Genesis Impact

“For man to be prepared for [global excellence] he has to be universal in his heart, in his thinking, and in his aspirations…He has to include everybody in his dreams—not only in his works, but also in his dreams. Allah (SWT) included everybody in the dream (future) for Muslims. He said, You are one community brought out for the good of all people.”
—Imam Dr. W. Deen Mohammed (R)

When Genesis of New American Leadership was first published, some said it was like an earthquake that shook the status quo thinking of many American Muslim leaders and communities. Genesis would be in great demand again with the death of American Muslim leader Imam W. Deen Mohammed (R). Mukhtar Muhammad had asserted that there was an over dependence on charismatic leadership. That a failure to develop stronger institutional leadership would be to the detriment of the community’s progress and its future as an effective and cohesive body capable of exerting influence from the local to the international arenas…a prerequisite to remaking the world. His statement, “It is time to sever the umbilical cord of one way communication and over dependence on one man,” was not simply an indictment, it was a diagnosis. The Imam himself agreed. And with the death of the Imam, the umbilical cord was once and for all removed. Either willingly or unwillingly, institutional leadership would have to emerge. It remains to be seen as Muhammad states, if the new leadership (now dispersed yet still unharnessed in the group intellect) can examine its philosophical strengths to overcome internal political weakness…those comments were specifically applicable to the 2.5 million member Association of Imam Mohammed.

Audiences in the broader Muslim and American communities and even internationally also began to take note of Genesis’ synthesis of American management philosophy (including the broader cultural attributes of “western democracy”) as being congruent with Al-Islam, provided the ethical boundaries for free markets and concern for all stakeholders were in place. Although, many would now say that American business ethics is an oxymoron, Muhammad doesn’t believe it has to be so. Indeed the title of his work is addressed first to the Muslim Community, but it is by no means relegated exclusively to Muslims. Muhammad has clearly given signals that there needs to be new thinking that emerges across the board from the religious to the secular and across faith groups and those who claim no faith. He states he is “encouraged by the expanding dialogue and cooperative efforts of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish leaders at the national level and among some local interfaith organizations. But such respect and level of dialogue must filter through to the musella, pews, and assemblies.”

Despite any so-called clash of civilizations, Muhammad believes American Muslims have an important role to play in helping America regain it’s footing and trust in itself, following the debacle of wall street, an avoidable recession and a war of choice v. necessity…just to name a few examples of where leadership deficiencies resulted in catastrophic consequences.

While the American Muslim Community also has a vital role to play internationally as an urgent voice of reform, the domestic contribution of Muslims will either be enhanced or impeded by their fellow non-Muslim Americans’ understanding of true Islam and acceptance of Muslims as full American citizens. Similarly, Muslims themselves must enhance their efforts, work and contributions by fully embracing and accepting their responsibility as American leaders. Muhammad’s work has and hopefully will continue to help bridge any divide and help create a climate for a genesis of a new American leadership. While the future is yet to come, here are few comments of many who agree that Muhammad has made a monumental contribution to his Community and to the discourse on American leadership:

Praise for Genesis of New American Leadership

“It is a gift to us.” —Imam Dr. W. Deen Mohammed (R)

“Required Reading.” Muslim Journal

“Valuable application…an important aspect of American Islam and scholarship.”
—Dr. Patrice C. Brodeur, Connecticut College New London Hartford Seminary’s The Muslim World

“Excellent…indeed a marvelous work.”
—Dr. Muhammad Abdul Rauf (R), The Islamic Center Wash., DC

“A great job translating the important relationship between Muslims, Christians and Jews.”—Hon. Mayor John Delaney, President, Univ. of North Florida

“A much needed text.” —Dr. Beverly Aminah McCloud, DePaul University

“Required Reading.”—Professor Dr. Robert Hogner, Florida International University

“Inherent in leadership is vision, but vision requires  a vehicle to move it forward.  Genesis of New American Leadership is a state of the art vehicle—empowering! It is a gift that must be used.” —Dr. Zakiyyah Muhammad (R), Institute of Muslim American Studies

“…Should be a mandatory textbook for all in the classroom of Muslim American Leadership.” —Imam Vernon Fareed (R), Norfolk VA

“I have read books by such authors as Stephen Covey, Peter Senge, John P. Kotter, Edward Demming, Peter Drucker and many others . . . Mukhtar Muhammad rivals them in Genesis of New American Leadership.”— Imam Fahmee M. Sabree, Baton Rouge LA

“The work which this new tool will facilitate is essential to the construction of a new world community in America.”—Imam Faheem Shuaibe, Oakland CA

“A necessary source book for leaders of Muslim Organizations throughout America. It is must reading for those of who want and need the next stage.” —Imam Plemon T. El-Amin, Atlanta GA

“We would do well to lay aside any hesitation for self–assessment and become a force for Genesis of New American Leadership.”—Imam Omar Shaheed, Columbia SC

“The realization of comprehensive community establishment for Muslim Americans directly correlates with how well we succeed in translating religious principles and practices into organizational effectiveness. Genesis continues to represent an accurate critique of the overall organizational state of our affairs and should especially resonate with the next generation of Muslim American leadership because of its authentic tone and sense of urgency.”—Imam Rashad Shahid, Jacksonville FL

“A watershed event in publishing! Scholarly, insightful, and prescriptive . . . treats the chronic conditions that stifle our full development into the vanguard of social, cultural and economic excellence.”—Imam Muhammad Askia Aquil, St. Petersburg, FL

“ . . . I highly recommend it to all imams, teachers and others interested in learning more about leadership in general and within our Association in particular. It’s must reading for those seeking to be on the cutting edge of aligning their leadership with the world’s greatest leader, Prophet Muhammed (SAW).”—Imam Mohammed Harisuddin (R), Augusta GA

“Well thought out and very necessary . . .” —Imam M. Armiya Nu’Man (R), Newark NJ

“Being up close with the author and knowing the absorbing effect the composition has had upon him makes it easy to encourage this well researched and well thought out work . . . we must not let this opportunity for bettering our community life elude us.” —Imam Bilal Muslim Hasan, Jacksonville FL

“Insightful, essential and blindingly true, “Genesis” is a must read for American Muslims to not only step, but walk in the right direction towards the establishment of a model Muslim community.”―Mahasin D. Shamsid-Deen, Director, Mohammed Schools Weekend Initiative, Richmond VA; Artistic Director, Islamic Writers Alliance and Islamic Theatre, Inc.

“Entering the arena with foresight and guts, releasing minds from environmental rut . . . now here is a Muslim Commentary explaining the facts, identifying the bacteria holding us back.”—Educator, Poet, Author Habibullah Saleem, Phoenix AZ

“First of all I cannot commend Mukhtar enough for this great piece of work…It is definitely an instructional treatise on how to organize and structure progress that can be measured. His writing style and scholarship is par-excellence…I’m an avid reader and would put Genesis at the very top in terms of being motivational, instructional, and very informative. May Allah bless Mukhtar and his family for a great contribution to the Muslim community in general and the Muslim American Society in particular.―Imam Kamal Saleem, Mobile AL

“Mukhtar Muhammad has done an excellent job in providing an analysis of organizational and leadership development issues within the Islamic context. I appreciate his look at the transformational leadership that Muslim Americans experienced from 1975 to the present. His assessment of the decentralization that took place helped me understand more of what I experienced as a second generation Muslim who grew up in the Nation of Islam and later Orthodox Islam…I also believe Prophet Mohammed’s (SAW) model for business and strategic planning was well documented. I use this book as one of my main business guides as I work through organizational change at work, in the masjid, and the community at large.”―Arissa El-Amin, Charlotte, NC

“Mr. Muhammad’s book open’s the door to important dialogue relative to the Islamic application and how true success is achieved and maintained…The author’s candid style and straight ahead approach to sometimes extremely complex issues, is like a bright ray of hope.”―James Abdur-Rahman, Jacksonville, FL

“Mukhtar eloquently identifies our challenges while articulating recommendations and strategies that will help guide our community into the 21st Century.”―Umar Abd-Fatir MPA., CDCA, Fatir Consulting, Cleveland Heights, Ohio

“A bright star among us, Mukhtar is a very deep thinker and strategic planner working to find new ways to help create a sustainable environment that insures the continued growth of our community.”―Imam Enrique Rasheed, Oakland, California

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