A Note of Gratitude and Looking Ahead

About 30 years ago, I attended my first ever “sleepover”. It was not a typical guys hangout. It was an Islamic youth camp at a large Masjid, which is where I first heard Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid live. 

What captivated me as a teenager was the clarity of his vision and the passion for his mission. I still vividly remember his lecture on our responsibility toward the Quranic mandate of being “Shuhada alannas”, witnesses unto humanity.

I witnessed first hand how Sound Vision was living out the mision of Shahadah in the 90’s. True to its motto of “helping tomorrow’s Muslims today”, this organization was the pioneer using multimedia to educate, equip, and empower the next generation of American and Canadian Muslims, through Adam’s World, Islamic songs and hymns of Dawud Wharnsby, and cutting edge content focused on practical Islamic living that was widely used by Imams, Khateeb, teachers, MSA leaders, and parents globally.

Since then, I fell in love with the vision, mission, and work of anything Imam Mujahid has done and continues to do.  Hence, before I even went on to university and Islamic education, I knew I had to work for Sound Vision and contribute to its compelling mission of creative outreach and education.

Alhamdulillah, I have the privilege of working with, traveling with, and shadowing Imam Mujahid for over two decades. And I was humbled to be trusted by him to take on multiple leadership roles, including the Chairperson of MuslimFest, Development Manager of Sound Vision, Executive Director of Justice For Canada, and more recently Senior Vice President of Sound Vision. 

Last week, as part of our succession plan, Imam Mujahid and the Sound Vision board appointed me as the President of this iconic organization that has offices and studios in the US and Canada with global reach Alhamdulillah.

To me this is not just another title or a transition. It is a lofty responsibility that I do not take lightly. I am also fortunate to have the leadership support of Br. Khaled Alsadi, our Vice President in the Chicago office, who has served this organization for over 14 years.

As Imam Mujahid moves on to the role of the Chair of the board of Sound Vision, we will continue to count on his expert advice and we will continue to stand on his generous broad shoulders to build the next chapter of Sound Vision Insha Allah.

In the days and weeks to come, as the Sound Vision leadership envisions and plans for 2027 and beyond, I look forward to reaching out and listening to many stakeholders and supporters across North America with the following 3 questions:

• How can we continue to bear witness unto humanity impactfully today through education and media?
• How can we better engage and equip the Gen Z’s and young Muslim professionals?
• How can we collaborate more with community organizations, leaders, and influencers for bigger leverage and impact?

While we have achieved some unique milestones over the years with our signature projects like Adam’s World and Muslim Network TV, we know we still have a long way to go.

The challenges for Muslims in the US and Canada seem overwhelming, with skyrocketing incidents of Islamophobia at home, global genocides, trade wars, the unknown impact of AI, the dilemma of family integrity and disintegration, the onslaught of atheism on young Muslims, and more.

Hence the need for us not to continue with business as usual. We need collective bold, innovative, and long-term thinking and tactics to be the achievers in this life and the next Insha Allah.

We ask Allah to continue to bless Imam Mujahid with his ever flowing energy to serve His creation and humanity, and to allow us to build on his legacy to reach new heights, Ameen.

In need of your prayers, support, and advice.

Taha Ghayyur
President, Sound Vision