For some, the names Mutahir Sabree, Hakeem Olajuwon and Mamadou N’Diaye may sound familiar. Hakeem Olajuwon, of course, is an NBA player with the Toronto Raptors (and was selected in 1996 as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history). Mamadou N’Diaye is also an NBA player with the Toronto Raptors. Mutahir Sabree is a Muslim revert who works as one of only two Muslim chaplains at a prison facility in the US. He has travelled around North America to present talks regarding Islam.
Besides their faith, what all three have in common is that they are extremely humble Muslims. All three were recently in the same city to present some talks regarding issues that are of direct relevance for Muslims residing in the ‘west’. Their conference was titled “Living Islam in the West”. Their talks are presented online; i thought i would post this up incase it can be of use to anyone who has the time to listen to these. The talks are extremely well done IMHO. The ones by Mutahir Sabree (“Raising kids in the west”) and Hakeem Olajuwon (“Balancing deen and dunya”) were really, really well done, i thought. Definitely worth the time invested in listening to them.
The first one can be useful for Muslim parents raising Muslim children in North America - he gave examples of how Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to treat his children. There are lots of other talks from this conference accessible online - full list given below:
http://www.iisc.ca/conferences/livingislam/index.htm [RealOne required]
Remembering Allah ~ Mutahir Sabree
The Virtues of the Sahabba (ra) ~ Said Rageah
Raising Kids in the West ~ Mutahir Sabree
Balancing Deen and Duniya ~ Hakeem Olajuwon
Dealing with Differences Amongst Muslims ~ Mutahir Sabree
Peer Pressure ~ Hakeem Olajuwon
Role Models ~ Mamadou N’Diaye
Good and Bad Companions ~ Mamadou N’Diaye
Marrying Non-Muslims ~ Mutahir Sabree
The Sound Heart ~ Mutahir Sabree