Home » About > Biographical

Biographical

Writer

The author of The Manrilla Blog - Exploring Islam In America Through the Social Sciences, Marc writes about pertinent issues facing America's Muslim community today. Steeped in the intellectual tradition of Islam, Marc has chosen to broker a new path of American Muslim thought by giving careful analysis of social and cultural trends of the diverse population of Muslims in America. Seeking to provide a voice that at once speaks to the here and now of Muslims, yet rooted in the timeless philosophy of Islamic thought. Read more here »

Speaker & Educator

Marc has been involved in speaking as well as education since his early twenties, when he was asked to teach Islamic studies along side Shaykh 'Ali Sulaiman 'Ali, of the ALIM Program, at Crescent Academy in Canton, Michigan. Since then, Marc has worked as a Muslim educator in subjects ranging from Arabic language, philosophy, and creed to spirituality and self-purification. More recently Marc teamed up with Adnan Zulficar, the Interfaith Fellow and Campus Minister to the Muslim Community at the University of Pennsylvania, to create and teach the Islamic Literacy Series. Notes and audio recordings can be found here.

In 2008, Marc completed his ijazah with Imam Anwar Muhaimin of the Quba Institute, in Philadelphia, in the area of khutbah. Since then, Marc has been working as a khatib, delivering Friday sermons at a variety of location in and around the greater Philadelphia area. In addition, Marc has spoken at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Hillel, and Penn Charter School, just to name a few venues.

An avid jazz aficionado, Marc has studied and played that most American of art forms: bebop. He has also written and lectured extensively on the historical and social significance of jazz which ultimately led to the inception of his own radio show for WEMU, 89.1FM [an NPR affiliate], where he spun jazz for three years. Marc also explores the historical interaction of jazz and bebop with Muslims and their impact on the art form.

Marc also has an extensive background as an educator, including such diverse subjects as ESL, Arabic, and, as a former faculty member at the Moore College of Art & Design, web design, where he taught Web Fundamentals [Web Publishing]. For a copy of his resumé, read here »