Musa Abdul Alim

Abdul Alim Musa is a Muslim activist and director of Masjid Al-Islam in Washington, D.C., and a well-known speaker around the world. He is also founder and director of the As-Sabiqun movement, dedicated to providing social and spiritual services to urban America.

"Imam Abdul Alim Musa was born in Arkansas but grew up in Oakland, California during the 1960s—a time of intense social upheaval which produced groups like the Black Panthers and offshoots of the Nation of Islam. While being a supporter of the community’s revolutionary sentiment, Imam Musa became an active and very successful drug-dealer. His “street” background helps explain part of his appeal to inner-city youths and ex-convicts, with whom he can identify through personal experiences. After evading the authorities for several years, Imam Musa was forced to leave the U.S. He traveled to various countries in Africa, Europe, and Central and South America, at one time becoming a leading cocaine-exporter in Colombia, an experience that led him to discover the direct involvement of the CIA in cocaine and heroine importation to the U.S. In Algeria, he came in contact with several exiled Black Panther leaders such as Eldridge Cleaver and Pete O'Neal, as well as many prominent figures active in the decolonization struggles of African countries. After returning to the U.S., he turned himself in and was sent to prison. While incarcerated, Imam Musa accepted traditional Islam before his release...

"On July 7, 2000, Imam Musa suffered harassment at the hands of the police when he was assaulted, threatened with a gun, and then arrested while stopping the policemen from brutally beating a motorist. Imam Musa was charged with “assaulting the police.” He spent two nights in jail before appearing before a judge on July 10. In court, the police reduced the charge against him to a misdemeanor."

• Trustee, Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought
• Governing Body, Muslim Alliance in North America