Title: Chairman
Organization: Cordoba Initiative
Area of Expertise:  Interfaith issues, Islamic Studies, Politics & Civil Society, Women’s issues, Youth issues
Media Experience: TV, Print, Radio, New York Times, Newsweek, CNN, BBC, PBS

Location: New York, NY
Contact: Courtney Erwin, Cordoba Initiative
Email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   Phone 917 684 2224

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is Chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, an independent, non-partisan and multi-national project that works with state and non-state actors to improve Muslim-West relations.  In this capacity, he provides innovative solutions to those areas where conflict between Islamic and Western communities undermines local and global security.  

Under Imam Feisal’s leadership, the Cordoba Initiative’s programs craft strategic avenues for approaching divisive Muslim-West tensions.  Among these programs, the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT) empowers and networks young, Muslim professionals from all over the world, the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equity (WISE) strengthens the role of Muslim women in global society, and the Shariah Index Project engages Islamic legal scholars in addressing the implications of contemporary Islamic governance.  Additionally, Imam Feisal facilitates action-oriented dialogues between individuals and groups capable of transforming dangerous paradigms.  

Because of his skillful approach to the complex intersection of Islamic and Western viewpoints on difficult religious, cultural and political situations, he has received numerous requests for his expertise and advice.  A number of these have resulted in working relationships with offices in the U.S. Department of State, members of the U.S. Congress, and representatives of foreign governments.  It has also led to his involvement in international delegations and consultative bodies, which include his membership in the World Economic Forum Council of 100 Leaders (Islamic-West dialogue).

Imam Feisal balances his international responsibilities with his dedication to local and national concerns.  In 1997, he founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), the first Muslim organization committed to bringing American Muslims and non-Muslims together through programs in academia, policy, current affairs, and culture.  As Imam of Masjid al-Farah, a mosque twelve blocks from Ground Zero in New York City, he preaches a message of peace and understanding between people, regardless of creed, nationality, or political beliefs.  Additionally, Imam Feisal sits on the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Center of New York and is a Vice Chair on the board of the Interfaith Center of New York.  Recognizing his inter-religious bridge-building work in the community, The Alliance for International Conflict Prevention and Resolution presented Imam Feisal with their Annual Alliance Peacebuilder Award and The Interfaith Center of New York gave him their Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Award.

Frequently asked to comment on issues pertaining to Islam and the Muslim world, Imam Feisal has appeared regularly at the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum (Davos), and in national and international media such as CNN and BBC. He has been interviewed by and quoted in leading print media, including the New York Times, Time Magazine, Washington Post, The New Yorker, Christian Science Monitor, New York Daily News, Jerusalem Post, Frontline, Foreign Policy, and Associated Press. His publications include the books, Islam: A Search for Meaning, Islam: A Sacred Law (What every Muslim Should Know About the Shariah), and What's Right With Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West, which the Christian Science Monitor rated among its five best books of 2004.  

Imam Feisal comes from a family steeped in religious and spiritual activity. His grandfather was an imam in Egypt while his father was Director and Imam of the Islamic Centers of New York and Washington D.C., and Rector of the International Islamic University in Malaysia. Born in Kuwait and educated in England, Egypt, and Malaysia, Imam Feisal holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Columbia University in New York and a Master of Science in Plasma Physics from Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. He speaks English, Arabic and Malay.