The Muslim Education Council on Clergy in America Project

The M.E.C.C.A. Project

The MECCA Project (Muslim Education Council on Clergy in America) has been developed and is maintained by the Graduate Theological Foundation. It is designed as a national research and study center addressing the general topic of Muslim religious leaders in America, and its staffing consists of sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, historians, and Islamic scholars. The Project’s work is designed to be both scholarly and pragmatically helpful in its mission of promoting a deeper and more informed understanding of the nature and place of Muslim religious leaders in American society. The Project focuses its research and publication attention specifically on the two-fold process of the “Americanization of Islam” and the “Islamification of America” as arbitrated, mediated, and brokered by Muslim religious leaders in America. Where other institutional study centers focus more broadly upon the place of Muslims in American society, the MECCA Project is more singular in its focus upon the clergy, all the while availing itself of the plethora of research and publication activities related to the broader issues of American Muslims.
The Project is an outgrowth of the recently published book by the President of the Foundation, Dr. John Morgan, titled Muslim Clergy in America: Ministry as Profession in the Islamic Community. The Project is theologically non-aligned and all publications of the Project and all programmatic developments within the Project receive the Council’s approval. The Council is made up of Foundation faculty who are themselves practicing Muslims. Each holds a doctorate and most have been trained as Imams in their countries of origin. Outside Islamic scholars are, on occasion, invited to participate in specific research projects. All activities of the MECCA Project come under the oversight and jurisdiction of the Foundation’s President in consultation with the Academic Affairs Committee.

Given the conspicuous absence of focused attention upon Muslim clergy in America, the MECCA Project attempts to fill that void with its concentrated efforts of research and publications with periodic conferences, workshops, and public lectures designed to better inform both the professional community and the public at large.

Muslim Clergy in America:
Ministry as Profession in the Islamic Community (2nd edition)

To request a copy of this book click here.

RESEARCH INITIATIVE

The identification of issues needing research is the first agenda. Given the plethora of opinionated writings both inside and outside the Muslim American community about the nature and role of the Imam, there is a disturbing lack of empirical data for a proper assessment of the Imam’s professional role in American society. The MECCA Project addresses this issue by fostering and sponsoring data-based studies of a wide range of issues and questions directly related to Muslim clergy in America.
The composition of the MECCA Project staff will consist of academically-trained Muslim scholars and Imams who specialize in a particular discipline but are eager to relate to a cross-disciplinary approach to the study of the issues related to Muslim clergy in America. Each initiative will be headed by a designated faculty member and the various “teams” will periodically report to the President of the Foundation on research progress. The disciplines of particular importance to the Project’s initiatives include sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, and Islamic theology. The periodic hosting of workshops, conferences, and lectures will further enhance the mission of the MECCA Project by bringing together involved scholars and the interested public for free and open discussions of the relevant issues raised in the sponsored initiatives of research and publishing.

John H. Morgan, Ph.D., D.Sc., Psy.D.
President, Graduate Theological Foundation
Research Director and Senior Analyst of the MECCA Project
Profile

Esmail Koushanpour, Ph.D. (Iran/USA)
Advisor to the Foundation on Islamic Affairs
Profile

Muslim faculty members at the Foundation
(in order of appointment and nationality --- all are US citizens)

Syed ZiaTauhid, D.Med. (Pakistan/USA)
Professor of Labor-Management Relations and International Law
Senior Counsel to the Foundation on the MECCA Project
Profile

Omar Shahin, Ph.D. (Jordan/USA)
Director of Islamic Studies and Professor of Islamic Law
Profile

Senad Agic, D.Min., Ph.D. (Bosnia/USA)
Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani Professor of Islamic Studies
Profile

Khutb Uddin, M.D., Ph.D. (India/USA)
Abu Hamid Mohammed al-Ghazzali Professor of Islamic Studies
Profile

Marzia Dawlatzai, Ph.D. (Afghanistan/USA)
Professor of Women’s Studies
Profile

Ismail Elshikh, Ph.D. (Egypt/USA)
Visiting Professor of Islamic Studies
Profile

Muhammad Hatim, Ph.D., D.Min. (USA)
Visiting Professor of African American Muslim Studies
Profile

Mohammed Abdul Shaheed Khan, Ph.D. (India/USA)
Visiting Professor of Information Management and Technology
Profile

Ibrahim Abdul-Malik, Ed.D., Ph.D. (USA)
Visiting Professor of American Muslim History and Culture
Profile

FIRST DATA-BASED RESEARCH SURVEY INSTRUMENT
(Initial pretest completed July 1, 2009, to be published early 2010.)

Biographical, Educational, and Professional Profile of the Imam in America
The masjid’s professional support of the Imam including finances, education, etc.
The Imam’s involvement in the secular community in which he serves
Professional memberships and activities of the Imam
Attitudinal Profile of the Imam (social/religious/political)
Range of in-house and public-service activities of the masjids in America
Demographic profile of American masjids including nationality, ethnicity, language, and theological tradition

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES
(Pilot project and research instrument launched June 1, 2009.)

National study based on the research instrument developed in the 2009 initiative
Creation of partial scholarships for immigrant Imams in the US to pursue advanced study at the Foundation
Development of five-day intensive workshops on specific topics relevant to Imams
Annual publication of a research-based monograph on Imam-related topics
Solicitation of funding to sponsor workshops, scholarships, and professorships for Imams on topics relevant to the practice of ministry in America by Muslim clergy

FROM “PROJECT” TO “CENTER”

It is the intention of the Foundation to elevate the MECCA Project to the MECCA Center when proper funding is secured. The Center will constitute the repository of all research and educational activities of the Foundation relevant to the MECCA Project’s purpose. This is, of course, contingent upon the securing of sponsoring funds for the Center.

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LINGUISTIC NOTES

For consistency, “Imam” is always capitalized whether used generically or as a formal title.
In all MECCA publications, the term “clergy” simply means the faith community’s “chosen spiritual guide and teacher,” namely, the Imam.
The terms “masjid” and “Islamic cultural center” are used interchangeably.