






Zaid Shakir is a prominent American Muslim scholar and a professor emeritus and board observer of Zaytuna College. He has taught courses in Arabic, Islamic spirituality, contemporary Muslim thought, Islamic history and politics, and Shafi’i fiqh at the College. He speaks and writes on a wide range of topics, and he travels frequently across the United States to support institution-building projects in the Muslim community. In 2007, he was a signatory of the 2007 letter “A Common Word Between Us and You,” an appeal for peace and cooperation between Christians and Muslims, and in 2016, he presided over the public memorial for Muhammad Ali.

Eman has served over 15 years as a highly accomplished community leader, receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Jordan, Amman. She founded the Al-Hedaya Islamic Center in Newtown, CT, and played an instrumental role in building bridges in the community. Eman is also a member of the town’s Interfaith Council. In 2017, Eman was awarded the Ijlal Mohammad Humanitarian Award, “Honoring Positive Examples in The Community.” In 2018 she received the Parental Involvement Recognition Award presented by the State Education Resource Center (SERC) in collaboration with Connecticut Commission on Women and Children and was the guest speaker of the ceremony.