Oral History Interview with Imam Mika’il Stewart Saadiq on September 26, 2020
Oral history interview with Imam Mika’il Stewart Saadiq conducted by Zayd Walid on September 26, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Zayd Walid. Imam Mika’il Stewart Saadiq was born and raised in Detroit, growing up in a large multigenerational household with family members who worshipped at a local Baptist church. After graduating from McKenzie High School in the early 1990s, Imam Saadiq attended Prairie View A&M University in Texas, a Historically Black University. At the age of twenty, he embraced Islam after being exposed to the writings of Malcolm X, the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and references to Islam in hip-hop music. Imam Saadiq took his shahada with Imam Luqman Abdullah, the founder of Masjid Al-Haqq, who he describes as one of his most important teachers and guides, and joined Masjid Al-Haqq as his first Muslim religious home. After some creative exploration as a hip-hop artist, Imam Saadiq pursued a career as an educator, serving as a teacher and administrator at Al-Ikhlas Training Academy for more than a decade. Imam Saadiq served as Detroit Police Chaplain for several years in response to the rising visibility of police violence against African Americans. He later served as the community liaison advisor for Councilman Scott Benson in Detroit’s District Three. In the interview, Imam Saadiq reflects on the values and goals that have united his work as an imam, teacher, and community leader throughout his life. In this discussion, he emphasizes his motivation to eradicate white supremacy in local and national government institutions and the importance of service leadership and youth leadership in building strong African American and African American Muslim communities.
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