Our Founder 

Imam Abdurrahman Sykes 

Hailing from North Carolina, Imam Sykes was a lay speaker preparing for a life of Christian ministry.  He left the church for a time of reflection and spent 6 years in South Africa working to end Apartheid. As a self-realization and personal actualization trainer, he entertained all race groups in the same class room.  In 1987 he had his own spiritual awakening and embraced Islam.  He completed his undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of North Carolina with honors. He served three internships in the Oaks Psychiatric Hospital and devoted 3 years as a Guardian ad Litem, advocating for abused children.  In 1998 he was the Host of “The Islamic Message,” a series of 50 television shows.  Imam Sykes served 11 years in the North Carolina Department of Corrections and has retired after eight years from the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a Chaplain advocating for the rights of least restrictive religious practice for the incarcerated. There he facilitated the religious practice of approximately 23 faith groups.    He received his Masters of Religious Service from the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Virginia.  He currently speaks at colleges, public schools, churches synagogues, Masajids, civic organizations and corporate America addressing the misconceptions about Islam.  Celebrating diversity he strives to build bridges of peace, dialogue, and understanding whereby all men and women who serve the living God come together on common ground in pursuit of peace, freedom and justice for all.  A large part of his vision includes educating and empowering converts to Islam to attain a sustainable level of iman thus preventing detachment from Islam.  Imam Sykes also completed his Master of Social Work degree and a graduate certificate in Marriage and Family at the University of Central Florida.