Imam Tom Facchine (fuh-KEEN-ee) converted to Islam in 2010. He finished his BA in Political Science from Vassar College in 2011 and was granted the opportunity to study at the Islamic University of Madinah from 2015-2020, where he obtained his BA from the Faculty of Sharī'ah.
Imam Tom is currently the Research Director of Islam and Society at the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. He is also Resident Scholar of Utica Masjid (Utica, New York), as well as the Imam of Hamilton College, where he does chaplaincy work. He also teaches Tafsīr to middle-schoolers online through Legacy International Online High School.
Shaykh Dr. Haitham al-Haddad is a jurist and serves as a judge for Islamic Council. He has studied the Islamic sciences for over 20 years under the tutelage of renowned scholars such as the late Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, as well as the retired Head of the Kingdom's Higher Judiciary Council. He specialises in many of the Islamic sciences and submitted his doctoral thesis on Islamic jurisprudence concerning Muslim minorities.
He is highly respected, having specialised knowledge in the field of Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Maqāsid al-Shari'ah, Ulum al-Qur’ān, Tafsīr, Aqīdah, and Fiqh al-Hadīth. He provides complex theories that address the role of Islamic jurisprudence within a Western environment, whilst also critically re-analysing the approach of Islamic jurists in forming legal rulings (ifta’) within a Western sociopolitical context.
Dr. Butt studied Biochemistry at Imperial College London, followed by a PhD in Chemical Biology, carrying out research into photosynthesis.
During his years at university, he became involved in Islamic society da'wah and activism, and general Muslim community projects.
At present, he is the Head of Islamic Thought and a regular contributor at Islam21c, and also has a blog on HuffPost. You may find him on social media.
