A prominent and well-respected Nation of Islam minister in New York City has succumbed to COVID-19. Student Minister Abdul Hafeez Muhammad of Harlem Mosque #7, also known as Masjid Malcolm Shabazz, was the leader of the Eastern Regional Headquarters of the Nation of Islam and the New York representative of Minister Louis Farrakhan. Affectionately known as “the People’s Minister,” he died on April 10. He was 56 years old.
Known for his work in youth educational development, Muhammad had more than 30 years of administrative and counseling experience in professional development and motivational speaking.
“From meditating with street organizations, working with rap artists, ecumenical work, and political empowerment to his recent walks with Minister Farrakhan throughout the boroughs and counties of New York for the nonviolent ‘Peace in The Streets’ gatherings, he has been a relentless fighter for the rights of the poor, oppressed, women, and functional family life,” Nation of Islam’s New York chapter reported.
He was well-known in the various Black communities where he developed relationships with churches, mosques, and local organizations in the tri-state region (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.) He forged relationships with religious and community leaders, celebrities, and locals. He was the first Muslim minister to speak at the historical St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn and the First Baptist Church of Crown Heights, also in Brooklyn, according to the NOI.
Muhammad spoke at various events, including many celebrations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
He was also a community activist.
When someone was needed to speak out against New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed 2002 budget for public schools, Muhammad was called.
“Abdul Hafeez Muhammad was on the frontline in support of entertainment business mogul and activist Russell Simmons and United Federation of Teachers’ President Randi Weingarten,” the NOI reported. “His ability to reach out into troubled communities, regardless of age or philosophy, was demonstrated when he mediated for the ‘The Unified Gang Summit’ in New York (2001), where gang members from the East and West Coast came together to settle their differences at John Jay College.”
Muhammad also helped arrange a sit-down in 2003 to settle a public dispute between rap artists 50 Cents and Ja-Rule.
He was the founder and CEO of the Center for Self-Improvement, Inc. The center offers a curriculum-based program to provide education and self-improvement workshops within the New York City public schools, New York Public Library, and the Harlem Children’s Zone as well as various other nonprofits
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Muhammad, born Kevin Ross in 1963 in Brooklyn, rose through the ranks of the Fruit of Islam (FOI). He joined the Ministry of the Nation in 1983 at age 18 as Kevin X. He held positions as assistant East Coast regional minister, which encompassed the tri-state region as well as Canada through South Carolina from 1998 to 2000. In 1993, he led the opening of Muhammad Mosque No. 7C in Brooklyn and he served six years as the Minister.
Sometime around 1995, Farrakhan bestowed Brother Kevin the surname “Muhammad,” meaning one worthy of praise.
Muhammad was hospitalized with symptoms of COVID-19 on April 1. It was not publicly known that he tested positive until April 5, The Source reported.
