Khalid Latif (born October 18, 1982)[1] is the Executive Director and Chaplain (Imam) for the Islamic Center at New York University (NYU).

Khalid Latif
Executive Director and Lead Chaplain for the Islamic Center at New York University
Assumed office
2007
Personal details
Born (1982-10-18) October 18, 1982 (age 41)
Edison, New Jersey, U.S.
Residence(s)New York, New York, USA
Alma materNew York University B.A. Political Science, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
Hartford Seminary Graduate Education
ProfessionImam, Professor and Public Speaker

In 2005, Latif was appointed the first Muslim chaplain at NYU. In 2006, Latif was appointed the first Muslim chaplain at Princeton University. In 2007, Latif’s position was fully institutionalized at New York University, and so he committed himself to that institution and the building of a Muslim life institution.[2]

In 2007, Mayor Michael Bloomberg nominated Latif to become the youngest chaplain in history of the New York City Police Department when he was 24 years old.[3] Latif has developed skills as a spokesperson for co-existence, mutual understanding, and productive relationships between cultures, communities, and religions.[4][5]

Latif has offered his experience to the U.S. State Department, various institutions, corporations, mosques, and other communities in the United States, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and Egypt.[6] He has been invited to speak at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Yeshiva University, St. John's University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California-Davis, University of California-Berkeley, Columbia University, Princeton University, The University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), Ohio State University and Harvard University.[citation needed] Latif has been quoted or otherwise featured in The Guardian[7] and GEO TV. Latif was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world in 2010 by Georgetown University's Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding and The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.[8]

In 2009, Latif was a runner-up in the FaithTrust Institute's National Sermon Contest for his sermon "Real Men Don't Hit Women".[9]

Latif is one of the principal subjects of Chelsea Clinton's 2014 documentary film "Of Many".[10]

Since 2010, Latif has run a daily blog for the HuffPost Religion during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in 2011 winning the Brass Crescent Award.[11] He was named to the 2012 Christian Science Monitor's "30 under 30" list.[11] In 2014, Latif was honored with the NYU Alumni Distinguished Service Award for his continued work to help bridge gaps between different faith groups.[12] He also owns Honest Chops.[13]

References edit

  1. ^ Latif, Khalid [@KLatif] (October 18, 2023). "I turn 41 today alhamdulillah ..." (Tweet). Retrieved February 4, 2024 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Muslim NYPD Chaplain On Faith, Fear And Getting Stopped By Airport Security". NPR.org.
  3. ^ Bruinius, Harry (March 19, 2009). "When NYPD wears a Muslim topi" – via Christian Science Monitor.
  4. ^ Network, USA. "Characters Unite :: Imam Khalid Latif". www.charactersunite.com.
  5. ^ "Khalid Latif - NYU Wagner". wagner.nyu.edu.
  6. ^ Husna, Haq; MacDonald, G. Jeffrey (January 6, 2012). "Khalid Latif: Muslim bridge builder (Thirty ideas from people under 30: The Faith Leaders)". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Latif, Imam Khalid; Sarsour, Linda (February 4, 2016). "We welcome President Obama's words in his mosque visit. Now we need actions" – via The Guardian.
  8. ^ "Khalid Latif - Chaplain/Director". Islamic Center at New York University. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "2009 National Sermon Contest Winners — FaithTrust Institute". www.faithtrustinstitute.org.
  10. ^ Raushenbush, Paul Brandeis (March 12, 2014). "'Of Many' Film Produced By Chelsea Clinton To Premier At Tribeca Film Festival, Featuring Muslim-Jewish Relations". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Khalid Latif - HuffPost". www.huffingtonpost.com.
  12. ^ Prince Adewale Oreshade (May 24, 2014). "Speech of Imam Khalid Latif when he was given the Alumni Distinguished Service Award at NYU 2014". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ "Why Halal-Grade Meat Is More Humane And Better Tasting". May 5, 2016. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2017.

External links edit