Decolonizing The Suburban Masjid | NBF 626 | Shaykh Cyrus McGoldrick & Imam Safwan Eid-Safina Society-Sep24,2026

 YouTube Video:

https://www.youtube.com/live/tqM9bhroTDY?si=unNctBx27zCA7qwQ

Safina Society Website:https://www.safinasociety.org/

Safina Society was established in 2010 to solve a simple problem: the absence of accessible institutions of knowledge in New Jersey. We started with weekend classes at the New Brunswick Islamic Center, which continue to this day. Dozens of young students of knowledge were developed in those classes. This morphed into Darul Fath, which is more exclusively for those who can read Arabic and are ready to dive deep into the classical books.As we emerged out of covid, two amazing opportunities opened up. We acquired a property in New Brunswick that served two purposes. We opened a soup kitchen down stairs and what would become a very successful livestream upstairs.
Meet Our Founder:Dr. Shadee Elmasry:Born and raised in the great state of New Jersey, Dr. Shadee was inspired to study Islam in the traditional manner, traveling to places such as Makka, Madina, Egypt, Morocco, and Yemen, learning Arabic, aqida, and fiqh. He also completed an MA from The George Washington University with a thesis on Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, and a PhD from the University of London on Imam al-Haddad.

Cyrus McGoldrick's Website:https://cyrusmcgoldrick.com/

"Cyrus graduated from Columbia University in 2010 with a B.A. in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies. He was a lifetime artist and musician, performing throughout the US and publishing a book of poetry, I of the Garden, in 2014." "In 2015 Cyrus moved to Istanbul to pursue graduate education at Ibn Haldun University and traditional Islamic studies, completing an M.A. in 2018 and now working on a Ph.D. In 2017 his chapter on the political thought of Kalim Siddiqui was published in the edited volume Al-Deen wa l-Insaan wa l-‘Aalam (Tahreer, Arabic language). In 2019, his translation from Turkish to English of Recep Şentürk’s Malcolm X: The Struggle for Human Rights was published by Claritas Books. To Asim Qureshi’s edited volume I Refuse to Condemn (Manchester University Press, 2020), he contributed the chapter “It is Allah that Condemns.”

TheYoungUncles:A podcast hosted by Reshad Strik & Cyrus McGoldrick, recorded in Istanbul.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheYoungUncles

Imam Safwan Eid's Biography:https://www.icebnj.net/about-us/imam/

"Alhamdulillah, the Islamic Center of East Brunswick is pleased to welcome Imam Safwan Eid as our Resident Imam and Scholar. Imam Safwan brings over fifteen years of dedicated service to the deen and Muslim communities across North America. He combines traditional Islamic scholarship, pastoral care, community leadership, youth engagement, and institutional development in a way that is deeply relevant to the needs of American Muslim communities."