Speaking at Yale on Feb. 4, 2017

Spoleto’s Exploring Omar discussion series is a free companion to this year’s new opera | Spoleto Buzz. On Thurs. March 12 head to the Main Library at 6 p.m. for: Islam and Enslaved Africans in Early Charleston. Brenda Tindal of the International African American Museum moderates a discussion between Charleston County Public Library’s historian Nic Butler and The New Schools’ professor Hussein Rashid. This year the city celebrates 350 years, which makes it an apt time to discuss all of the city’s history, including the influences of enslaved Africans on the introduction of Islam to the Lowcountry.

Building Bridges | A Christian-Muslim Interfaith Dialogue | The Church of Saint Luke in the Fields. With recent political decisions to attempt to ban Muslims and refugees from entering this nation for a better life or even for safety, what is our role in responding as people of faith? As a nation founded upon principles of religious freedom and enshrined in our Constitution, what are the duties of a Christian majority in defending the freedom of religious minorities? Fear is a highly controlling force that plays a major role in the narrative around Muslims – and a lack of common…

The al-Ghazali Lecture Hussein Rashid is the founder of islamicate, L3C, a consultancy focusing on religious literacy and cultural competency. His work includes exploring theology, the interaction between culture and religion, and the role of the arts in conflict mediation. To share his research on Muslims and American popular culture, he writes and speaks about music, comics, movies and the blogistan. He currently is a fellow with the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, and also is working with the Children’s Museum of Manhattan as a content expert for their “America to Zanzibar” exhibit.