Beginning July 1, Ebadur Rahman will act as the next Muslim Life Coordinator.

Ebadur “Ebad” Rahman will serve as the next Muslim Life Coordinator at Columbia, according to an email sent out by the Dean of Religious Life Ian Rottenberg to Columbia affiliates. Ebad’s presence in New York—and Columbia University—has spanned many years, having concentrated on Islam in America at NYU while earning his B.A., only to later lead programming at NYU’s Islamic Center. He also defended his Ph.D. dissertation within Columbia’s Department of Religion, with his research and teaching centered around “contemporary works of Qur’anic interpretation.” 

In addition to his time spent in New York, Ebad also spent four years in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he completed seminary training at the Zaytuna Institute. He has also led nightly prayers during Ramadan in mosques across the country.  

Ebad will begin his work on July 1, succeeding the current coordinator Amina Darwish. The email is available in its entirety below. 

Email sent by the Dean of Religious Life Ian Rottenberg to Columbia affiliates: 

Dear Colleagues,

I write to share with you the good news that Ebadur Rahman has been selected as the next Muslim Life Coordinator at Columbia and will begin on July 1st. Ebad is well known within the New York City and Columbia communities, having led programming for many years with the Islamic Center at NYU and having recently defended his PhD dissertation within Columbia’s Department of Religion.

Ebad’s training, accomplishments, and experiences are remarkably well-suited for this new role. Having memorized the Qur’an while a student at Stuyvesant High School, he has led the nightly prayers during Ramadan in various mosques throughout the country. Following his seminary training as one of the first students of Zaytuna Institute in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ebad earned his B.A from New York University, concentrating on Islam in America. His PhD research and teaching at Columbia have focused on contemporary works of Qur’anic interpretation.

We are pleased that our university will continue to benefit from Ebad’s work in the context of Columbia’s Office of Religious Life. We look forward to sharing with you opportunities, both in-person and virtual, to meet him in the coming months. Please join me in welcoming Imam Ebad to his new role.

Sincerely,

Ian Rottenberg

Dean of Religious Life

Earl Hall via Bwarchives