After graduating from university in 1966 and seeking a mental and physical break from studying, part-time work, and the pressures of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, I was invited in 1967 to serve in the Peace Corps in Senegal—a country in West Africa. I joined the Rural Animation Development Program under the direction of its minister, the Honorable Ben Mady Cisse. My post was N’gabou, a village in the Region of Diourbel, home to about two hundred ethnic Wolof and Wolofized Serrer nationals.

My responsibilities included organizing the construction of latrines, assisting in digging wells, preparing health-focused events, and lecturing at high schools about “the stolen ones”—African Americans, the only involuntary immigrants to America. It was an extraordinarily successful and deeply gratifying “political” program of service. However, the Senegalese provided the life-giving service to me by introducing me to Islam.

Deciding to return home in 1969 to attend graduate school allowed me the opportunity to read about and study Islam, as there were no libraries or bookstores available “in the bush” or village where I had been living. In 1970, I relocated from California to Boston, MA, to pursue an advanced degree and began working at the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) under the direction of the late Brother Herman 2X Harrell, later known as Herman Ahmed. He was one of the most pleasant-natured individuals I had ever met—may Allah be pleased with him.

Several months later he invited me to a “Night With the FOI” (Fruit of Islam – the Brothers’ class of the Nation of Islam/NOI) where they performed a karate exhibition, had skits and other activities centered around service.

The NOI provided for the health and safety of the African American communities throughout the United States. The NOI was founded in the early 1930s by a mystic from the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and the Honorable Sister Clara Muhammad. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught that the Nation of Islam aimed to provide the so-called Negro with self-knowledge and, through the principles of Islam, to uplift and prepare them to embrace the faith fully. He often stated that one would come after him to guide the community into mainstream Islam.

Under a strict moral code and the motto “Do for Self,” the NOI fostered discipline and entrepreneurship. Across the United States, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, the movement inspired its members to build a self-reliant economy. This included publishing their own newspaper, establishing a bank, owning clothing stores and factories to produce garments for Muslim women, operating restaurants, founding 45 schools and a junior college in Washington, D.C., and running numerous private businesses. The NOI also brokered a deal to import fish from Latin America and managed contracts for halfway houses for individuals transitioning out of prison.

One of its most globally recognized figures, Muhammad Ali, further elevated the NOI’s profile by engaging in historic boxing matches like “The Thriller in Manila” and “The Rumble in the Jungle,” contributing to international economies while inspiring countless individuals.

These efforts dignified a community that had previously been taught to despise itself and had been loathed by others. This foundation paved the way for the NOI’s second leader, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (raa – may Allah be pleased with him) who eventually taught the Deen – Islam. After the passing of his father, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in 1975, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (raa) transitioned the NOI to mainstream Islam, giving the shahada to four million Muslims. May Allah forgive their sins and grant them Paradise. He taught us, the “Associates of Imam Mohammed (raa),” to believe in the Creator of the heavens and the earth and to serve humanity by working toward positive solutions to global challenges. He emphasized that we are living in a time of religion and inspired his followers to help “remake the world.”

A decade and a half ago, Professor Naeem Nash, one of Imam Mohammed’s (raa) Associates, introduced me to Brother Savaş Öztürk, the founder of the Compassion Action Foundation. This foundation was established for “charitable, cultural, educational, and religious purposes,” aiming to “assist humanity in developing positive solutions to our problems” and to “remake the world.” Additionally, Brother Öztürk’s foundation is affiliated with the Fethullah Gülen (raa) Hizmet Movement.

The global Hizmet Movement and the Associates of Imam Mohammed (raa) embody the teachings of Surah Al-Hujurat in the Holy Qur’an: “We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another.” Serving humanity for the sake of Allah brings continuous happiness and strength, rewarded by our Creator’s boundless blessings.

In the spirit of our teachers – Warith Deen Mohammed (raa) and Fethullah Gülen (raa) – let us commit to working harder to assist and serve humanity, for humankind needs positive solutions to serious contemporary problems to remake the world.

Jon A. Yasin, PhD, EdD

President, Sister Clara Muhammad Memorial Education Foundation

Professor Emeritus, Bergen Community College

I had the opportunity to visit some of the many schools established by the Hizmet movement. These schools serve as places for girls and boys to learn universal values, academics and much needed everyday life skills. When I visited these schools, I felt a sense of home. The schools reminded me of the Sister Clara Muhammad Schools, formerly called University of Islam. One Hizmet school in Africa has particularly stayed in my mind, as it bears the name As Shamsiyyah. This name is also shared by the Domestic Violence program I established in the late ’90s and continue to run today, providing support to families in need.

The Quranic recitation we had the privilege of hearing that day continues to feed my soul whenever I recall it. As I listened to the young African men recite, I was reminded of Bilal Al-Habashi (RA – may Allah be pleased with him). Countless Muslims love and respect Bilal (RA), and I do as well, but through the teachings of my father, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (RA)—the successor to the NOI leader and leader of the Islamic transition in America, now known as the IWDM community—his significance holds an even deeper meaning for African Americans. Imam W.D. Mohammed emphasized Bilal’s importance, and as a result, many of us now call ourselves Bilalian. It was a profoundly moving experience that I will never forget.

Over the years I’ve witnessed not just the diversity of Muslims impacted by Imam Gülen (RA) but also the impact on the broader interfaith community. This emphasis on interfaith dialogue is especially meaningful to me, as it aligns with much of the work I am involved in. We have been blessed with Muhammad (SAW) who was a mercy to all mankind. Imam Gülen understood this, and the Hizmet movement has carried out extensive interfaith initiatives around the world. It is this interfaith work, alongside the educational work, that leads me to call Imam Gülen as Hocaefendi (RA).

There are two blessings that I have received as a result of getting to know the Hizmet movement. The first blessing is to have shared space with such a humble human being, Hocaefendi. When I met him in Pennsylvania, the spirit of peace and God Consciousness surrounding him was evident. Despite the inhumane treatment and injustices inflicted upon him and his people by their homeland, he had not allowed it to harden his heart.

This is his legacy: education and peace for all. As an African American (Bilalian), I resonate with and look forward to continued collaboration with the Hizmet movement. May their grief be comforted, and may it inspire them to work even harder for the causes of education and peace.