SAPIENCE INSTITUTE’S INTENSIVE 1-DAY ACADEMIC CONFERENCE
SATURDAY | APRIL 19 | 2025
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Sex in Christianity & Islam • Denominations Explained • Secret Lives of Mormons • Zionism Exposed and more...
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“I trust there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a Unitarian.”
Thomas Jefferson (1829). “Memoirs, Correspondence, and Private Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Late President of the United States”, p.358
Did you know that after the Protestant Reformation, some Christians rejected the Trinity and the divinity of Christ—purely based on their reading of the Bible? Even Thomas Jefferson is said to have embraced these beliefs, famously cutting out verses from the Bible with a razor!
Who were these Unitarian Christians and how are they relevant to dawah today? What did they believe, and why did they challenge mainstream Christianity?
Join us for a thought-provoking deep dive into the history and doctrine of Unitarian Christianity—an often-overlooked chapter in theological history.
Imam Yassir was born in Eritrea in Northeast Africa and moved to the United States at the age of 15. He has a Bachelors Degree in Islamic Studies from the Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in Virginia; and received a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Counselling from the California State University of Long Beach. Imam Yassir serves as the Religious Leader of Orange County Islamic Foundation (OCIF) in Mission Viejo, California. He is also the Director of Mental Health Department at Access California Social Services Agency in Anaheim.
Sh. Fahad Tasleem is a research fellow and instructor at The Sapience Institute. He is the author of the book, "No Doubt: Finding Certainty in an Age of Uncertainty". Fahad's research areas at Sapience focus on Islamic Theo-Philosophy & Spirituality.
He holds a BA in Economics from Michigan State University, an MSc in Business from the University of Southern California and Graduate Studies in Middle Eastern Studies with a focus on Islamic Theology from the University of Texas at Austin. Fahad is a student, researcher teacher of various Islamic sciences and is currently pursuing his Phd in Islamic Thought from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.
Shaykh Saad Tasleem, born and raised in the USA, is highly in tune with today’s youth struggles and pressures, while grounded with education in traditional Islamic Sciences.
In his early years, Shaykh Saad tasted the alternative life as the lead singer of a punk rock band. Moving on from that lifestyle, Shaykh Saad still skateboards, snowboards, and rocks his Converse sneakers. After studying Art History, Modern Art, Graphic Design, and Psychology at the University of Maryland, he decided to take his life in a brand new direction.
Shaykh Saad started Islamic education at IIASA in Fairfax, VA. He then went on to study at the Islamic University of Madinah where he dedicated himself to the study of Islamic Sciences. He graduated with a Bachelor’s from the Faculty of Islamic Law, University of Madinah.
Today, Shaykh Saad dedicates his teaching to Muslim youth learning to balance their Western lifestyles with Islamic values. At AlMaghrib, he has developed seminars like Fiqh of Chillin’: Entertainment & Recreation in Islam, Trends: Fiqh of Fashion & Clothing, and Deception: Study of Shaytan. His primary message is to empower Muslim youth to be comfortable with their own personal identities as part of Western society.
Tahir Wyatt is a published academic, experienced interpreter, and instructor of Islamic studies and comparative religion. During his twenty-one years of studying and teaching in Saudi Arabia, he procured several degrees, including a doctorate in theology. He was also the only American ever to be appointed to teach in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, the second holiest site in the Muslim world. Dr. Wyatt currently lectures both nationally and internationally at mosques, universities, and other institutions of learning. He serves as the Executive Director of the United Muslim Masjid in Philadelphia and is the President of the Quran, Arabic, and Reflection Institute (QARI), an institute dedicated to structured, curriculum-based instruction of the Quran and Arabic Language. In addition to Dr. Tahir's role as the Director of the Systematic Theology department, he also serves as an Associate Editor on Yaqeen's Editorial Review Board.
Anwar Arafat is an Imam for the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis. In Memphis since 2014, he moved here from Salt Lake City, UT, where he was born and raised, and served as an imam for several years. Arafat has traveled and lived overseas, completing his religious education locally and abroad, earning a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies, and most recently finishing a master’s degree in Islamic Leadership at the Islamic Seminary of America (TISA) in Dallas, Texas. He’s the U.S. Outreach Specialist for iERA, an international Dawah organization.
Hamza Andreas Tzortzis is the founder and CEO of Sapience Institute. He is the author of the best-selling book: ‘The Divine Reality: God, Islam and The Mirage of Atheism’. It has been translated into over 10 languages. He has an MRes, MA and a PgCert in Philosophy from the University of London. He is currently pursuing his PhD on the Qur’ān and its verses pertaining to nature. He has studied Islamic Thought and Theology under qualified scholars.
Hamza has a professional background in project and programme management, charity governance and operations, and has worked as a consultant for the public and private sector. He was the CEO of iERA from April 2017 until February 2020, where he and his team developed sector-leading robust systems, processes and procedures. He grew the organisation by over 500%, with an international operational growth of over 1000%.
