Nouman Ali Khan
Nouman Ali Khan is a Pakistani-American[1] Muslim speaker and Arabic instructor who founded the Bayyinah Institute for Arabic and Qur’anic Studies after serving as an instructor of Arabic at Nassau Community College.[2][3] He has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan.[4]
Nouman Ali Khan | |||||||||||||
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Born | |||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||
Occupation | Speaker | ||||||||||||
Known for | Arabic and Quranic Studies | ||||||||||||
Title | Bayyinah Institute, founder | ||||||||||||
Website | bayyinah | ||||||||||||
Notes | |||||||||||||
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Early life
Khan was born in Germany to a Pakistani family and spent his preschool years in the former East Berlin.[5] His father then worked for the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Khan attended the Pakistan Embassy school from grades 2 to 8. His father moved the family to New York when Khan was in his teens.[6]
Accusations of harassment
In September 2017, Khan was accused of inappropriate online interactions with numerous women, as reported in an article in The National newspaper.[7] These accusations were repeated in international newspapers;[8][9][10] Khan responded that the leaked text conversations were "between consenting adults" and that the women were marriage prospects, noting that he had been divorced for two years.[8] In December 2017, BuzzFeed News published an article on what it called Khan's "spiritual abuse" activities, claiming that he unsuccessfully had lawyers ask four fellow clerics to not release a joint statement referring to "secret sham marriages".[11][12] An article in The Atlantic noted some backlash against women who had accused Khan of misconduct.[13]
On October 2017, a committee composed of various Islamic scholars and community leaders, including those who have held leadership positions in the Islamic Society of North America, counselors and mental health professionals, released a statement after conducting their own investigation into the matter. Among the panel were Aisha Al-Adawiya, Salma Abugideiri, Tamara Gray, Altaf Husain, Mohamed Magid and Ingrid Mattson. The committee stated, "It is with heavy hearts that we confirm that Br. Nouman has committed significant violations of trust, spiritual abuse and unethical behavior." The committee recommended that Khan “face the consequences of his actions, and ... take a break from public life in order to get counselling and engage in acts of expiation.”[14]
Publications
Title | Description | Date | Language |
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Divine Speech: Exploring Quran As Literature | Bayyinah Publishing in 2016 | 2016 | English |
Revive Your Heart: Putting Life in Perspective | Kube Publishing ISBN 978-0986275043 | 2017 | English |
Bondhon | Guardian Publication; 1st edition ASIN: B07KV37PVR | 2010 | Bangla |
Arabic With Husna | Multiple Volumes ISBN 978-0986275043 | English | |
Dirilt Kalbini | Timaş Yayınları (2017) ISBN 978-6050825992 | Turkish | |
Revive Your Heart | Guardian Publication | 2019 | Bangla |
References
- Hussein Kesvani, Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims, Oxford University Press, 2019, p. 17
- "The Muslim 500: Nouman Ali Khan". Retrieved 2015-06-17.
- Flaccus, Gillian (2013-09-21). "Demand for U.S.-Born Imams Up in American Mosques". Retrieved 2015-06-17.
- "The Muslim 500: Nouman Ali Khan".
- http://www.timeskuwait.com/Times_Nouman-Ali-Khan---The-Man--The-Mission-and-The-Media "Nouman Ali Khan - The Man, The Mission and The Media", The Times Kuwait, 17 February 2015.
- http://www.arabnews.com/news/445647 Sameen Tahir Khan, "Nouman Khan: The one-man Qur’an movement", Arab News, 22 March 2013.
- HA Hellyer. "Muslim western communities must work harder to protect the vulnerable". The National, 11 October 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- "Nouman Ali Khan urges for 'theatre-free environment' to investigate allegations against him". Dawn. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- Sohail, Rahima (23 September 2017). "Pakistani-American preacher alleged to have inappropriate relations with women". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- "The Perils of #MeToo as a Muslim". Dhaka Tribune. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- Allam, Hannah (20 December 2017). "Inside The 'Spiritual Abuse' Allegations Against A Celebrity Preacher". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- "Muslim-Americans Face Challenges When Confronting Leader's Misconduct". National Public Radio. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- Baig, Jalal (21 December 2017). "The Perils of #MeToo as a Muslim". The Atlantic (opinion). Retrieved 14 January 2018.
Though Khan has not been charged with a crime, the fallout polarized the Muslim community. In cyberspace specifically, there was a barrage of mudslinging against female critics to coerce them into silence. The women involved in the scandal, who claimed to be threatened with lawsuits if they spoke up, were also maligned.
- "A Statement Regarding Br. Nouman Ali Khan". Muslim Matters, 3 October 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2019.