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Abstract:
Oral history interview with Shaykh Momodou Ceesay conducted by Naimah Siddiq on October 24, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Naimah Siddiq. Shaykh Momodou Ceesay was born in Gambia on June 28, 1958. During his childhood, Shaykh Ceesay engaged in intensive Islamic studies under the tutelage of various shaykhs in both Gambia and Senegal. After receiving a scholarship, Shaykh Ceesay continued his education in Tunisia. He then earned a degree in Islamic sciences at Cairo’s renowned Al-Azhar University. Shaykh Ceesay immigrated to the United States in 1989, where he served as a teacher for the West African Muslim community, first in New York and then in Detroit. In addition, he made history by completing the first Mandingo translation of the Qur’an. Shaykh Ceesay ministers to the West African immigrant community through lectures over Kairo Radio, a station devoted to Gambians in America. Around 2000, Imam Ceesay began serving as imam at the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center and became the mosque’s resident imam in 2014. He advances Islamic education at the Muslim Center by teaching Qur’an and religion classes, and particularly devotes himself to educating young people and seniors. In the interview, Shaykh Ceesay reflects on his vision for the Muslim Center, discussing his priorities of education and building a diverse community. He also discusses the efforts he has made to bring together the African American Muslim and West African Muslim communities. ; https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dream-storytelling-interviews/1014/thumbnail.jpg
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