved to Bradford, West Yorkshire, England to hold a position of instructor and assistant imam in a local mosque. After one year there he moved with his family to Tucson, Arizona, USA to take up a position as the Educational and Youth Programs Coordinator and assistant imam at the Islamic Center of Tucson. While in Tucson, he
was not only involved as a instructor in the Islamic Center, but also was very active in working with the local Muslim Students Association, University of Arizona Chapter as a lecturer and counselor. Also, while in Tucson he was instrumental in co-founding the International Center for Peace and Reconciliation, a multi-faith initiative striving to
develop multicultural understanding and working for peace initiatives in relationships between various faith groups, most notably between Muslims and Jews.
He has been a regular teacher at the Rihla Deen Intensives, under the auspices of the Zaytuna Institute, Hayward, California founded by Sh. Hamza Yusuf. He has been a lecturer in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. While in Tucson he was the founder of the Al-Kawthar Institute, a local effort to establish a center of traditional Islamic education in the America southwest.
He currently resides in Sydney, Australia. He is the Director of
Studies for the Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations (FAIR).
He is married with three sons.