The following new khutbahs are available:

Khalid Latif - Getting Ready For Ramadan - 7/16/10
Raymond Brock Murray - Women in Islam - 7/09/10
ASM Hussain - The Distracted Muslim - 7/02/10
Haroon Moghul - What Muslims Should Sound Like - 6/25/10

Please visit our Podcasts section to subscribe to our podcast or download these and any of our other great khutbahs. 

Recently, Imam Khalid Latif, Executive Director and Chaplain of the Islamic Center, wrote an article published by CNN entitled "My Take: New York's schools should observe Muslim holidays."  To read the entire article in full, please click here. 

Please share with your contacts and leave a comment on the CNN site. 

Editor's note: Imam Khalid Latif is a chaplain for New York University and Executive Director of the school's Islamic Center.

By Khalid Latif, Special to CNN

I was recently eating dinner at a restaurant with a friend near Times Square when it became time for me to pray. Muslims pray five times a day and this particular prayer, called Maghrib, is performed at sunset.

Having lived in New York City for decades, I’ve become comfortable praying pretty much anywhere. It also doesn’t hurt that there are stranger things happening on the streets here than a young guy bowing and kneeling for a few minutes.

After I started to pray, a tour bus parked in front of me and a large group of people proceeded to spill out.

While I continued, a woman from the group came closer to where I was praying. She removed a scarf from her neck, placed it on the ground so that I would be praying on something clean, then walked away before I finished....

To continue reading, please click here.

When talking to those of my generation and younger from the Muslim American community, an oft-mentioned challenge is a disconnect from the Islam one knows and believes in and the messaging received in places of worship. 

This seems to be changing tremendously here in the U.S. due to one simple thing: time. 

The practice of Islam in America is practically as old as the country itself, however the institutionalization of it - in the form of community centers, places of worship and even organizations based on Islamic principles - is really only several decades young. 

In what can best be described as generational evolution, young American Muslims born and raised in the U.S. (unlike many of their immigrant parents) are searching for ways to bridge cultures they love equally: that of country and faith.

Those bridges are being found in the human capital of the generation itself, through men and women whose first language is English, who watch “Avatar” and “Lost” and study Quran, and who believe that vice and virtue can be explained in rap music, poetry or even through examples in the storyboards of Hollywood films. Many believe that these new “bridges” are the Muslim community’s best hope for combating extremism.

 A recent Salon.com article explains the challenge:

Some Muslims are voicing their opinions and calling for change. They would like imams, who tend to be older, male and "imported," to be able to connect with a generation of Muslims raised in America. They also want mosques, which have the potential to develop leadership and community-building skills among young Muslims, to make youth outreach a priority. Failing to address these issues, they fear, could sever the connection between a generation of American Muslims and their religion.

Recently, Imam Khalid Latif, Executive Director and Chaplain of the Islamic Center, was interviewed by Altmuslimah.com for an article on Domestic Violence in the Muslim community entitled "You Are No Longer A Blessing in His Life". To read the entire article please click here

By Sarrah AbuLughod, May 17, 2010 Screams broke through the rhythmic voice of the khateeb as I ran out of the prayer in concern. The man's hand lifted to strike once more as I instinctively lunged to block the blow. By the grace of God, my sudden appearance gave him pause and he did not manage to reach his target. This event marked my moment of entry into the clandestine world of domestic violence within the Muslim community. “Let him deal with the fact that you are no longer a blessing in his life."

A troubling cultural gap

If today's young American Muslims can't relate to their imams, where will they turn?

By Farah Akbar

Reuters

Imam Husham Al-Husainy talks to Muslim youth at the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearborn, Mich., in March.

Ishak Khan, 17, wants to know if it's OK to get a tattoo in his religion. He also wants to know if it's OK to write rap songs and if it's OK to have a Muslim girlfriend.

Like many of his Muslim American contemporaries, Ishak isn't quite sure how to balance his religion with American culture. He does talk to friends about these issues, but he'd really like to speak with an adult who understands both American culture and Islam. But he can't really talk to his parents because they're very traditional, and he's definitely not going to that imam "straight out of Bangladesh" who gives the boring sermons at the Queens, N.Y., mosque he attends once a month.

to continue reading please click here

FaithTrust Institute is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 National Sermon Contest.

First Place: Rev. MarQuita Carmichael Burton
Runners Up: Imam Khalid Latif, Rev. Glencie S. Rhedrick

All three sermons extend the message beyond naming the abuse of women to a discussion of what are we doing about it in our own faith communities. The two Protestant sermons draw on biblical stories to focus our attention not only on the truth of abuse and exploitation of women but also on the possibilities of healing and resistance. The Muslim presentation highlights the efforts of a young Imam to deepen the understanding of Islam for young adults and to apply important teachings to everyday relationships.

The Silence We Keep (PDF, 5 pages, 237 KB) Rev. MarQuita Carmichael Burton Rev. Carmichael Burton uses the biblical character of Tamar to challenge her listeners to break the silence surrounding child sexual abuse. Tamar, raped by her brother, is counseled to keep silent by her other brother. The subsequent isolation does not serve her well. This sermon is a good example of using a biblical story to initiate a discussion that is uncomfortable and difficult but very necessary

The Islamic Center will be closed for Spring Break from Monday, March 15th, until Friday, March 19th, 2010.  All classes and activities are canceled for this week. 

Jummah will still be held on Friday, March 19th, at its usual time of 1:30pm until about 2pm, in sha' Allah. 

Normal hours of operation will resume on Monday, March 22nd, in sha' Allah.