Omar Suleiman

His career began in his hometown of New Orleans, where he served for six years as imam of the Jefferson Muslim Association, directed the “Muslims for Humanity” Hurricane Katrina relief effort and co-founded the East Jefferson Interfaith Clergy Association; in 2010 he was honored for outstanding civic achievement by the Mayor and City Council of New Orleans.⁠[1]

Then an imam at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center outside Dallas, he was at a demonstration against police brutality when the shooting began and fled for his life. He was then invited to help lead prayers at the memorial service for the five officers killed, sharing the stage with President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush.⁠[2]

After the memorial he said of Obama’s address: “It was exactly the type of message that we needed to hear.”⁠[3]

In January 2017 he helped lead protests at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport against the Trump administration’s travel ban. That March The Dallas Morning News published an editorial in his support, saying that the resident scholar at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center and founder of the Yaqeen Institute had received at least two credible death threats in ISIS videos and praising his interfaith work.⁠[4]

The North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church presented its fourth annual Bishop Oden Award, which recognizes interreligious cooperation, to the multi-faith coalition Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square. As a co-chair of the coalition, he accepted the award on its behalf and said people were sick of division.⁠[5]

He was among several Muslim-American leaders, including Linda Sarsour and Nihad Awad, who were arrested at the U.S. Capitol after urging Congress to oppose President Trump’s effort to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He said Islamophobia, racism and hostility toward immigrants stem from the same roots.⁠[6]

At the invitation of Texas Democratic Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, he delivered the opening prayer in the House, praying for “peace, not war; love, not hate.”⁠[7]

Critics pointed to a record of his social media posts compiled by the researcher Petra Marquardt-Bigman, saying he had likened Israel to Nazi Germany, wished for a third Palestinian intifada and called Zionists “the enemies of God.” He responded that he had “never attacked the Jewish community,” that he had spent his life fighting bigotry, and that he had been attacked online and threatened with violence.⁠[8]

In an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News he recounted that after he and the Dallas Methodist pastor Andy Stoker made an interfaith video, ISIS released a video calling for his assassination; he argued that polarization benefits only polarizing politicians and that faith leaders can teach people to unite and talk across different creeds.⁠[9]

In episode 352 he discussed God, suffering, Islamophobia, the “Muslim ban,” prayer, Mecca, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, the Quran, Ramadan, the Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis, and Israel and Palestine.⁠[10]

In an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News he urged the Irving, Texas, city council and other local councils to pass resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. He wrote that he had called Irving home for a decade and that a member of his community had lost 21 relatives to Israeli bombardment, arguing that a council ceasefire vote was a matter of representation and conscience.⁠[11]

In episode 411 he discussed the October 7 attack, the Palestinian diaspora, violence, Biden and Trump, the ceasefire march, Benjamin Netanyahu, Houthi attacks, the hostages, Palestinian refugees and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.⁠[12]

After the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, he wrote on social media: “May you live an eternity in ruins for the ruins you helped create in Gaza.” Texas Republican Representative Beth Van Duyne called the remark “depravity” and announced plans to introduce a resolution condemning it; he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.⁠[13]

The resolution, introduced by Van Duyne with the Republican Study Committee, condemns his statement while honoring Graham’s service, and notes that House Democrats had invited him to serve as guest chaplain in 2019.⁠[14]

He is founder, president and CEO of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and an adjunct professor of Islamic studies in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at Southern Methodist University.⁠[15]

X: Public account: https://x.com/omarsuleiman504 (opens in a new window)⁠[12]

Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research: Official website: https://yaqeeninstitute.org/ (opens in a new window)⁠[12]

Southern Methodist University: Official website: https://www.smu.edu/ (opens in a new window)⁠[15]