Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh facts for kids
Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh (born January 1, 1945 – died April 14, 2024) was an important Sudanese-American leader. He was the executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America, which is a group of Islamic legal experts.
About Mohammed El-Sheikh
Mohammed El-Sheikh was born in Sudan, a country in Africa. He later moved to the United States and became a citizen there.
His Education Journey
El-Sheikh studied law and Islamic studies. He graduated from Omdurman Islamic University in Sudan in 1969. After that, he worked as a judge for the Shari'ah Courts in Sudan starting in 1973.
In 1978, he received a special scholarship to study in the United States. He earned several advanced degrees in law. He got his Masters of Comparative Jurisprudence from Howard University in 1980. Then, he earned another law degree (LLM) from George Washington University in 1981. Finally, he completed his Ph.D. in Comparative Jurisprudence from Temple University in 1986. His Ph.D. research focused on how Islamic law could be applied in Sudan.
His Career and Leadership
Mohammed El-Sheikh served as an Imam (a Muslim religious leader) at the Islamic Society of Baltimore in Catonsville, Maryland. He worked there for many years, from 1983 to 1989 and again from 1994 to 2003.
He also played a key role in starting the Muslim American Society in the United States in 1992. He worked with other people who had been part of the Muslim Brotherhood in other countries. El-Sheikh explained that when they created this new society, their goals changed. They wanted to work openly in the U.S. and be seen as Americans. He said they decided to "cut relations with the [Brotherhood] abroad and regard ourselves as Americans." This meant they would not take orders from any groups outside the U.S.
El-Sheikh also helped establish the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia. He later became the Imam of this mosque from August 2003 to May 2005.
In 2005, he left Dar Al-Hijrah. He then became the executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America. This council is a group of scholars who study and explain Islamic law. He also led the Islamic Judiciary Council of the Shari'ah Scholars' Association of North America (SSANA).
